Save Money With These 19 Inventive Uses for Baby Products
What do you do with all that baby stuff after your baby's all grown up? Repurpose it, of course, so you can continue to get your money's worth. (See also: 10 Things You Don't Actually Need to Buy for Your New Baby)
1. Baby Powder
There are a plethora of uses for the pleasant-smelling baby powder we know and love.
Use the powder to prevent chafing and excessive sweat ("boob sweat" is what one friend told me), and a media friend divulged his "newsroom secret" that baby powder helps control oil and shine on your face.
Outside of cosmetic uses, there are more practical applications, however, like using baby powder as a dry shampoo; sprinkling it on bed sheets to keep cool on warm summer nights; and getting sand off your body more efficiently since the baby powder will draw out moisture, letting you brush the sand right off.
2. Baby Oil
If you're struggling with dandruff, try applying baby oil to your scalp, the healing effects of which are backed up by science. You also can use baby oil to remove stubborn temporary tattoos that kids (and some adults) love to apply to their bodies.
3. Baby Shampoo
Mild baby shampoo is ideal for washing sensitive skin around the eyes since it won't agitate the area. Particularly, this shampoo is good at preventing eye styes, especially if you get them rather frequently.
4. Diaper Rash Cream
According to at least one mom, diaper rash cream is great for treating dark circles under her eyes, but it's also proven to treat acne, likely due to zinc oxide and other antifungal ingredients. In addition, my aunt swears by diaper rash cream on her feet to soften calluses.
5. Baby Wipes
Baby wipes have many applications — at least 33, according to the blog One Good Thing by Jillee — which include using them as face/hand wipes, removing stains from clothing, taming frizzy hair, and cleaning the leaves of houseplants. They're also apparently useful for pet accidents like "cleaning cat vomit from carpet," as demonstrated by a friend.
6. Pacifier Clip
When your baby is over his or her binky, use the pacifier clip to keep important keys handy.
7. Bottle Drying Rack
The grass drying racks from Boon aren't just for baby dishes. You also can use them to drip-dry small kitchen items, particularly utensils, and wine glasses, which you'll probably be using a lot more of now that your baby is a toddler. Other bottle drying racks, especially the more standard designs, are perfect for holding spools of ribbon.
8. Cloth Diapers
Keep cloth diapers around to dust the house; sweep wood floors (just attach them to your Swiffer); wash, dry, and polish your car; and make batting for quilts.
9. Disposable Diapers
I was honestly surprised at the many uses for clean, disposable diapers. My friends are using them to pack fragile dishes, sop up oil spills, and make freezer gel packs after wetting them under the faucet. The most ingenious application, however, has to be the smarty-pants who uses a disposable diaper to hide valuables in at the beach. Nobody wants to touch that.
10. Baby Pen
If your kid is begging for a pet, particularly a rabbit, you can turn his or her baby pen into a pen for the animal. It'll allow the animal more space to move about and give your kid an opportunity to interact with it in a safe environment.
11. Honest Company Soothing Bottom Wash
One of my mommy friends uses this brand of baby wash as a facial toner/cleanser, so why shouldn't we? We're all striving for skin as smooth as a baby's bottom, aren't we?
12. Baby Food
If your baby has graduated from baby food even though there's still a stockpile of it in the cupboard, don't toss it out. You can use it as an ingredient in plenty of other recipes, including delicious desserts. Parents magazine has a few you might like.
13. Boppy Pillow
If you have a Boppy nursing pillow, you've probably already discovered the alternative uses on your own, like using it to rest your own weary head. You also can use it to prop up books to make bedtime reading a more hands-free experience.
14. Orajel
You're not likely to use an entire tube of Orajel while your baby is teething, which means you'll have plenty left over to treat minor insect bites, bee stings, cold sores, hemorrhoids, ingrown toenails, sunburn, and splinters.
15. Teething Rings
Pop a clean, frozen teething ring into your reusable water bottle to keep your drink colder, longer.
16. Nipple Cream
Blisstree provides 10 alternative uses for Lansinoh Lanolin Nipple Cream, which include healing winter-ravaged cuticles, lips, and cheeks; treating eczema; un-sticking a stuck zipper; and moisturizing dry and itchy elbows, knees and heels.
17. Crib Mattress
Don't toss out that crib mattress just because your baby has outgrown it. Store it in your home as an extra bed for small guests, like other family members or your children's friends, who may spend the night
18. Baby Hangers
Small hangers are great for hanging and keeping small accessories like scarves, bras, and lingerie. Better than being stuffed into a drawer.
19. Pedialyte
This is by far my favorite one of the bunch. While there's no real cure for a hangover, Pedialyte has gained popularity as a hangover remedy in recent years. The electrolyte-loaded drink is meant to rehydrate a dehydrated body — one of the biggest after-effects of a night of hard drinking. Alas, there's no hard evidence that Pedialyte cures hangovers, but it's worth putting in your morning-after kit. It certainly won't hurt worse than that pounding headache.
Do you have more baby products that adults can use in a different way? Please share in comments!
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What a helpful article! Being able to re-purpose stuff you wouldn't know what to do with at first is a really smart thing to do.