10 Cool Uses for Breastmilk You Probably Didn't Know About

A nasal aspirator or rubber bulb syringe is a must for helping to clear mucus and relieve congestion in newborns. Make sure you add one to your newborn checklist. Either device calls for a couple of drops of sterile, moisturizing saline solution in baby’s nose before sucking the snot out, but some breastfeeding moms and lactation consultants use breastmilk instead.

“It’s high in anti-infective properties and anti-inflammatory properties, so why wouldn’t you shoot this totally amazing product up their nose? It’s fantastic,” says Leeder, who works at Toronto pediatrician Jack Newman’s International Breastfeeding Centre. Unlike salty saline, babies also recognize the taste of breastmilk, so they aren’t as disturbed when they swallow some of it in the process. Leeder recommends that moms hand-express some breastmilk into a cup and then use a syringe to collect and dispense it. “Sometimes these babies get this quizzical look on their face, like, OK, that’s a weird way to get the breastmilk, but sure.”