The answer is YES!! Breast milk can be used to remedy all sorts of every day excitement that goes on in your house. Not only is your breast milk jam packed with amazing antibodies for your baby during feedings, it has gobs of other options for use, so that there´s not a drop of your liquid gold wasted. Prepare for your entire mom game is revolutionized. I did write about the benefits breastfeeding has for your baby and the benefits of breastfeeding for all you mamas out there, so if breastfeeding is still up in there air for you, take a peek at all the benefits breastfeeding provides.
The following are ways I have used my liquid gold. I am not a doctor. I am not claiming absolute cures to all your momming problems, but each one of these tricks has helped in my life tremendously. There are affiliate links throughout which just means if you like the products I suggest and make a purchase from my links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
- Diaper Rash Remedy– My sweet Aspen had her first diaper rash when she was just a week and a half old, and it was SO BAD that the skin became hard like it was chapped. I tried EVERYTHING (5+ types of creams but each one seemed to elevate the rash) until we were both in tears.. On the 8th night I poured a few tablespoons of my milk I caught in my Haakaa over her rash area and a little in her actual diaper so that it will still be applied once the diaper was closed. I am not kidding when I say in the morning that rash was hardly visible at all. I applied it once more on her 2nd diaper change of the day (usually I let her air out with the first change) and her rash was gone completely by the afternoon. She is over a year now, and I just keep a few ounces of milk in the refrigerator at all times in case of a rash.
- Milk Bath– Some babies get a ¨newborn rash¨ which appears on all parts of their little bodies. With Knox, I added 1/4 cup of my milk to his bath water and let him soak for about 5-7 minutes. While he relaxed I would use a washcloth to apply some to his sweet face. When I do the milk bath, I don´t follow up with actual soap or lotion after, I just pat him dry and put his pajamas on. His rash was night and day different the next morning for his newborn pictures.
- Popsicle/Teething– Both my kids LOVED this. I just used a popsicle container like this one, and poured my milk in there to freeze. Game changer for fussy teething babies. The cold helps their gums, breastmilk is full of nutrients and antibodies, and they´re chewing like crazy so it´s a win win all the way around. It does get a bit messy though, so I sat my babies in their highchairs to eat their popsicle.
- Pacifier/Teething– I started to add my milk inside the pacifier and froze it (hang the paci in the rack of your freezer to prevent spills). There´s hardly any mess if your baby is wearing a bib, and the technique soothes their gums.
- Cuts– I have used both frozen and thawed milk for this. I freeze milk into ice trays for fresh boo-boo´s; just rub over their cut and it soothes the pain with the cold. If it is an old cut, I apply a little thawed milk to a bandaid, and it works to heal it.
- Bug Bites– I use the exact technique for bug bites as I do for cuts. You can thawed milk, fresh milk, or frozen milk for this as well.
- Ear Aches– Knox had constant ear aches his first year of life. To help combat this, I would put 4 drops in his ear just like you would typical ear drops. It was easiest to do this when he was asleep because then he would lay on his side long enough to get into the infected area.
- Clear up Baby Acne and eczema– Very similar to the technique I use for the newborn rash, I use breastmilk to help clear up baby acne and any eczema or dry skin. I will either do another milk bath or use a paper towel to dab breastmilk directly on the skin. Some people claim to use this on adult acne too, but I can´t vouch for that.
- Eye Irritations/Allergy Eye/Clogged Duct– When Aspen was 2-3 weeks old she developed a clogged tear duct, and then when she was around 7 months she had an eye irritation or allergy related issue that caused her eyes to crust up often. For the clogged duct I put 1-2 drops of milk in the corner of her eye and used a really warm wash cloth to massage her eye. You don´t want the water too hot, but the warm water really makes a difference. For allergy eye, I just put 1-2 drops in the corner of her eye at night and when she wakes up. Some people even claim to use it for pink eye.. none of my crew have had pink eye, so I can´t vouch for that one.
- Sore/Cracked Nipples– If your nipples are in need of some TLC, use a frozen ice cube of breastmilk to ease some of the pain from cracked or sore nipples. You can apply it thawed too I suppose, but if you have a breast pad on it may help your nipples without you even trying.
- Sore Throat/Cold– Nursing was the best thing when it came to my kiddos getting a cold or had a sore throat. The antibodies step up and help the healing, plus nursing is such a comfort for babies that they were able to relax enough to sleep.
As you can see, I find every use possible for my liquid gold because I don´t like wasting a drop.. Anyone who says not to cry over spilled milk CLEARLY did not breastfeed. If you´ve used breastmilk for something not listed, feel free to join my email list and let me know! I love learning new ways to put my liquid gold to use.
XOXO,
Lenzi
