It's a quarter past seven in the morning, and I've just deliberately made the baby cry.
Well, sort of. I did something that I knew full well would make the baby cry. I didn't do it in order to upset Olivia; that was a bonus. I've just rubbed a cream for cradle cap into her head. All of her hair is now flattened onto her scalp, making her look weird. She's not supposed to get into hair products for years yet. At least she's quietened down again now.
Cradle Cap, or Infantile Seborrhoeic Dermatitis, is a temporary condition of unknown cause, characterised by flaking, greasy, yellowy skin on the baby's scalp. Attractive? Not really. Apparently, it may be something to do with vernix, the greasy white skin covering that most babies have at birth, and the transition to normal skin. All the sites I've looked at to try and ensure that I'm talking vague sense have been at pains to emphasise that it's nothing to do with having bad hygiene routines, so I'm guessing it's the sort of thing that people angst about! It's also not connected to allergies or infection. Ultimately, it clears up by itself, but there are treatments that can address the symptoms. There's a commons picture of a typical case of Cradle Cap, as used on Wikipedia, here.
Olivia certainly doesn't have a bad case of it, certainly nothing like as bad as in the picture in the previous paragraph, but it is there in a couple of patches. As a younger man, I never suffered from anything, but since about the age of thirty, I've had a persistent patch of eczema between my eyebrows. Not only can it be itchy, it's also not terribly attractive to look like your skin is coming off, so if there is a skin condition that needs treating, we'd rather try and do it now.
In a few minutes time, we'll rinse the stuff out of her hair. This will probably set her off again.
Well, sort of. I did something that I knew full well would make the baby cry. I didn't do it in order to upset Olivia; that was a bonus. I've just rubbed a cream for cradle cap into her head. All of her hair is now flattened onto her scalp, making her look weird. She's not supposed to get into hair products for years yet. At least she's quietened down again now.
Cradle Cap, or Infantile Seborrhoeic Dermatitis, is a temporary condition of unknown cause, characterised by flaking, greasy, yellowy skin on the baby's scalp. Attractive? Not really. Apparently, it may be something to do with vernix, the greasy white skin covering that most babies have at birth, and the transition to normal skin. All the sites I've looked at to try and ensure that I'm talking vague sense have been at pains to emphasise that it's nothing to do with having bad hygiene routines, so I'm guessing it's the sort of thing that people angst about! It's also not connected to allergies or infection. Ultimately, it clears up by itself, but there are treatments that can address the symptoms. There's a commons picture of a typical case of Cradle Cap, as used on Wikipedia, here.
Olivia certainly doesn't have a bad case of it, certainly nothing like as bad as in the picture in the previous paragraph, but it is there in a couple of patches. As a younger man, I never suffered from anything, but since about the age of thirty, I've had a persistent patch of eczema between my eyebrows. Not only can it be itchy, it's also not terribly attractive to look like your skin is coming off, so if there is a skin condition that needs treating, we'd rather try and do it now.
In a few minutes time, we'll rinse the stuff out of her hair. This will probably set her off again.
I hate cradle cap.
ReplyDeleteGage had a little of it too---but I agree, it was NOTHING like that in the picture...
On days when we knew that we didn't have to go anywhere--I'd rub baby oil on it.
I dunno if it helped at all...but it made me feel like I was doing something helpful.