Cradle cap, also known as infantile seborrheic dermatitis in medical terminology, is a general skin condition affecting babies. And though you can see flaky scales on the scalp which look rather unsightly, it is overall a harmless condition of the skin seen in babies, generally at two months of age and which may persist up to two years.

Since the condition is non-itchy and non-contagious, it does not bother the baby much and should not worry the parents. Frequent use of mild baby shampoo is generally enough to dissolve the scales on the scalp of the baby. However, serious cases where the skin may feel sore and itchy, may require consultation from the dermatologist or the pediatrician.

No one is quite sure why cradle cap occurs. What is definite is that it is not caused due to lack of hygiene or even due to any allergy. The reasons could be varied. It could be due to some hormones from the mother which passes on to the new-born and remains there to produce this skin reaction. And with time, it should disappear on its own. However, to take extra skin care of your baby, you may like to refer to some excellent skin care products for the baby available online such as ketoconazole shampoos.

One per cent hydrocortisone cream is a usual preparation for the treatment of . Then there are simple herbal methods that upon sustained application brings effective results such as olive oil. Even a little of it is generally effective. It is well and good to apply these medications before bed-time, since this allows the oil to be absorbed into the scalp to let it soften and to loosen the scales. And this can then be washed off in the morning or else combed off with a fine-tooth comb, or soft brush.