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Neatly dispense baby ointment and diaper cream with an empty syringe

in: Poop, Pee & Potty

At Amazon: Irrigation Syringes (Pack of 5)

At Amazon: Irrigation Syringes (Pack of 5)

I call it "Desitin Fingers." The white, gooey mess on your hands every time you apply a blob of diaper rash cream to a baby's butt.

Creams and ointments come with the job, and this brilliant hack from Kerry puts an old syringe to work as an applicator:

If baby needs ointment or lotion from a tube applied to a specific spot (like Vaseline to a circumcision site), use a needleless syringe.

We came home from the hospital with several syringes that we used for early nursing before my wife’s milk came in. I just popped the plunger out, filled the barrel with as much ointment as I could, then put everything back together.

Give it a test run so you’ve got an idea of the viscosity, but then you’ve got a much more controllable applicator than the tube the medicine came in.

The syringes used for oral medicine application work great as well.

*FOREHEAD SMACK* Why didn't I ever think of that?

Old syringes come in handy for all sorts of things. Parenthackers have suggested different uses such as administering sips of water to a half-awake but coughing toddler, serving lunchbox condiments, portioning out cupcake frosting and barbecue sauce, and even dispensing fish tank chemicals.

Do you have a creative use for those old syringes haunting your medicine cabinet? Let us know in the comments.

More: Hacks for handling diaper rash

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About Asha Dornfest

Asha Dornfest is a writer, parent, and insistent optimist living in Portland, Oregon. She is the author of PARENT HACKS, co-author of MINIMALIST PARENTING, and co-host of the Edit Your Life podcast.

Comments

  1. Shannon says

    April 2, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    I love the idea for diapering cream!! Wish I’d thought of this when my kids were little.
    Syringes make applying glue to a small area easier, also.

  2. Rebecca says

    April 2, 2013 at 8:23 pm

    Syringes inevitably end up in the bathroom as a bath toy. Much more fun (and less gross) than those ‘bath squirters’!

  3. Dith says

    April 2, 2013 at 11:30 pm

    As a kid, my mom would fill it with yucky medicine and squirt it into the back of my throat (behind my tongue) so I didn’t have to taste it. As I got older she would fill it with the recommended dose and just give me the syringe to take on my own.

  4. Roz (Mom) says

    April 3, 2013 at 12:32 am

    Working on river trips I found those large syringes great fun for squirting water at my passengers to help them keep cool. Kids had a great time squirting people when they were not looking. Hot summers on the lawn can mean water play. Those syringes can make it even more fun.

  5. Jackie Charley says

    April 3, 2013 at 3:04 am

    I use them for giving medicine to my poorly, but reluctant chickens. Worked really well, but maybe not every parent has chickens (!) … works well for kids too though! 🙂

  6. Jen says

    April 3, 2013 at 10:43 am

    I wonder if it would work to neatly dispense glitter?

  7. Ned says

    April 4, 2013 at 2:50 am

    ah neat!you’re right there.. it did make me go “why didn’t I think of it before!”… I would definitely keep it in mind for the future..

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