I’m sure you’ve all heard of this one, but when I first heard about it several years ago, it was like the little light bulb went on over my head and I thought “Well, duh! Why didn’t I think of that?”
Sometimes we need a small ice pack. Maybe you got stung by a bee, or your eyelid is swollen, or a very tiny person needs an ice pack on a very tiny boo-boo. In those cases, you could break out the ice cubes and stick them in a washcloth, but then you have to worry about the ice melting and getting the washcloth wet and stuff. We have those lunchbox freezer shapes that go in the lunchboxes, but usually, those are odd-shaped and hard to handle. So here’s what I do…
Ketchup.
(No, don’t squirt some ketchup on your owie.)
I put the little packets of ketchup (like from McDonald’s and Sonic) in a sandwich-sized Ziploc bag and stick the whole thing in the freezer. When a small child smooshes a finger, gets a bruise, or gets stung by a bee (or like this past week, when my eyelid started swelling for no apparent reason), I take out a packet or two, stick them in a small, snack-sized Ziploc, cover the whole thing with a paper towel, and hold that over the affected area. They’re the perfect size and you can add more if you need a larger area. Usually, by the time the packet has thawed and started loosing its coolness, the small child is feeling better and has lost interest in whatever the ailment was. It’s great for short attention spans that don’t really need a whole ice/washcloth production. And, it worked great on my eye. Of course, holding frozen ketchup packets on my eye wasn’t exactly comfy, but it was a more preferable alternative to a swollen eyelid. More importantly, the mysterious swelling went down in about half an hour.
And the best part? They’re washable and reusable. I usually wash them in warm soapy water and return them to the freezer for the next time. I keep about ten packets in a baggie in the freezer and we never use that many at a time. I think ten is a good number because that way, you have extras if you need a refill after the one or two you’ve used have thawed. It takes up very little space and they’re always available. Works for me!
Shannon has more idea links over at her site. I just want to say that I really enjoy reading other people’s tips and have discovered some gems this way. So thanks, Shannon, for hosting Works-For-Me Wednesday!
Sometimes we need a small ice pack. Maybe you got stung by a bee, or your eyelid is swollen, or a very tiny person needs an ice pack on a very tiny boo-boo. In those cases, you could break out the ice cubes and stick them in a washcloth, but then you have to worry about the ice melting and getting the washcloth wet and stuff. We have those lunchbox freezer shapes that go in the lunchboxes, but usually, those are odd-shaped and hard to handle. So here’s what I do…
Ketchup.
(No, don’t squirt some ketchup on your owie.)
I put the little packets of ketchup (like from McDonald’s and Sonic) in a sandwich-sized Ziploc bag and stick the whole thing in the freezer. When a small child smooshes a finger, gets a bruise, or gets stung by a bee (or like this past week, when my eyelid started swelling for no apparent reason), I take out a packet or two, stick them in a small, snack-sized Ziploc, cover the whole thing with a paper towel, and hold that over the affected area. They’re the perfect size and you can add more if you need a larger area. Usually, by the time the packet has thawed and started loosing its coolness, the small child is feeling better and has lost interest in whatever the ailment was. It’s great for short attention spans that don’t really need a whole ice/washcloth production. And, it worked great on my eye. Of course, holding frozen ketchup packets on my eye wasn’t exactly comfy, but it was a more preferable alternative to a swollen eyelid. More importantly, the mysterious swelling went down in about half an hour.
And the best part? They’re washable and reusable. I usually wash them in warm soapy water and return them to the freezer for the next time. I keep about ten packets in a baggie in the freezer and we never use that many at a time. I think ten is a good number because that way, you have extras if you need a refill after the one or two you’ve used have thawed. It takes up very little space and they’re always available. Works for me!
Shannon has more idea links over at her site. I just want to say that I really enjoy reading other people’s tips and have discovered some gems this way. So thanks, Shannon, for hosting Works-For-Me Wednesday!
10 comments:
That is a great idea! I honestly had never heard or thought of such! I always have extra ketchup packets laying around.
I keep a bag of frozen peas handy for the big emergencies but this is a great tip for small boo boos. And who doesn't get extra ketchup packets at least once a week? :)
This is a great idea. And according to my kids, there is No Way they can get these packets open by themselves.
Thanks, I have never thought of this. It will come in handy, plus, we never actually use the ketchup. It just sits there till I throw it away.
Very clever!
That's a great idea and I have bunch of those in the frig. I always hate the whole ice-cube-in-the-washcloth thing. I always end up finding the damp washcloth laying around later.
Brilliant idea! Thanks for sharing! =)
What a fun little ice pack! That is so creative. I'm going to throw some in the freezer now!
This is a great idea. I have a daughter whose every bump or scratch needs an ice pack. AND I have a drawer in my fridge where the little ketchup packets make lots and lots of babies. They're everywhere! I'm definitely gonna move 'em to the freezer and see if that slows down the mating.
Great idea! May have to slink over to Sonic and get me some.
My WFMW is about food, but not in the traditional way. Come on over!
http://smcarney.blogspot.com/2007/02/common-denominator-of-potatoes-and.html
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