I have a new favorite all-purpose product-- Lansinoh nipple ointment. Many experienced mothers will recognize the name if this product, and the purple tube it comes in, from the first few days or weeks of breastfeeding. Lansinoh is 100% pure lanolin made for new breastfeeding mothers; it helps keep the nipples moist, reduces cracking and bleeding, and generally helps make the whole process of learning to breastfeed as comfortable as possible. Imagine very thick, gooey petroleum jelly. Lansinoh costs about $9-$10 per tube, and one tube will last you a LONG time. That is, if you only use it for its originally intended purpose...
My feet have always been very dry, and during the winter especially, they are sometimes painful. I was lamenting my poor feet (and my inability, for many reasons, to get pedicures often enough) one evening last week, and rummaging through the bathroom "junk drawer" when I noticed my two old purple tubes. Why not? I thought-- it this can help sore nipples, it can't hurt to try it on sore feet. I applied the Lansinoh to my feet in the morning and at night, and immediately put socks on. Four days later, my feet are softer than I can EVER remember them being! I can play footsie with my husband in bed and not worry about injuring him! I decided to also try this miracle-goo on my daughter's dry lips. She didn't like the way it felt on her ("too sticky"), but even after rubbing some of it off, her lips were noticeably healthier just the next day.
After this revelation, I read the tube, and the makers do have a section in the directions called "Beyond Breastfeeding," but I do not believe this tiny blurb does justice to the true worth of the product! Every family in America should have a tube of Lansinoh in their medicine cabinet. By the way-- nobody paid me, or even asked me, to write this. When I find a product that I LOVE, especially one that is lesser-known, I feel moved to share my experience. If I can help just one person's feet, or lips, or nipples...
