Stumbled onto a novel use for a diaper, courtesy of the nursery nurses at Doylestown Hospital.
Diapers make a perfect ice pack. At the end of the diaper which has adhesive tabs, make a hole in the inner lining. Push your hand into the diaper to separate the the lining from the back of the diaper. This will make a pouch. Put crushed ice into the pouch and roll the end of the diaper with the hole a couple times. Secure with adhesive tabs. Now you have a soft, waterproof ice pack which will remain cool as the ice melts and is absorbed by the gelatinous diaper innards.
Perfect for all sorts of boo-boos.
When I told one of my patient’s mom about this hint today, she told me that she used a number 5 diaper when her water broke. I suppose Plato was right: necessity is the mother of invention.
Naline Lai, MD and Julie Kardos, MD
©Two Peds in a Pod®
My water broke at home and I also used a diaper for the 45 minute car ride. I lined the seat with towels but the diaper did the job. My husband found it funny though when we got to the triage area and I had to show the nurse that my water had broken and she saw the Loony Tunes characters in my pants!
After giving birth to my son, I used his swaddlers as an ice pack to help ease the pain I was feeling. It was much more effective than the cheap useless ice packs the hospital provided and lasted a lot longer to.