Baby shampoo. Dilute regular baby shampoo with tap water to make an eye wash.
Flexible plastic baby bottles and nipples. Put the makeshift eye wash in the baby bottle and squeeze to wash out the eye.
Baby powder. All baby powder is now just cornstarch. Of course, you can use plain cornstarch just the same, but if you happen to have the cornstarch baby powder in the shaker bottle, you can sprinkle it on to prevent chafing or treat fungal infections, including athlete’s foot.
Baby wipes. Of course, these have all kinds of uses just in general hygiene, but one of the best emergency uses of baby wipes is as a substitute for taking a shower. It is amazing how clean you can feel just using 2-4 baby wipes in place of a shower.
Diaper rash ointment. Zinc oxide ointment, like Desitin, A&D, or Boudreaux’s Butt Paste will still be valuable long after Little Johnny is potty-trained. It can be applied as a sunblock or mixed with Vaseline to use as a hemorrhoid cream. For the unfortunate souls suddenly transitioning from a traditional unhealthy American diet to whole grains and beans, it will also help calm a sore bum arising from diarrhea.
Vaseline has dozens of medicinal and other uses—so many that we store several jars of it. It makes fantastic fire starters, but is also terrific for wound healing, eczema and psoriasis, nosebleeds, and hemorrhoids.
Baby oil is simply scented mineral oil. You wouldn’t want to take it internally or use it to preserve eggs, but it can be used on skin of any age. It also works well for oiling cans to prevent rust in humid areas.
Teething gel works for dental pain in older people also.
Baby hair brush or scrub brush—the fine little scrub brushes that are used on babies in the hospital and often used to brush fine infant hair are extremely gentle and perfect for cleaning dirty wounds.
Perineal bottle, often shortened to peri bottle, is sent home with new mothers so that they can rinse themselves well after using the toilet. These bottles are ideal for irrigating and cleaning wounds. They’re easy to squeeze and let you achieve good pressure for dislodging debris in the wound.
Suction bulb, the ones used for clearing a baby’s nose, can also help down the road when a child decides to push peas or raisins up his nose.
Rectal thermometers are easier to use in unresponsive patients.
All of these items are very inexpensive and easy to acquire. If you don’t know anyone with young children, try finding them at garage sales. Quite often parents are almost giving them away.
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2 march 2021
