35 Breast Milk Home Remedies—Free Printable!
Breast milk is nature’s liquid gold. Not only is it a wonderful aid in building your baby’s immune system, it has many other health benefits that researchers and moms are just starting to discover.
Over the past couple of years as a mom, I have often heard tips from other moms on how to treat common childhood illnesses. It is amazing how many times I have been told “put a little breast milk on it.” Even more amazing is how many times it has actually worked! Our family has used breast milk for so many different things—ear and eye infections, cuts and scrapes, common cold and flu discomforts—breast milk has literally saved us a ton of trips to the doctor!
Because I am such a fan of the powerful healing properties of breast milk, I created a list of the things breast milk has been known to treat. Some of these items we have personally had success with, some are tips shared from other moms and some are items I found while researching breast milk’s healing properties.
A great way to always keep breast milk on hand is to fill an ice cube tray with breast milk and when it’s frozen, pop the breast milk cubes out and store in an air-tight container in the freezer. We like to use the ice cube method so we always have just the right amount on hand for treating ailments!
35 Home Remedies for Breast Milk
Ear infections—Breast milk is my favorite treatment for ear infections. The last ear infection my son had, I put a bit of breast milk inside his ear and I could not believe how much better he seemed to be feeling after I treated him. He went from screaming in pain to his normal self in just about an hour’s time!
Eye infections/Pink Eye—Breast milk is very effective in treating eye infections, including pink eye. Just place three or four drops in the infected eye three times per day and it has been known to clear it up in about a week.
Yeast infections—Breast milk kills unhealthy bacteria that create diaper yeast infections. Treat your baby’s bottom with breast milk to help prevent and treat diaper yeast infections.
Baby Acne—I have been using breast milk to treat my daughter’s acne and have been very pleased with the results.
Teenage Acne—Clean face with breast milk two times per day to clear up acne breakouts. You can also add breast milk to an acne treatment mask and let sit for 15 minutes.
Cracked/Sore Nipples—Breast milk worked best for me when treating cracked and sore nipples in those first few weeks of breast feeding.
Circumcision Wounds—Apply breast milk to your baby’s circumcision wound to promote healing. We did this with our son and we thought his wound healed very quickly.
Common Cold—Breast milk can give your baby extra antibodies to fight off a cold. When your baby comes down with a cold try to nurse as often as possible to give your baby an extra immune boost to fight his/her cold.
Fevers—Breast milk will help boost your baby’s immune system to fight infection and help keep your baby hydrated.
Eczema—Breast milk is an ideal treatment for eczema because it is gentle on the skin and doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals that could aggravate the skin even more.
Skin Allergies—My son has a TON of allergies including skin allergies. I used to give him Zyrtec every time he had an allergy flare up but when a friend told me to try breast milk, I gave it a shot and it helped significantly!
Rashes—Treating a rash with breast milk not only will help treat the rash, but prevent it from spreading.
Bee Stings—Breast milk can help reduce the sting, pain and swelling from a bee sting.
Mosquito Bites—Similar to bee stings, breast milk can reduce swelling and itchiness from mosquito bites.
Diaper Rash—Breast milk is fantastic at treating diaper rashes. You also don’t have to worry about wiping chemically based creams and pastes off your child’s bottom, which at times, can aggravate the rash even more.
Cuts/Scrapes—We don’t even use Neosporin anymore; we just put a bit of breast milk on my son’s cuts and scrapes, place a bandage over it and it is usually scabbed over in a day or two!
Sleep Aid for Infants and Moms—Breast feeding releases sleep-inducing hormones in both the mom and baby to encourage a good night’s sleep.
Cradle Cap—Just place a bit of breast milk on your baby’s head, let sit for five minutes and comb through!
Chicken Pox—Breast milk can help relieve the itch and help heal any sores.
Constipation—Breastfed babies rarely get constipated.
Diarrhea—Similar to constipation, breastfed babies rarely suffer from diarrhea.
Prevents Illness in Breast-Feeding Mother—Reduces risk for breast and ovarian cancer.
Clogged Tear Ducts—My daughter just had a clogged tear duct last weekend. It was a Sunday so we didn’t have access to our doctor so I put a little breast milk in her eye and by the next morning, it was all cleared up!
Congestion—Placing a few drops in your baby’s or child’s nostril can help clear up sinus congestion. It works just as well as over the counter medications without all the side effects!
Flu—Breast milk is known to be easy on the stomach and treat nausea, which can help a baby or child stay hydrated during a bout of the flu.
Contact Burns—Breast milk works wonders on contact burns. Just be sure to keep burns clean, and once you dab a little breast milk on it, be sure to wrap it with a sterile bandage to speed the healing along.
Sunburn—I used breast milk this past summer to treat sunburn and was amazed at how well it worked. It worked just as well as aloe, if not better. It eased my discomfort and my skin looked much better the next day.
Warts—My aunt gave me this trick. You can treat warts by placing a few drops of breast milk on your warts each day to help them dry up in about a week or two, depending on the size of the wart.
Puffy eyes—Breast milk has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce swelling and puffiness.
Dry skin treatment—Breast milk helps nourish and soften your skin. Place breast milk on dry skin patches or add a cup of milk to your next bath to soothe dry skin!
Chapped lips—Rubbing a bit of milk on you or your baby’s chapped lips should help provide immediate relief of sore, cracked lips.
Rosacea—Although there isn’t a ton of research on the effects of breast milk on Rosacea, a good friend of mine uses breast milk to treat hers and she swears by it. She claims breast milk has been the only effective method in treating her Rosacea.
Cancer—New research shows that breast milk may kill cancer cells and more and more doctors are using breast milk as a part of cancer patients’ treatment plans.
Chemo and Radiation Patients—Breast milk has been helpful to some patients in relieving side effects from chemo, including nausea and digestion difficulties.
Allergies—breastfed children are less likely to develop food allergies.
Be sure to download this free printable and put it on your fridge, you never know when you might need it!
Do you have any additional home remedies you would like to share? We would love to hear from you!
*Please note: This article should NOT replace the advice of your doctor. Be sure to always consult your doctor before using breast milk to treat common ailments.
