Although eczema and cradle cap are not life-threatening, moms want their baby’s skin and scalp smooth and free from itch and rashes that can be uncomfortable. Since baby’s skin is sensitive some medical formulations or conventional treatment products may have adverse effect on the baby’s skin; it is best to learn how to treat baby eczema and cradle cap naturally.
Natural Baby Baths for Eczema
Because baby’s skin is tender and sensitive, moms should treat cradle cap and eczema naturally to prevent secondary side effects and allergies. Some emollients when applied cause the eczema to flare up.
Natural remedies are safer and kinder on the skin and they are cheaper too. When treating your baby of eczema, relieve the itch first to prevent baby from scratching and making the condition worse. The skin condition is so itchy and your baby will relentlessly scratch the affected area until the skin breaks and the eczema weeps and bleeds.
Prepare baby’s organic porridge oat milk bath by soaking a cup of oats powder in lukewarm water. The milk of the oats moisturizes the skin and prevents more eczema. You can process the oat in a food processor or coffee grinder or simply make an oats ball. For the ball, wrap a cup of oats in cotton cloth and tie the cloth at the ends. Let the oat ball or powder sit on the bath for 30 minutes before bathing baby.
The treatment should not be given to babies with contact dermatitis as this will only worsen the rashes and increase the itching. Still avoid using soaps even if it advertises as baby-mild or baby safe.
Also, protect baby’s skin by treating baby’s new clothes to a baking soda wash. This will eliminate chemical residue that can cause irritation to baby’s very fine and sensitive skin.
If you want the ease of pre-formulated products check out Earth Mama Angel Baby natural lotion and baby wash. They are gentle and natural.
Baby Oil for Cradle Cap
There is no known cause for cradle cap that pops up on baby’s scalps during the first two months. It starts as a red scaly rash on the scalp that quickly piles up to develop plaques or layers appearing like scabs on the scalp. This spreads to areas with oil glands along the eyelids, eyebrows, nose creases, behind the ear, groin and under the arms. Thankfully, this is not itchy and will disappear but will cause hair loss. It is also known that children who develop cradle cap can develop eczema later.
It is never advised to forcefully remove the plaques as this will cause the scalp to bleed and develop secondary infection. Mothers agree that the best and safest way to remove cradle cap is to massage baby’s scalp with warmed almond oil, coconut oil, or with extra virgin olive oil. This is best done before baby’s bath. After patting baby’s scalp dry, gently comb baby’s hair with a soft brush to remove the loosened plaques or scales.
Breastmilk for Baby’s Skin Ailments
Breastmilk is truly miraculous. It provides babies with the healthiest possible start and everything they need to build a strong immune system but it also does wonders topically for a variety of things. For skin issues apply some liberally to the inflamed areas. allowing it to dry, and it will soothe immediately and help with healing.
Related article with more ideas: Natural Remedies for Baby Eczema
Andrea-
You might also want to have your baby tested for food allergies.
My baby had severe eczema and we eventually had her tested for food allergies. (It’s a simple blood test.) It came back positive for milk, eggs and peanuts. She was still being breastfed (and still IS!) so she wasn’t eating those things herself, but they were a major part of my diet. When I stopped eating her allergens and passing them to her through breast milk, the eczema went away almost completely.
The many pediatricians, allergists, nurses and dermatologists I’ve spoken to all say that children with eczema tend to have allergies or develop them later in life.
That’s a great idea, I hadnt even thought of that. My cousin actually had horrible exzema her entire life (25+ years) and when she stopped eating dairy it cleared up entirely. I’m still nursing as well and drink a LOT of milk, so I’m going to give that a try!
My 8 month old has really really bad exzema patches on his torso and the Dr perscribed a steroid cream for it. It works really well, but it can also remove pigmentation and cause white spots on his skin later in life. So obviously that’s pretty bad. Have you heard of any recommendations of something natural to put directly on the patches that are really severe? Thank you!
Hi Andrea,
My daughter was diagnosed with severe eczema when she was 8 months old (she’s now 9 months) and the dermatologist prescribed a steroid cream but I just couldn’t get myself to use it, so I did my own thing and she completely cleared up and has not had a flare up since.
I purchased unrefined Shea Butter from mountainroseherbs.com, and slathered her with it at every diaper change from top to bottom, literally. I also put a warm mist humidifier in her room for a couple of days which helped. Depending on the severity of the rash you will need to use the shea butter for a week or more but it works wonders. I also would give her a bath that had a cheesecloth bag filled with organics oats, 1 drop lavender essential oil, and 1/4 tsp jojoba oil (also from mountainroseherbs.com). Make sure you lube him up after every bath.
Hope this helps. I cringed when the doctor suggested a bath with bleach!
Hello,
My 16-months daughter used to have severe eczema and cradle cap. She was only 2 months old when she’s been admitted to the hospital and treated with steroids for 2.5 months!! The only thing that helped was going natural! I make myself natural oils and balms with Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Calendula oil and lavender drops to moisture and create a natural skin barrier, I use oatmeal with lavender oil in her bath, I give her probiotics to maintain healthy gut (this improves skin conditions as well), and we use homeopathy as alternative treatment, too. You can get some information on treating eczema naturally here: http://www.greenkiddie.co.uk/Eczema.php
Or how to make your own baby oils and salves here: http://www.greenkiddie.co.uk/Cosmetics.php
HI Linda,
I am desperately looking for a home remedy for my 4mth old Son. Can you confirm if you applied the shea butter for the scalp also each time? During bath have you applied any shampoo to the scalp? Please, respond.
Thanks,
Salini.
Very good and interesting post!! Thank you so much for sharing. I was wondering how long you should treat baby clothes int he baking soda and water paste and what is the best way to make the paste. Just a mixture of the two? I have purchased environmentally friendly detergent for our baby (due the beginning of Sept.) and my husband and I are using the same, but it would be nice to prep all his clothes as well. Thank you in advance for any feedback!!
Andrea, you could look into herbal salves. You would just need to make sure any essential oil ingredients or herbs are safe for babies. Here is an example of one on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Eczema-Care-Salve-oz-Alternative/dp/B0014BWCDC
You can also make your own.
Eczema can in rare cases be deadly, because of the secondary skin infections. When I was a child, my father was afraid that I was going to lose my fingers and feet because of the deep fissures and infections.
He noticed that trips to the beach resulted in healed skin and much less pain. He made this observation to numerous doctors and was dismissed. As an adult I mentioned to a coworker that the 1st day of summer break I was heading to the beach because my skin was so painful.
She suggested using Epson salts as well as oatmeal in my bath. I was already using oatmeal. The effect was amazing. My flair ups are rare and usually directly related to contact dermatitis not the atopic. They are much less severe and clear up in weeks instead of months.
Julie you might just do a wash with a cup of baking soda for a full or partial load of new baby clothes.
This is a great post. Most of my children have had problems with cradle cap. My son had eczema so bad in addition that he had to have medicine because of the infections that it caused–I’d never heard of that happening before until I read the other posts here. We also live near the beach and maybe I’ll try that remedy. My son also has asthma, something my other children don’t have.
I’ve seen cradle cap brushes in the baby aisles. Has anyone tried this product?
I have to suggest being careful about using ocean water as a remedy for skin infections. Ocean water isn’t the cleanest, and I have heard of people getting infections from exposing open wounds to bacteria-ridden ocean water. I would be more likely to try the epsom salt bath instead. Good luck!
Great post and tips. Did you see the study on giving a child a bath in bleach as a remedy? Craziness! http://greenandcleanmom.org/bleach-and-eczema/
My son has eczema, but we have been able to manage it by using nutrition and natural treatments. You can read our story on m y blog:
http://naturalfamily.typepad.com/natural-family-living/2009/04/using-nutrition-to-heal-eczema-from-the-inside-out.html
These tips and suggestions are wonderful. Thank you :) Although I did see a comment about giving a baby a bath in bleach and I have to advise against that. This was in the comments section. I’m glad this mother knows that the study is crazy. How on earth could anyone put bleach on their baby. Yikes.
I completely eliminated all dairy from my son’s diet and his eczema cleared up in a few days. I was amazed. Now, I give him soy formula mixed with goat’s milk and he rarely gets an eczema rash. Also, moisturize, moisturize, moisturize… I slather my son with Cetaphil lotion at EVERY diaper change.
I would be hesitant to wash all my baby’s clothes with baking soda. My first daughter would break out in a rash whenever I added baking soda to her clothes in the wash. I had first tried it with the cloth diapers and she developed a diaper rash (hadn’t had one before) which went away when I used diapers without being washed with baking soda. Later I had added some to the laundry and she would break out in a light rash again. My kids were also sensitive to “2nd” clothes. I had to make sure I washed them really well before letting the kids wear them. They would react to whatever detergent the previous owner had used before.
My 20 month old daughter has eczema and food/environmental allergies. As long as we control her food allergies her skin does pretty well. When she has a flair up I give her a plain water bath and use Alba’s Un-petroleum Jelly while she is still wet. Without drying her off she goes straight into cotton pj’s. This works wonders and it keeps me from having to use a steroid on her at such a young age.
Thank you for a fantastic blog! :)
I would also like to recommend breast milk on baby eczema and rashes, as well as on eye infections.
My 6th month old daughter has been fighting with eczema. The last couple of days I have put breastmilk on the irritated areas and it is doing wonders.
****YES!**** I had never heard of this treatment, but i heard that breastmilk had healing properties. i thought hey i get it all over me anyways (overactive letdown!) why not put it where it counts? I have had eczema on my hands for a year STRAIGHT with no breaks, and WOW. this works better thn anything i have tried, and its FREE! just apply a few times a day and let it dry, works from the first time.
A friend’s little one has TERRIBLE eczema, using Mama Rose’s Naturals products, it cleared up nearly overnight! Try Mama Rose’s Harmony Herbal Remedy Cream, La La Baby Wash, Magic Touch Skin & Diaper Balm, and Sunshine Spray! http://www.mamarosesnaturals.com
For everyone who is dealing with cradle cap on their babies.. be wary, cradle cap is an early form of eczema and can be an early indicator of multiple severe food allergies. Be careful when using nut products (shea butter is also a tree nut) as treatments and or preventative. Nuts are the top 5 food allergens . My own child was diagnoised with multiple food allergies at 2 months of age.
Breastmilk! Used it on my own hands, believe me, your baby will thank you! Just apply and let dry. starts soothing and healing on contact. :)
I get hysterical when something is wrong with my baby’s skin. This is a handy note to keep. Laura says breastmilk is good too, I believe in her for that.
Hi, I agree with the above tips. Additionally, I used to put pure aloe vera gel on my baby’s eczema patches and that seemed to calm down the inflammation significantly. Eczema, however, needs to be tackled internally as well in order to clear it permanently. There are many useful websites around however I learnt the most from Heal Your Baby’s Eczema book by Lucie Nunez. The book is very innovative in that it addresses baby eczema from all possible angles showing parents how to go about identifying triggers individual to their baby. I only wish that all parents knew about this book so that their children would not suffer from this irritating skin condition -)
Another natural way to moisturise baby’s skin is using organic unrefined shea butter. I get mine from ZuriNatural.com. Shea butter is amazing for dry skin and scalp. You should read more on it.
most of the products you have all mentioned contain oleic acid which can damage babies skin. use of these product for short term treatment of cradle cap is ok but babies skin is 50% thinner than adult skin< be careful what you use in the first year of life
i’ve tried a lot of creams and soaps..but my baby’s eczema went away fast when i spray epx body restore. got it from here: http://www.epxbody.com/epxbodyproducts/index.php?toDo=productRestore
I have a 2 years old baby girl that suffering eczema, me and my wife was so desperate of treating her. We’ve been to almost all dermatologist in our town but still the eczema attack won’t stop. We are so worried and scared that our little one is suffering to this skin disease, I ask God why my child is suffering this what did I have done to be punish like this. But I guess acceptance is a must to lessen our frustration. A year of looking and searching all the ways to know the exact treatment of eczema, we are experimenting even though its hurt to see my daughter suffering but we have to experiment her to know the ideal treatment for her. And at last Thank God I found Q-based Solution in you tube and got this product Eczema Cream Combo Pack http://shop.qbased.com/non-toxic-eczema-treatment-combo-p/aspk005.htm , I know this is again a try and error but its not , my baby girl eczema lessen , the redness was starting to lessen in just 1 day of used. My little Girl is now 4 years old and no eczema signs was seen but still we are aware of the do’s and don’t of eczema, just a little scratch and redness , just put a little All Stop Eczema cream and all is well. I hope this one will help readers who is suffering of nightmare of Eczema , I know how it felt that is why I am sharing this one. Thanks and Good Luck.