Are you wondering how to go about washing your baby’s locks? Is it possible to make it a positive experience for you both? Many new moms share these thoughts.

Your baby might have been born with a full head of luscious strands, ready for washing — or just one or two strands! You may also wonder what to do with your baby’s wet hair after the bath. We’ll look into all this and more, so hang tight.

When Can I Start Washing Baby’s Hair?

You can wash your baby’s hair immediately after birth. In hospital, a nurse will often give your baby their first bath to clean the skin before dressing them.

Maybe you’re feeling hesitant to wash your baby’s hair after returning home from the hospital. However, with a few tips and tricks, it’s nothing to stress about.

Cradle Cap — Can Regular Washing Help?

Infantile seborrheic dermatitis, more commonly known as cradle cap, is a dandruff type condition that many babies develop. It’s neither harmful nor contagious, and the look of it may bother you more than your baby.

You might notice yellow, white, red, or brown scales or flakes in your baby’s scalp. These can be large and visible, or tiny patches hanging on to the scalp.

In severe cases, the cradle cap could spread to your baby’s face or body. In this case, you should contact your child’s pediatrician.

The causes of cradle cap are not exactly known. Some studies suggest it’s caused by the hormones that rush through baby and mommy before birth. The hormones can cause an overproduction of sebum, which is found in the oil glands.

Others say that a yeast called “Malassezia” is to blame. Malassezia naturally grows in the sebum, along with other microbes. Some pediatricians choose to treat cradle cap with an antifungal serum for this reason . The AAP has additional advice regarding cradle cap.

Newborns don’t need a bath every day and it’s actually only necessary to wash their hair around twice a week . Even if your baby doesn’t have much hair, it’s still important to gently wash the scalp, to get rid of excess oil.

If you feel that your baby’s hair might need a little cleanse in between, you can simply use a washcloth and water. Wet the cloth and wring it out, then gently wipe your baby’s hair. This should do fine until the next shampoo session.