Whether your child has just suffered a bump, bruise, scratch, or more serious injury, it is within a parent's DNA to do everything possible to make that owie go away. But besides medication, how can you make that happen? Well, look no further than the list of fun ways to make boo boos feel better. From cool Band-Aid hacks to fashionable cast covers, this rundown of ideas can alleviate the pain of everything from injections to broken bones.
Some you can buy; others you can make at home in under a minute. The next time you hear your kids go "Owww!" head here for inspiration on how to make things better.
We all have plenty of #8 lying around. Have you ever tried this trick?
Images via Reddit
Iron Man Cast
In the old days, we used to sign kids' casts to decorate them, but now there's a way to make them so much cooler. Katie, for instance, used some paint to create an Iron Man arm cast for her son Isaac; instructions can be found at Love Paper Paint.
High-Tech Lego Arm Cast
If your kid's more of a James Bond fan, consider dressing up his arm cast by attaching cool accessories. This dad, for instance, glued on a compass, flashlight, USB and voice recorder/changer, and plenty of LEGO bricks to hold it all together (instructions can be found at Instructables). The results make breaking an arm a little less traumatizing for your kiddo.
Buzz Away the Pain of Shots & Injections
If you have to draft your kid kicking and screaming to the doctor because he hates getting shots, Buzzy ($39.95 at Amazon) could be your new best friend. Invented by a pediatrician and pain researcher, this device uses vibrations to numb the skin and eliminate the pain of injections.
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Washi Tape Band-Aids
Why pay through the nose for expensive Band-Aids with cartoon characters on them when you can make your own with Washi Tape? As these instructions at Pinkpaperpens make clear, it's super easy and your kids will love covering their cuts with these cool designs.
Play Your Pain Away With Cards
Yup, at first glance, Flippit ($4.99 at Amazon) looks like a card game where you form words based on the letters on the cards in your hand. Only when researchers had 123 kids aged 6-12 play Flippit during blood draws, they experienced lower pain levels than those who did not. The reason: having something fun and distracting to do can shift the focus away from pain.
Eye Patch Doodles
If your kid has to wear an eye patch, why not draw funny things on it? That's what Geoff Grubb did for his daughter, Layla, who was born with a small cataract, which requires her eye to be covered for two hours a day. Grubb's doodles run the gammut: Spider-Man, Catwoman, even eyeglasses that match his own. Check out all of Grubb's photos for inspiration, then try it yourself to watch your child's eyes (or rather eye) light on up with his cool new look.
Dog-Eared Gel Cap for Headaches
Let's face it: whether you need to ice a head bump or heat an ear ache, it can be a pain to hold the heat or ice pack against your child's head. Strap on the Cool Gel N Cap ($16.99), however, and your hands remain free; the packs can be warmed or frozen and placed in various parts of the cap depending on what you need.
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Frozen Play-Doh Ice Pack
You know what makes a great ice pack? Frozen Play-Doh: according to Janie at she just glows, Play-Doh holds the cold but stays malleable — perfect to wrap around bumps and bruises. Just stash some in a Ziploc bag, freeze, then break it out when the need arises.
Flavored Animal Tongue Depressors
If you need to peer down your child's throat to figure out if they've got strep or tonsillitis, these fruit-flavored tongue depressors with animals on one end ($54.99 for a big pack of 160 at SmileMakers) will make it easier to get them to open wide and say Ahhhh …
Decorative Cast Covers
Breaking a leg and schlepping around on crutches is a pain, but your kids will at least feel fashionable with a funky Cast Coverz leg cast ($19.99 at CASTCoverz!). Comes in an array of patterns from Batman to Rainbow Swirl; some even come with faux fur cuffs.
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These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
