Maybe he’s less of a Seabass and more of a Lizard

Just don't look above the hairline...

Cradle cap.  What’s the deal?  Well, for starters, it’s downright disgusting: Scales of dead skin all over my otherwise-perfect Baby Seabass’ head.  Kinda looks like a dried-up river bed or the skin of an ancient iguana.  The baby book calls it “infantile or neonatal seborrhoeic dermatitis, also known as crusta lactea or ‘milk crust.'” 

Seriously?  MILK CRUST?  “Well, Mrs. Sullivan, the good news is you’ve given birth to a beautiful baby boy.  The bad news is, his head is covered in MILK CRUST.”  The only less appetizing medical term that I can think of is scabies.  Blech. 

For you pregnant moms out there, cradle cap is really nothing special – affecting half of all newborn babies – and completely harmless.  But it’s gross.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been cooing and making silly faces at my sweet boy only to notice errant flakes cascading down his back.  So, after four months of being distracted by Seabass’ scaly, milk-crusty head, I decided to take action.  Here’s the order of events: 

1.  Lay Seabass on towel.
2. Apply Burt’s Bees Apricot Oil to affected area.
3. Massage well into scales.
4. Using a fine-toothed comb, pick at scales, lifting them from scalp and combing them through hair.
5. Gag.
6. Wash Seabass’ hair thoroughly with baby shampoo.
7. Brush out remaining flakes.
8. Repeat as necessary.

The result?  A crust-free, soft, beautifully kissable baby head and a happy mommy.