Get the New Mother in Your Life Baking Soda for Mother's Day

People always scramble this time of year to find the perfect something to show their mothers how much they matter. If they're trying to buy for a new mother, the problem can be compounded ten-fold, especially because Mom and baby have likely just been showered with presents. The only option, then, is to try to find something unusual, something she may not have but may need and/or want. What fits the bill perfectly?

Baking soda.

While it's not the most romantic, shiny, or over-the-top gift in the world, it is both imaginative and perfect for a new mother. Here are five reasons why:
It is an amazing skin exfolliator.

Baking soda in sitz baths acts in a three-fold manner: It softens stitches, calms hemorrhoids, and softens skin. Of course, it can be applied directly to skin with the same results. Make your own facial by mixing a small amount with baby shampoo for the best cleanser/toner/exfolliator/makeup-remover combo you will ever use. It can calm a new mom's tummy and, thereby, her nerves.

Lack of sleep and a new baby's tears can combine to make a new mother feel tied up in knots. If the new mother is breastfeeding, that can make self-medication of any sort tricky. A great solution is perhaps the most ancient: Combine a tablespoon of baking soda with water for virtually instant tummy relaxation. If only it were applicable to newborns as well!
Stains will be no more.

New mothers are in a constant state of doing laundry, especially stained laundry. A newborn baby's clothes become covered almost instantaneously with formula, spit up, and many, many more excretions. Finding a non-chemical way to combat the stains without having to scrub for hours is a godsend, and baking soda fits the bill. Simply add a scant tablespoon to each load of laundry (plus detergent), and watch even untreated stains melt away. And the clothes will come out softer than when they went in!
Bad will be smells no more.

New babies' cribs can quickly start smelling of what happens in there (vomit, urine, and more). It can seem that no amount of scrubbing will help, and harsh detergents mayirritate baby's skin. Simply combining baking soda with vinegar and warm water will make a scrub to combat even the toughest scents. Additionally, sprinkle some into diaper pails to keep the home smelling fresh. Baking soda can work as instant hair care.

For new moms whose babies' constant needs mean she has difficulty finding time to shower (i.e. virtually all new moms), baking soda comes to the rescue again. Simply sprinkle some, along with a bit of baby powder, on a hairbrush and comb through hair. The combination of baking soda and the powder will absorb oil, freshen the scent, and leave mom feeling less like the Creature From The Black Lagoon. Plus, leaving a little soda on the brush and submerging it in water will make it like new.

Economical, versatile, and unexpected, baking soda is the perfect gift for the new mom who has everything buy time.