Growing up, I never used a hot water bottle. Actually, I don't think I ever SAW a real hot water bottle. Those were things they used back in the old days, or in the movies. At home we used a "corn bag" for muscle aches, earaches, other aches and pains, and also for keeping warm on a cold night. These were little pillows of fabric filled with shelled corn, a.k.a cow feed. I had friends that used "rice bags"- socks filled with rice and knotted at the top. With the corn/rice bag, you heat it up in the microwave, put it on the achy part and it stays warm for 20-30 minutes. Then you put it somewhere safe where the mice can't chew into it. And don't cook the bag for too long... or else the whole place smells like burned corn.
When I began working in an office, I started using the more new-fangled disposable sticky patches that warm up with exposure to air. These were much more convenient to use and discreet, but they came with a heavy price tag and couldn't be used with something like an ear ache.
When we got married, I discovered that mice had gotten into my corn bag, plus we didn't have a microwave so I couldn't heat it anyway. There was no reason to buy expensive heat patches because I work at home and nobody cares if I walk around clutching a large, bulky heat-giving device. While reading the book Mommy Diagnostics, I found my solution.
It's in a $5 box at Walmart.
The Hot Water Bottle
If you're looking for a hot water bottle, you may look for a while because they certainly aren't popular. I had to ask the pharmacy lady where they were, and she pointed me out to exactly ONE hot water bottle on the shelf. No choices, no options, just one ugly old-ladyish box. Lucky for me, it was only $5.
When I got home and opened it up, the first thing I noticed was the smell. I'm not sure if it was the rubber, or the factory it came from, but the bottle smelled like an auto shop. Kind of off-putting, but what other choice did I have? The bottle itself was enormous compared to the petite little patches and microwavable corn bags that I had used before. But boy, could it hold some water. I turned on the hot tap until it reached its hottest, and then followed the directions to fill the bag halfway. Then I let out the excess air and screwed on the top. This was when my conversion began.
I was impressed at how the hot water bottle was hot at first, but not too hot to touch, and then it KEPT the heat for at least an hour- probably a couple hours. This alone made it better than the corn bag, which didn't hold heat and came out of the microwave piping hot so you couldn't touch it for the first 10 minutes anyway.
Let me recap the benefits of using a hot water bottle vs. corn bag or sticky patch.
1. No hot/cold problems.
2. It HOLDS heat for a long time.
3. Reusable and cheap to purchase.
4. No mice problems.
5. No burning smells.
6. No microwave required.
But wait, THERE'S MORE!
Got an ache? Got a pain? Need an ENEMA? This bottle is for you! The hot water bottle that Walmart carries also doubles as an enema system. Now, I have no need for enemas and hope I never do, but at least I have the option of administering one.
Do you use a hot water bottle? Why or why not?
When I began working in an office, I started using the more new-fangled disposable sticky patches that warm up with exposure to air. These were much more convenient to use and discreet, but they came with a heavy price tag and couldn't be used with something like an ear ache.
When we got married, I discovered that mice had gotten into my corn bag, plus we didn't have a microwave so I couldn't heat it anyway. There was no reason to buy expensive heat patches because I work at home and nobody cares if I walk around clutching a large, bulky heat-giving device. While reading the book Mommy Diagnostics, I found my solution.
It's in a $5 box at Walmart.
The Hot Water Bottle
If you're looking for a hot water bottle, you may look for a while because they certainly aren't popular. I had to ask the pharmacy lady where they were, and she pointed me out to exactly ONE hot water bottle on the shelf. No choices, no options, just one ugly old-ladyish box. Lucky for me, it was only $5.
When I got home and opened it up, the first thing I noticed was the smell. I'm not sure if it was the rubber, or the factory it came from, but the bottle smelled like an auto shop. Kind of off-putting, but what other choice did I have? The bottle itself was enormous compared to the petite little patches and microwavable corn bags that I had used before. But boy, could it hold some water. I turned on the hot tap until it reached its hottest, and then followed the directions to fill the bag halfway. Then I let out the excess air and screwed on the top. This was when my conversion began.
I was impressed at how the hot water bottle was hot at first, but not too hot to touch, and then it KEPT the heat for at least an hour- probably a couple hours. This alone made it better than the corn bag, which didn't hold heat and came out of the microwave piping hot so you couldn't touch it for the first 10 minutes anyway.
Let me recap the benefits of using a hot water bottle vs. corn bag or sticky patch.
1. No hot/cold problems.
2. It HOLDS heat for a long time.
3. Reusable and cheap to purchase.
4. No mice problems.
5. No burning smells.
6. No microwave required.
But wait, THERE'S MORE!
Got an ache? Got a pain? Need an ENEMA? This bottle is for you! The hot water bottle that Walmart carries also doubles as an enema system. Now, I have no need for enemas and hope I never do, but at least I have the option of administering one.
Do you use a hot water bottle? Why or why not?
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