Cradle Cap Gel

I love snuggling and cuddling my new baby, in fact we all do! Most of the time this happens when we are nursing or putting her to sleep but this weekend we were able to go out as a family to enjoy some fall activities. When we do an all day outing I usually like to carry my baby in my carrier and use the double stroller for the older two. I get to spend more cuddle time this way and sneak in more kisses to her sweet little head. During this time wandering through a 9 acre corn maze I happened to notice, when I was going in to kiss her sweet little head, those yellow, flaky scales that are characteristic of cradle cap. I don't know about you but whenever my children get cradle cap I just get this urge to scratch it off for them; but the more you loosen them off the more there is it seems. Then you just end up with a baby covered in little flakes of dandruff and them looking worse that when you started. What is a mommy to do?

Well first off it is really nothing serious, at it's worst your baby can have an irritating itch on their head. In most cases it probably bothers the mom worse than the baby. It is not really known what causes cradle cap in infants but it could possibly be from a hormone over load that the mother passes to her child, either from late pregnancy or through breastfeeding, causing the oil glands in their scalp to over produce. It is also speculated that it may be a yeast over growth in the hair follicle that causes the yellow flakes to appear. At any rate whether it is too much yeast or oils it doesn't look very nice.

As someone who likes a more natural approach the idea of using cortisone (steroid) cream on my baby's head doesn't appeal to me. Especially as it always seems the worst right in her soft spot where the skin is the only thing protecting her brain and it is so absorbent. So besides using a gentle castile soap and combing out the flakes at bath time I am using this home remedy to lessen Eliora's cradle cap.

Cradle Cap Gel

• 1/4 Cup aloe vera gel
• 3 drops Mellaluca or Tea tree essential oil
• 3 drops Lavender essential oil

Mix it all together in a glass jar and apply to cradle cap 3 times a day. Massaging gently into flakes, then brush out with a boar bristle brush.

It is so hard on mommies all the new stuff that goes on with our babies. As if we aren't stressed out enough as it is! This is a simple recipe that works very well for us, here is her head after one day of using the gel.

Enjoy kissing and cuddling those sweet babies while they while they are still little. Eliora rolled over for the fist time yesterday at 12 weeks old! I can't believe how quick she is growing! Time flies when you are having fun :)

                                                                  The farmer in the Dell