Sterilized vegetable oil– necessary and useful product in every home, especially in those families with newborn children. It can be used for health, economic and food purposes.

Oil sterilization process

Sterilized vegetable oil often becomes necessary in various life situations. For example, this effective remedy for treating the skin of a newborn baby, as well as for preparations for the winter. There is no sterilized oil on sale, so you need to make it at home.

The basis for sterilized oil will be simple refined oil, which is commercially available and available in almost every home. Pour 250 grams of oil into a half-liter glass jar. Take a large saucepan, fill it with water and place a jar of oil in it. Place the pan on the fire. Never place oil in hot water, since the temperature difference may cause the jar to burst.

Place gauze under the jar of oil at the bottom of the pan, rolling it in three or four layers. This will also help protect the jar from sudden temperature changes.

Stir the oil lightly with a wooden spoon or stick to ensure it heats evenly. It must be sterilized within 30–40 minutes. Gradually, the water in the pan will boil away, so add it periodically, otherwise the jar may burst. Make sure there is 1-2 centimeters more water than oil.

Don't worry if boiling water gets into the oil, it will quickly come to the surface and evaporate, since these products have different densities and different boiling points. You should not sterilize a large amount of oil at once; it is better to prepare it again if necessary.

After sterilization, the oil must cool down. Only then is the product ready for its intended use. Sterile oil can be used repeatedly; you just need to close the jar with a clean lid or roll it up like vegetables for the winter. Store sterilized oil in the refrigerator.

Many parents find themselves in a rather difficult situation related to the choice of children's products to care for their baby, and ask for advice on the most suitable product for this. Indeed, it is not very easy to understand the modern assortment of various creams, oils, ointments, and powders. Or maybe there is no need to do this?

I would like to remind you of one simple truth: “Everything new is well forgotten old.” Therefore, I recommend using the popular product of our grandmothers and mothers, which helped cope with various problems on the baby’s skin. This is Vaseline oil for newborns.

The quality is in no way inferior to its fashionable counterparts, and the price will be three times cheaper. So the question arises: “Why pay more if an excellent domestic product gives the same result?” Let's take a closer look at its properties.

Vaseline oil - what is it?

Vaseline oil has been known for a long time. It was invented back in the 19th century to lubricate wounds and abrasions. This is a colorless oily liquid, which is a purified fraction of oil obtained after distilling off kerosene.

There are no harmful organic substances or their compounds left in the composition. This product does not have analogues identical in composition and structure. It includes:

1. Liquid paraffin;
2. Microcrystalline wax;
3. Mineral oil.

Vaseline oil has a wide range of uses:

• applied to wounds, cracks in the corners of the mouth and lips, abrasions, diaper rash to prevent bacteria from entering the damaged areas;
• prescribed as a mild laxative;
• serves as a solvent for a number of injectable drugs;
• is the basis for many cosmetic and medical ointments;
• used to lubricate split ends of hair;
• used as a lubricant or impregnation.

Also, purified medical vaseline oil is suitable for the skin of a newborn. Look what properties it has:

1. Does not contain impurities, fragrances or aromatic additives, so it is hypoallergenic and will not cause irritation even to the baby’s delicate skin;
2. Does not affect operation internal organs, is completely eliminated from the body without accumulating in it, so there will be no harm to the baby;
3. Creates a film on the skin that prevents moisture loss and prevents dryness;
4. The liquid paraffin it contains has anti-inflammatory and bactericidal properties, which helps heal wounds;
5. Paraffin also softens the skin and protects against chafing.

Instructions for use

Consider the instructions for using Vaseline oil for newborns:

• You will need this remedy in the maternity hospital. Doctors recommend using it to remove yellow crusts on the scalp of a newborn (read the current article: Crusts on the scalp of a newborn >>>). Usually, they stick tightly to the skin, but you cannot remove them with a fingernail or a thick comb. You need to soften such crusts and they will easily peel off without much effort.

To do this, an hour before evening bathing, lubricate the crusts with Vaseline oil and put a cotton cap on your head. After the time has passed, gently massage your scalp and proceed to bathing. Very soon the crusts will disappear.

• It is also well known that petroleum jelly has such uses for newborns as preventing diaper rash. If you often use diapers, try to lubricate all the folds of the skin in the groin area and buttocks each time before putting them on. But even without diapers, such treatment should be carried out after each wash;
• However, if you were unable to do this regularly and irritation still appeared, then Vaseline oil can help in this case too. It is necessary to lubricate the reddened areas on the body. This will reduce contact of the skin with clothing and prevent inflammation from occurring;
• Vaseline oil is used in an enema given to an infant to relieve constipation. But I’ll be honest - I haven’t met a baby yet breastfeeding with true constipation. And I didn’t notice constipation in my 3 daughters either.

Contraindications, side effects

Liquid paraffin has contraindications:

• Individual intolerance. Rare, but possible;
• Bleeding in the intestines, intestinal obstruction;
• Fever, increased temperature;
• Pregnancy. The drug can cause uterine tone, that is, the likelihood of miscarriage increases;
• Any inflammatory processes in the abdominal cavity.

Mistakes in using oil

The high effectiveness of using Vaseline oil for a newborn can only be said if it is correct application. To avoid mistakes, you need to adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Vaseline oil creates an airtight film on the skin, which prevents it from “breathing” and interferes with sweating. Therefore, it must be applied in a very thin layer and only to limited areas;
2. Lubricating the nasal passages of a newborn with this product leads to disruption of the outflow of mucus and for these purposes it is better to use saline solution. For information on proper handling of a newborn’s nose, see the article: How to clean a newborn’s nose?>>>
3. After treating the crusts on the head, the remaining oil must be thoroughly washed off;
4. Vaseline oil should not be used as a laxative to treat constipation in a newborn. First you need to make sure that there really are problems with stool!
5. You also need to take into account that poorly purified or unrefined substances have an irritating effect on the skin. Therefore, for a child it is necessary to buy only medical Vaseline oil, which is sold in pharmacies.

Important! Do not forget about the expiration date of such a product. Once the bottle is opened, its contents can only be used for 10 days.

What is an alternative to petroleum jelly?

A study of reviews on the use of petroleum jelly for newborns shows that the opinions of parents are mixed. Many are very pleased with its effectiveness and affordability. However, some mothers are afraid of its origin and categorically do not want to smear their baby with a “petroleum product.” It's up to you to decide, my job is just to provide you with information.

Vegetable oil - how to prepare it, sterilize it

Most often in folk recipes It is recommended to use vegetable oil for newborns. It is used to wipe skin folds, places where diaper rash appears and crusts on the baby’s head. This remedy also has an anti-inflammatory effect.

Vegetable oil must be subjected to special processing. You can do this procedure yourself at home. Let's look at how to sterilize oil to use it for newborns:

• Sterilize the glass jar and its lid;
• Pour 250 ml of oil into the prepared container and carefully place it in a saucepan with warm water. The water level should be 1 - 2 cm above the level of the contents of the jar.
• Place the container on low heat. There is no need to cover the jar or pan with a lid! If water gets into the jar during boiling, it’s okay, it will quickly evaporate;
• Sterilize within 20 minutes after the water boils in the pan. The contents of the jar should not boil! It needs to be stirred periodically with a wooden spatula;
• When bubbles appear on the surface of the oily liquid, the sterilization procedure is completed;
• The oil needs to be cooled and it is ready to use;
• The sterilized product is stored in a glass jar, tightly closed with a lid.

For sterilization, you need to choose only high-quality natural raw materials. It could be olive oil first-press or unrefined sunflower.

Peach oil for newborns

Also great for very young children Peach oil. It helps maintain the normal condition of the baby's skin. This product has anti-inflammatory, moisturizing and tonic properties.

You can use peach oil for a newborn for the following purposes:

1. Eliminate dryness and irritation on the skin;
2. Prevent the appearance of diaper rash;
3. Clean your nose, soften the crusts that appear in the nasal passages;
4. Prepare healing balms based on it to relieve inflammation in diseases of the throat or ear, to treat skin problems.

You also need to pre-sterilize peach oil.

Try to use as much as possible in caring for your baby. natural remedies. And you should resort to them only when necessary!

It is especially important to keep the skin of a child under one year clean and dry.. With various diseases, improper care or aggressive environmental influences, the thin stratum corneum becomes thinner and dryness and irritation may appear. To avoid this, after bathing, parents apply vegetable oil to the child’s skin.

Is this necessary at all? Experts believe that using oil, although a pleasant and useful activity, is completely optional. Parents must decide; for this they need to weigh the pros and cons of this procedure.

Benefit:

Harm:

• oiled skin does not breathe well;
• allergies may occur.

Active components

Attention: The raw materials for vegetable oils are mainly the seeds and fruits of oilseed plants, such as sunflower, flax, sesame, soybean, palm, sea buckthorn, olives, etc. Regardless of the culture of origin, they all have benefits.

Vegetable oils contain fatty acids, some of which are unable to be synthesized independently in the body, as well as various vitamins. Besides, Certain types of oils are very beneficial for humans:

• olive – improves immunity;
• sunflower – has an antioxidant effect;
• peanut – calms the nervous system;
• corn – increases resistance to infections;
• sea ​​buckthorn – relieves inflammation;
• Flaxseed – contains a large amount of omega-3.

On what areas of the skin is it applied?

Problem areas of the skin on a little person’s body require special care. First of all, these are places that are subject to friction against each other, as well as against clothing. After each bathing, vegetable oil is applied to:

This list may expand depending on the condition of the newborn’s skin and its characteristics. After taking a bath, you should carefully examine the child’s body and note any changes in the skin., for example, the appearance of new redness or previously unusual peeling.

Important: If persistent diaper rash occurs on the skin, you should consult a pediatrician.

Indications and contraindications for use

Indications for rubbing the baby's skin with vegetable oil may be:

• dry skin;
• peeling;
• the occurrence of diaper rash;
• redness in the folds and folds of the arms and legs.

There are practically no contraindications to the use of vegetable oil.. The only reason to refuse to use it is the child’s individual intolerance, which can manifest itself in the form of allergic rashes and irritation at the site of contact with the skin.

Which type should you choose and why?

You can find refined and unrefined oil on sale. Refined can be cold or hot pressed. Largest quantity Cold-pressed oil retains beneficial substances, since there is no heating process. Since it is planned to use the product not for its intended purpose, but to lubricate the skin of a newborn, there is no fundamental difference. However, cold pressed oil is more expensive.

The second option is unrefined oil. It has a characteristic smell and also contains more vitamins. When sterilized in a water bath, unrefined oil will burn and smoke more., and the baby may not like the natural smell of the product.

There is also natural sunflower oil. It is made from peeled seeds by pressing using a press and is highly valued by chefs. This oil is characterized by a pronounced odor and a thick sediment. You can experience a range of flavors in dishes prepared with it, however, there is no point in using it to lubricate the skin of a newborn.

It doesn't make much difference which oil you use.. The main selection criterion should be its tolerability to newborns. The less odor the selected product leaves behind, the better.

How and for how long to sterilize in a water bath?

Many parents sterilize vegetable oil in a water bath before applying it to the baby's skin. They do this in order to kill possible bacteria.

The expediency of such actions is not always justified. Firstly, the oil is used for external procedures, and not for internal ones, so there is no critical need for sterilization. Secondly, the lubrication procedure takes place under non-sterile conditions and bacteria begin to develop as soon as the oil hits the baby’s skin.

If it was decided to sterilize the oil before use, then this must be done correctly. Sterilization time should be no less than 5 and no more than 30 minutes. Simply putting a pan on the stove and boiling oil will not work. This must be done using a water bath.

When parents are not sure about the quality of the product, they should place it in a dark place for 30 minutes before use. If there is a sediment in the oil in the form of flakes, it is spoiled and cannot be used..

Preparing the composition for rubbing

In order to carry out the sterilization procedure in a water bath, you will need the oil itself and two containers, one smaller for boiling, the other for creating a bath - larger.

Step-by-step instruction:

Store the oil in a cool, dark place with the lid tightly closed.. However, it will only be considered sterile for a few hours, so it is best to take small amounts before each bath.

Do not allow the oil to boil, as this may cause a fire. If this happens, you need to cover the container with a lid, thereby blocking the access of oxygen. Do not extinguish burning oil with water.

How to use?

Step-by-step instruction:

1. After bathing, the newborn's body is blotted with a soft towel until moisture is completely removed from the skin.
2. The child is placed on a diaper placed on a comfortable horizontal surface.
3. A cotton pad is moistened with vegetable oil. Some parents prefer to lubricate their baby using their own palms.
4. You need to start lubricating the newborn’s body from top to bottom. First, the skin behind the ears is treated, then the neck, and after the armpits, folds on the body and groin, as well as the baby’s legs.
5. Excess oil is removed with a dry cloth.

Do not use oil and talc at the same time. When they are mixed, lumps are formed, which contribute to irritation.

During the procedure, it will be useful to give the newborn a light massage. There is no need to dress the child immediately after application - let the skin absorb the oil and take air baths.

To ensure that your baby’s skin is always healthy and that vegetable oil does not cause harm, you must adhere to simple rules:

Conclusion

Systematic care and treatment of folds on a newborn's skin helps prevent many problems. Vegetable oil is a good substitute for store-bought moisturizers and cares for particularly vulnerable areas of the skin. The oils most commonly used by parents are sunflower and olive. They are available at any grocery store, are well tolerated by newborns and are inexpensive.

Buy today baby remedy industrial production in the store does not pose any problem. However, there are mothers who prefer grandma’s proven method - boiling the oil themselves. This makes it sterile and ideal for caring for a newborn’s folds.

Store-bought products for children are praised in every possible way by the manufacturers, but very often they contain additional components, fragrances and fragrances that can cause allergies in the baby. Sometimes a baby has a reaction even to a hypoallergenic product. With sterilized oil this problem will definitely not arise.

The skin of a newborn is very delicate and will provide gentle and gentle care. It contains useful biologically active substances, fatty acids, vitamins and is a natural oxidant. Many pediatricians still recommend treating sensitive skin child this way, and it is recommended to sterilize the oil at home. This way the mother can be completely confident in the product received.

For caring for a newborn, extra virgin olive oil or unrefined sunflower oil are best suited.

In order to sterilize oil, you will need a large saucepan, a glass jar and the oil itself. It should be boiled in a water bath:

1. Pour water into a saucepan and pour oil into a glass jar. Place a cloth at the bottom of the pan and place the jar on it. This is necessary to ensure that the glass container does not crack during the sterilization process. You cannot put the jar in boiling water; heating should occur gradually.
2. The pan is placed on the fire and brought to a boil. After this, the fire is reduced to a minimum. In this way, you can boil the oil for 5-30 minutes. Sterilization is carried out by heating; only water should boil. If the oil boils, it will ignite; this should not be allowed to happen. If there is a fire, you need to close the pan with a lid, thereby removing the flow of air, so the fire will soon go out. Do not extinguish oil with water; a chemical reaction and explosion may occur.
3. Then the sterilized product must be cooled to room temperature, closed and stored in a dark place. All is ready.

How to use sterilized oil

Oil can be used in the care of a newborn in the following cases:

• You can lubricate the crusts on the baby’s head with it, so they will go away faster.
• It's great.
• You can use it to clean your baby's nose and ears.
• They are good for treating the skin folds of a newborn to prevent diaper rash.
• It will help remove the remaining birth oil on the baby's skin.

But you don’t need to use oil too often, but only when necessary. It forms a film on the baby’s skin, which, although protective, does not allow air to pass through. Baby oil should be in your baby care arsenal. It’s up to the mother herself to decide whether to choose store-bought or sterilize it herself.

Caring for a newly born baby brings a lot of joy and a lot of questions. For example, should you use baby oil and which one is best for your baby? Why do some mothers boil it and how to do it correctly? Let's talk about all this in order.

What is oil used for?

Daily care for a newborn includes treating folds. Diaper rash most often occurs in these places because it is warm and humid. When the baby actively moves, friction can damage delicate skin, which leads to inflammation and redness.

That's why we lubricate the newborn with oil. First behind the ears, then we process the neck folds, go down to the armpits, after which we move on to the elbow folds and small folds on the palms. We process the legs from bottom to top, starting with the toes and gradually moving to the ankle joints. Don't forget to lubricate under the knees and in the groin folds.

Don't overdo it with oil. Of course, it moisturizes perfectly, but using it too often deprives the skin of the ability to “breathe,” which is also bad. Therefore, we use it without fanaticism, in moderation and when necessary.

Plant-based or store-bought?

The main criterion when choosing an oil is its tolerance to the baby and the feasibility of the purchase.

Today there are many child care products. Such children's cosmetics usually undergo standardization, they are hypoallergenic, and are specially adapted for use in infancy. Buy cosmetics famous brands won't be difficult. However, even the most advanced and hypoallergenic product can cause skin irritation in individual cases. You can also use regular vegetable oil for lubrication, sunflower or olive, for example. It has a number of advantages:

• saves financial costs;
• does not cause allergies;
• does not contain fragrances or other chemical compounds;
• It is possible to sterilize the oil.

Why boil

They do this just for sterilization. However, many mothers doubt the advisability of such actions, and this is quite logically explained. The fact is that the oil is used for external use, and not for internal use. In addition, it would be correct not to place the baby in a “sterile” world, because real life does not imply such conditions.

But if you still decide to boil it, it’s your personal choice and there’s nothing criminal about it. It’s just important to learn how to perform this procedure correctly.

How to do it

The advice to boil the oil does not mean that it should boil with bubbles like ordinary water. Our goal is to sterilize it, and for this, warming it up in a water bath is enough.

The water should boil, not the contents

To boil properly, you will need the actual oil you have chosen, a large saucepan, and a container for boiling (a glass jar will do).

Instructions:

1. Pour water into a large saucepan. Pour a small amount of oil into a glass jar or bottle and place in the pan. You can put a cotton cloth on the bottom of the pan. It will serve as a kind of layer and prevent cracks from occurring in the jar. Attention! The jar of oil should heat up gradually. Do not place the container in already boiling water.
2. Place the pan on gas and bring the water in it to a boil, then reduce the heat. It is recommended to boil for 5 minutes (minimum) to 30 minutes (maximum). In this case, only water should boil, while the oil is sterilized by heating.
3. After the specified time has passed, you can remove the container with oil from the water and let it cool. Cool to room temperature, then screw on the lid and put in a cool, dark place.

Do not allow the oil to boil, otherwise it will ignite. To avoid this we do water bath. If fire does occur, do not try to extinguish the fire with water. At best, your experiment will end with a black spot on the ceiling. The container with the burning liquid is covered with an iron lid from the pan, thus removing the access of oxygen. Without oxygen combustion, the flame will go out instantly.

Best before date

Boiled oil after heat treatment is considered sterile for only a few hours. So, if you want to use sterile oil for your newborn, it is recommended to make a small portion and repeat this procedure as needed.

In any case, everything that is done by the hands of a caring mother for a newborn little one conveys her love and tenderness to her own baby. Therefore, whether you decide to use vegetable oil boiled at home or purchased, the choice is yours.