6 Helpful and Creative Breast Milk Uses You’ve Likely Never Seen Before

TL;DR: Discover Unexpected Uses for Breast Milk Beyond Feeding

• Heal Skin Conditions: Use breast milk to relieve baby skin issues like diaper rash and eczema, or make breast milk soap for soothing baths.
• Soothe Adult Skin: Apply breast milk to treat adult skin conditions and improve the appearance of stretch marks.
• Clear Stuffy Noses: Utilize breast milk as a gentle alternative to saline sprays for relieving nasal congestion in babies.
• Teething Relief: Create breast milk popsicles to soothe teething pain while providing nutrients.
• Treat Eye Infections: Use breast milk as a home remedy for infant eye infections due to its antibacterial properties.
• Create Keepsakes: Turn breast milk into custom jewelry to commemorate the breastfeeding journey.

Having the opportunity to breastfeed your baby is an incredible blessing. Not only does it allow you to nourish your little one, but it also creates a powerful and irreplaceable bond.

Yet the benefits of breastfeeding go beyond simply feeding your child. In fact, there are plenty of other uses for breast milk that you may never have considered. Many people use breast milk for home remedies, for instance, while others find creative ways to use up their freezer stockpile once their baby moves on to solid foods.

If you’ve ever wondered what breast milk can be used for other than feeding your baby, check out some innovative breast milk uses below.

1. Make Soap to Relieve Baby Skin Conditions

For those of you seeking uses for breast milk other than feeding, you can try treating some of the skin conditions that may surface as your baby continues to grow. Diaper rash, baby acne, eczema, and cradle cap are among the most widespread conditions that your baby might develop, and breast milk can be used to treat all of them.

Because breast milk is full of natural antibacterial properties, it can provide effective relief for irritated skin. For example, researchers have found that in some cases, breast milk can be comparable to hydrocortisone ointment in helping with diaper rash.

How to Treat a Baby’s Skin Conditions with Breast Milk

The anti-inflammatory and moisturizing properties of breast milk make it useful for healing acne, dry skin, and cradle cap—all-natural, hormonal conditions that respond well to this remedy.

To relieve any of these common conditions, you can simply rub your baby’s skin with breast milk. Simply apply a small amount of breast milk on a clean cotton ball and dab it on the affected area. For diaper rashes, make sure baby’s skin is clean and dry before applying breast milk to avoid any moisture buildup.

Another option is to make breast milk soap or a milk bath to soothe your little one’s sensitive skin at bath time. And the best part? These are also good expires breast milk uses. If you have breast milk that has been stored too long that baby can’t (or won’t) drink it, you can still use it to make non-edible breast milk recipes.

2. Use It to Soothe Yourself

Expressed breast milk isn’t just good for relieving your baby’s discomfort—it can also be helpful for you as well! Those same healing properties of breast milk can help you work through your own skin conditions like eczema, as well as relieve cracked, sore nipples. Rub expressed milk directly on your nipples to soothe this sensitive area and bring your skin back to its soft, supple state.

It’s possible that breast milk may even help improve the appearance of stretch marks. While there isn’t any professional research to confirm that the healing properties of breast milk can specifically reduce stretch marks, some mothers have reported noticing a significant difference after applying breast milk directly to the affected area.

DIY Skincare with Breast Milk: Lotions and Soaps

The natural antibodies and anti-inflammatory properties of breast milk make it an excellent treatment for acne and skin rashes for adults. For instance, you can use breast milk acne for adults similar to how you’d use a toner. Gently apply breast milk to your face using a cotton ball, once in the morning and once at night. For rashes, clean the area and apply breast milk directly to the skin to reduce redness and soothe irritation.

You can also get creative with breast milk recipes to add a personal and practical touch to your self-care routine. Consider these creative uses for breastmilk:

• Breast Milk Lotion: Combine ¼ cup of breast milk with ¼ cup of aloe vera gel, a few drops of vitamin E oil, and two tablespoons of coconut oil. Mix the ingredients until you achieve a smooth consistency and store it in a sealed container and refrigerate. Use this lotion to moisturize your skin or use it to help with diaper rash.
• Breast Milk Soap: To make soap, you’ll need breast milk, soap base, and essential oils for fragrance. Melt the soap base in a double boiler, then slowly add breast milk, stirring continuously. Add a few drops of your chosen essential oil. Pour the mixture into molds and let it set until hard. Breast milk soap is particularly gentle and can help make your showers or baths more relaxing.

3. Clear Your Baby’s Stuffy Nose

Listening to your baby struggle with a stuffy nose can be difficult as a parent, especially when it feels like there’s no way to ease the discomfort. However, breast milk can actually provide the same kind of relief as saline spray, which is a common, over-the-counter treatment for dryness and congestion in babies and kids as well as adults.

“Breast milk is already buffered, just like saline, so it won’t burn if you put it up the nose,” notes Jennifer Ritchie, IBCLC, a lactation consultant sharing her expertise with The Bump. “It works just as well as saline to break up mucus, so it’s commonly recommended by pediatricians.”

For this reason, breast milk makes a great option for mothers who are wary of saline spray and the initial impact it may have on their children. Using breast milk to treat congestion can be less intimidating and more soothing for both you and your baby.

4. Create Breast Milk Popsicles for Teething Pain

Want to get creative with your breast milk after your baby has transitioned to solid foods? Breast milk popsicles offer a fantastic way to continue giving your baby the wholesome nutrients of human milk while relieving the pain of teething. This recipe by Medela combines four ounces of breast milk with a pear and an avocado to create a healthy, comforting snack for your little one.

All you have to do is combine the three ingredients in a blender until it reaches a smooth consistency. Add the mixture to a popsicle mold, then freeze it for a few hours until it becomes solid. The end result is a tasty treat that’s equally delicious, nutritious, and soothing for your teething baby.

5. Treat Eye Infections with Breast Milk

You’ve likely heard the old wives’ tale about using breast milk for eye infections in infants. Well, this actually has some truth behind it. Breast milk has been used as a home remedy for treating infections like pink eye for years.

This is thanks to the antibodies in breast milk that prevent the growth of bacteria by creating a protective layer on the mucous membranes of the eye, which can help in reducing infection. To use, place a few drops of fresh breast milk into the affected eye several times a day.

Healthline emphasizes that there is still research that needs to be done to understand this correlation. It’s always important to speak to your pediatrician for medical advice.

6. Turn Breast Milk into Jewelry

If you’re looking for a more lasting way to commemorate your breastfeeding journey, breast milk jewelry is the perfect choice. Custom rings, bracelets, necklaces, and other accessories are created with stones made from breast milk, allowing you to carry the bond you have with your child wherever you go. Wearing it embodies the achievement of breastfeeding in the form of a unique and beautiful piece of jewelry that complements any style.

At KeepsakeMom, we handcraft breast milk jewelry to help mothers represent and honor the incredible journey of motherhood. Each piece is a powerful combination of beauty and meaning, giving mothers a way to commemorate their personal experience with breastfeeding and to celebrate this milestone in a truly one-of-a-kind way.

Our breast milk jewelry can also serve as a touching memento for those who are healing or grieving a loss. For mothers who get only a limited amount of time with their babies, whether during pregnancy or after birth, breast milk jewelry can be a symbolic reminder of their eternal love and the unbreakable bond that was formed during their time together.

Turning your breast milk into a gorgeous piece of jewelry is one of many ways you can put your liquid gold to use, and we at KeepsakeMom would be happy to help. We invite you to explore our wide variety of breast milk jewelry and browse our gorgeous rings, beads, necklaces, earrings, and more to find the perfect keepsake for you and your child.

Struggling to choose a design? Check out our FAQs to see answers to common questions about customizing your breast milk jewelry. Looking to make your jewelry yourself? Check out our DIY Breastmilk Jewelry Kit!