ALTERNATIVE USES OF BREAST MILK

Ever heard of the phrase ‘food of the gods’? Well, if ever there was a type of food that came close to what the phrase implies – nourishment and longevity – then breast milk is it! While research has proven the white fluid is a super food in itself, breast milk has even more diverse uses other than powering up your baby in preparation for life. Here are just but a few that have us awed.

1 Pain reliever
According to research, the antibody and fat content in breast milk is the right concoction to give one relief from not just small burns, but small cuts and sunburns as well. It can also help relieve mosquito bites, sore throats and other forms of itch and stings such as chicken pox! It can also come in handy in the event of a nasty or itchy diaper rash. Just rub or dab some on the baby’s bottom and let it air dry. Repeat as often as is necessary.

2 Treat eye and ear infections
Breast milk as a remedy to treat eye and ear infections has been used for ages and many mothers swear by it especially in the event of conjunctivitis, commonly referred to as pink eye. If your child has an ear infection, breast milk may also come in handy. You can either squirt it in (eye or ear) or use a dropper if your aim is questionable! Squirt at intervals as you would regular medicine to ease the pain.

3 Soothe sore nipples
Sore nipples are common in lactating mothers as a result of poor latching or if your cheeky young one enjoys sneaking in a nipple bite. Just rub a little breast milk on the nipple and let it dry or dampen some cotton wool and let it sit on the nipple for a while if the pain is a tad too much and let breast milk’s anti-inflammatory powers get to work!

4 Get rid of cradle cap
Cradle cap is the oily, whitish scaling on a baby’s scalp caused by the build up of sticky skin oils and sloughed skin scales. To remove it, simply dab a tot of breast milk on a damp cloth or pour a bit of breast milk on the scalp and wipe away with a damp cloth.
If you’re the adventurous type, you may also try breast milk as a makeup cleanser, cooking ingredient (coffee creamer), contact lenses solution cleaner and acne soother.

Published January 2017