Cinnamon, Bananas, & Soft Skin

Three quick & easy do-it-yourself ideas:

1) Substitute for Air Freshener

This is s super simple way to have your kitchen/house smelling yummie.



1/8 tsp vanilla extract & 1/4 tsp cinnamon:



Add 1 cup of water and set on the stove to simmer:



Worthwhile? This is a great trick for making it smell like you were just baking, but doesn't truly replace air fresheners because it has to be in the kitchen. I am looking for ways to make all natural air fresheners for other rooms. The cost was ~$0 since I used spices that I already had and the amounts can be varied.

2) Baby Food Bananas

Bananas don't have to be cooked or pureed (though you can puree if you want). Simply cut a small piece of banana:



Mash with a fork and add a little water to thin (I added 2 "forkfuls" of water):





Serve:



Worthwhile? I got my Bananas this week at Trader Joe's for $.19 each. I got about 4 servings out of 1 banana, so each serving was <$.05. It was very little effort and you can freeze them if you want... but I haven't bothered to since I usually keep fresh bananas around.

3) For Baby's Dry Skin: Oatmeal Bath "Sachet"

Now I know you all took an oatmeal bath back when you had the chicken pox but it also helps dry skin. To read about some of the reasons oatmeal is good for skin check out this website. (there's also a recipe for a face mask... I might have to try that out)

When lotion wasn't enough to keep my baby's skin healthy this winter, I stopped using soap and started using oatmeal. This is a trick I learned from my hubby's family. I never would have thought of it myself but it was much easier than grinding up the oatmeal.

What you will need: cheese cloth, oatmeal, rubber band or twist-tie:



Put the oatmeal in cheese cloth:



Use rubber band or tie to make a "Sachet":



Soak in luke-warm bath water.

Other tips - I use the little sachet of oatmeal like I would a washcloth and rub it on the areas where there is a patch of dry skin. I don't use any soap or other products in the bath. And I don't rinse him after, I figure the goodness of the oatmeal can stay on his skin and help it to heal. These days he probably smells like oatmeal and milk, but I really don't care ;)

Worthwhile?
Oatmeal $1.99
Cheese cloth is $4.99
They were both things we already had. A 5 oz. bottle of Aveeno ecxema cream costs between $6 & $8 depending on where you purchase it. Rather than buying that, I am using cheaper lotion in addition to the oatmeal bath and it seems to be helping my little guy's skin to heal. For me it is a worthwhile tip because I didn't want to test out several different products trying to find one that helps. At least I know that oatmeal won't hurt, whereas other products might have irritants.