Vaseline®

You may have received this at your baby shower as a gift, which it truly is. I had no idea why I was given this sticky, gloppy, even messy product. I have asked the givers why I had received such a product and what the uses were. The replies were, “It’s what was given to me.” “It was in the baby isle.” No one had and ideas what or why I should have it. I now have about 6 jars of this yellow product in various bathrooms under the sink, since I have seen it along with toiletry items at our local stores.

I have since discovered Vaseline® has so many great uses. Vaseline® is actually a household name like Band-Aid® is an adhesive bandage. Vaseline® is a brand of petroleum jelly. Some of its wonderful uses are a lubricant, plastic preserver, make-up remover, moisturizer; the list is almost endless. It has a shelf life of 8-10 years, which is good for my 6 tubs. It is said to have been discovered in raw form in 1859, but 1872 was when it was patented

The most related use to birth I have heard, and this is very recently, is during post partum. After the baby is born, just before diapering, put a thin layer of Vaseline® (petroleum jelly) on the baby’s rump. This will help keep the meconium from sticking, for easier clean-up. What an amazing idea! You’ll want to apply it to about the first 4 diaper changes of meconium. What an amazing idea!

These two sites also offer some great, practical uses for this little pot of gold.

http://gomestic.com/homemaking/22-wonderful-uses-for-petroleum-jelly/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_jelly