'Psychology cream' soothes away owies

Karen has a lovely remedy for whatever ails her kids:

This was passed on to my by my mother, and I fondly remember it from my childhood. Whenever my kids have a bump or bruise or sore tummy and they need a little extra attention we ask if they need a little “psychology cream”. We use a special little tube of hand cream saved just for the times when the kids need a few minutes of reassurance and cuddling. It works like a charm.

Tags: Health, Parenting

Comments

[Amie]

Ha! My mom used a variant of this and I have kept up the tradition. We have a small tub of Ponds lotion (with the label removed) that is "magic cream." We put a little on my nephews' eyelids at bedtime if they were really antsy and told them it would help them go to sleep, they just needed to keep their eyes closed so it would work :) I remember many a night as a child when I would try desperately not to open my eyes and spoil the magic. Mysteriously, I would soon fall asleep and in the morning I was a believer.

I later discovered a new application for the magic when my oldest nephew woke up screaming because "my legs are falling off!" They had fallen asleep and he had pins and needles. So we put the "magic cream" on his legs to keep them attached the rest of the night and make the pins and needles go away. It took just long enough to apply the lotion that the sensation started to go away on its own, (plus the activity distracted him) but he didn't have to know that! We did have to use the cream a couple more times for that reason, but it always calmed him down quickly.

[momma2mingbu]

A *real* product to help with bumps and bruises is arnica - either in a gel or a stick of Hyland's Bumps and Bruises. It actually helps reduce bruising.

[picklemommy]

In my house growing up we had a similar solution to those "owies" inflicted by siblings or friends- a bandaid on the tummy which cures hurt feelings. With my children, the nuttier the bandaid the quicker the application works.

[Jill]

We use freebee mailing labels as bandaids for the booboos that aren't physical, or at least not bleeding. Neosporin has been called Magic Medicine since I used it as a kid, and a smear solves and soothes many ouchies.

[Patrick Fitzgerald]

Quote: A *real* product to help with bumps and bruises is arnica - either in a gel or a stick of Hyland's Bumps and Bruises. It actually helps reduce bruising.

Homeopathy and *real* don't go together in my book, but I'm sure it's as effective as "psychology cream" (if a bit more expensive).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy

[Stu Mark]

First, I *love* the idea of "magic cream"... bravo!

Second, I do my best to sincerely put myself in my kids' shoes when they are in pain. I remember being young and feeling like the pain wasn't just painful, it was scary (fear of the unknown). So I do my best to sincerely empathize with them and respond to their injury with as much earnestness and dedication as I can. I don't coddle them, and I reinforce the idea that "you can handle this, you are stronger than the pain" and so forth. But I always believe them, no matter what. And my kids have been rewarding me with respect of their own, as they rarely fake pain or illness. (Yeah, I know, that last sentence was naive, but I'm a Dad who loves his kids, so deal. :-)