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
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.
Syringes inevitably end up in the bathroom as a bath toy. Much more fun (and less gross) than those ‘bath squirters’!
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.
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.
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! 🙂
I wonder if it would work to neatly dispense glitter?
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..