Kids get bumps and bruises. Often, the simple injuries kids get just need a little ice. This simple DIY ice pack hack gives your kids the comfort they need without a dripping bag of melting ice to deal with. This ice pack hack stores easily in the freezer, and keeps a protective layer of cotton between their skin and the ice pack, easily. Even a toddler can hold this DIY ice pack without fumbling it around.

As a kid, my mom put a few ice cubes into a ziplock baggie, sealed it and wrapped a towel around the bag to keep the plastic safely away from our skin. Did you know that you should never put ice in a plastic bag directly onto your skin? Growing up with a mom who was a nurse meant I learned a lot of simple ways to attend to simple childhood injuries from her example.  WebMD gives great advice for how to safely use an ice pack.

It can feel a bit clumsy to try to form an ice pack to your skin while keeping it safely wrapped in a towel. For small toddler hands, this can be really hard to do, and they are at an age where they want to try it on their own.

I came up with a simple way to keep a DIY ice pack ready to go in the freezer at all times while still keeping things simple and protecting my children’s skin.

DIY Ice Pack Hack

Supplies:

1 frozen cooler pack (those plastic things you freeze and use in a cooler to avoid melted ice mess)

1 adult sock

That is all you need to make this DIY ice pack. Here is how I made it.

Making a DIY Ice Pack

Step 1) Using a clean adult-sized cotton sock, slide the frozen cooler pack into the sock.

Step 2) Ease the cooler pack all the way down to the toe of the sock.

Step 3) You can clip the end of the sock with a clothespin to keep it closed, or even sew it closed if you like. (I just left mine open.)

Step 4) Apply your ice pack to an injury.

This can easily be stored in the freezer allowing the fabric of the sock to get cold too. The sock fabric is porous enough that the cool soothing temperature of the ice pack reaches the skin quickly. Your child’s skin stays safe from direct contact with the DIY ice pack. (Always supervise and guide your children to use this safely.)

What is your favorite DIY homemaking hack? Share in the comments below.

For more homemaking tips and hacks check out this list of quick tips for moms.