Dandruff & Olive Oil

Ready for bath time

One of the interesting things about being a new parent is the number of unique and creative remedies people have suggested to us for every real -- and imagined -- issue facing our little girls.

We are learning that, like most things in life, common sense (and your doctor's blessing) is often the best rule when it comes to following this advice.

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For instance, our babies have "cradle cap". Cradle cap is described by WebMD.com as: "an oily, yellow scaling or crusting on a baby's scalp. It is common in babies and is easily treated."

When I first saw all the dry, flaky skin on Katherine, and then Caroline, I remarked, "Hey! Our babies have dandruff!"

Terri replied, "That's cradle cap."

"Cradle cap? It doesn't look like a cap. They have dandruff," was my reply.

"No," said Terri. "It's cradle cap. We need to ask the doctor next time we see her how we should treat it."

Not being a baby expert, Terri's remarks made a lot of sense. Who was I to know dandruff from cradle cap?

So the next time we saw our doctor, we mentioned the cradle cap.

"It's very common," said our doctor.

But still I braced myself for the worst. Would my kids need a shot? Some expensive, prescription medication?

"You can treat this at home," said our doctor. "Rub a little Olive Oil into the scalp five minutes before bath time. Then gently massage the scalp, and the cradle cap will rub right off. Then shampoo with "'Head & Shoulders'" shampoo. The cradle cap should be gone in a few weeks.

"Head & Shoulders?" I thought. "Excuse me doctor, but isn't that used to treat dandruff?" I asked.

"Yes," said our doctor. "It wonderfully mild for babies."

Now, I'm not saying I'm as smart as a medical doctor. But I do get some satisfaction in calling cradle cap for what it was from day one -- DANDRUFF!

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Caroline's "Fonzie" Look

I have to admit I get a lot of joy out of the olive oil treatments.

For one, the babies look like little greaser kids from the 1950's. If they had a leather jacket and some blue jeans, they could date "Fonzie"!

Second, there is something theraputic about scraping flaky, dry skin off your babies heads! You can see the results right away, and so I guess I like the instant gratification of knowing I am helping my babies in some small way.

Katherine does not enjoy the olive oil as much.

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