As any parent knows, part of having kids is being a part-time EMT. You have to be prepared to calm down a crying child and patch up any scrape or “ouchie.”
While band-aids and Polysporin are great for this, there’s another hack you wouldn’t expect, and it’s something you probably already have in your pantry .
But first, a look at some common health misconceptions!
Did you know that you shouldn’t be putting hydrogen peroxide on wounds? We know, we know: your mind is blown. You’re thinking about all the times your mom said, “this might sting” before slathering it on a cut .
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But the truth is that it actually does more harm than good.
“Hydrogen peroxide has fallen out of favor as a wound cleanser,” Sarah Pickering Beers, M.D., a family medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic said. One thing it does is irritate the skin.
It may also prevent the wound from healing, which is the opposite result of what you want.
This happens because hydrogen peroxide can kill normal cells within the wound. “When you have an open wound, you don’t have that normal skin barrier there protecting you anymore,” Michael Yaakovian, M.D., a surgeon and wound care specialist at Houston Methodist, said.
“This exposed area of tissue then becomes vulnerable to infection.”
Instead of hydrogen peroxide, “a good wash with soap and plenty of clean water is all you need.” Just be sure to wash your hands first to prevent infection and apply an antibiotic or petroleum jelly before dressing the wound .
Another thing you should have in your first-aid kit is marshmallows.
And before you say it: no, it’s not to be used as a treat for your child, like a red lollypop reward at a doctor’s office. It’s used for the cut!
It’s actually a genius alternative to ice packs as a way to soothe cuts and bruises.
Chelsea Dyan @gratefulheartcollective on TikTok is the one who shared this hack. In her viral video, she says that all you need to do is freeze some marshmallows.
“These homemade ‘ice packs’ are SO much easier to form around little limbs to help heal the owies,” she captioned the post.
“You’re just going to pour those right into a small zip-up bag, lay it out flat, get all the air out and then it is ready for the freezer.”
The mom then shared that it only takes about three hours to freeze.
Unlike traditional blue ice packs, which are hard and rigid, the marshmallows get really cold but still stay soft so they can conform to a child’s body.
People in the comments loved the genius idea!
“And then they eat the marshmallows after they stop crying and done! lol,” one woman commented. This is so true. Another expressed how marshmallows don’t last long in their home: “Who has marshmallows in their cupboard? Ours don’t ever last that long.”
Forget the kids; one user wanted to use the hack for their own migraines.
“Oh my I have young adults & teen and never ever saw or heard of this. AMAZING,” another wrote.
Some people preferred other “ouchie-proof” methods, like gel packs.
“Gel packs,” one mom wrote with a shrug emoji.
“FYI you can also use a frozen bag of peas,” another added. Although, Chelsea replied that her kids say that they’re “too cold.”
Will you be giving this brilliant parenting hack a try?!