How to Make Alternate Use of Breast Milk

It's well documented that breastfeeding is the single best thing you can do for your infant's health, and has a significant positive impact on your own as well. Credited for reducing the rates of everything from the common cold to cancer, breast milk truly is an amazing substance. In addition to your baby's primary source of nutrition, you can make many alternate uses of breast milk, as its healing properties extend beyond just infant and toddler feeding.

Instructions

1

Pump or hand-express some breast milk. You can store it in the refrigerator up to 8 days, in a regular freezer up to 6 months, and in a deep freezer up to 12 months.

2

Drop some milk in irritated eyes using a needless syringe or medicine dropper. This works for infected or plugged tear ducts, pink eye, sties and ophthalmologic allergies (watery eyes). You can also use for contact solution on soft, hard, or gas permeable lenses, or use it in place of or in addition to tea bags or cucumbers to soothe red, puffy, tired eyes.

3

Rinse your skin with plain water, pat dry, spread breast milk on skin and let it air dry. This can help soothe and heal a number of skin calamities, including diaper rashes, cracked or bleeding nipples, acne, eczema, chicken pox, chapped cheeks, and rashes or hives due to allergies or poisonous plants like poison oak or poison ivy. You can use a cotton ball moistened with the breast milk to spread it on the skin. This will also help any bite or sting, whether it comes from an insect, a pet or another child.

4

Gargle it. This will heal a sore throat very quickly. In addition, giving your weaned older children or your husband/partner a cup of expressed milk will help them get over a cold or flu occurrence quickly. It's a great remedy for chapped lips, canker sores, cold sores, and other mouth sores in both children and adults.

5

Use breast milk to ease the symptoms of colds as well. It can be used in place of nasal saline drops to loosen mucous of the nose, and it can be used as ear drops to ease the pain of an ear infection.

6

Remove makeup with breast milk. Alternately, you can use it as a general facial cleanser.

7

Treat injuries like scratches, abrasions, ingrown toenails, scrapes and burns with breast milk. Just dab it on and let it heal, or in hand/foot injuries, let it soak in a cup of milk.

8

Calm the pain of teething or toothaches. Experiment with different temperatures to find the one that brings most relief. Chewing on a cloth soaked in breast milk really helps.

9

Cook with it. It can be used in the same proportions that you would use cow milk in cooking and baking.

10

Donate it. If you are a super-producer with your pump, consider donating some of your overage. Milk banks will use this precious commodity to heal babies who need it the most, such as preemies and babies with severe congenital problems.