Teething Troubles
Teething troubles can be the pits for both parents and baby.
You may have just established a decent sleep routine and settled into your new role as a parent, and then teething starts. Of course, there’s no set time for when your baby will start to teethe. Our son had his first tooth at 4 months without any trouble and sprouted them left right and centre whilst our daughter was teething for months before her first tooth appeared at 8 months old and we had a rough time with cold symptoms, horrible nappies, temperature, crying and no sleep at all for what felt like an age.
We tried pretty much everything under the sun so here is our top teething tips:
Of course, the teething journey is not complete without a bottle of Calpol or Neurofen for children. I wasn’t keen on giving either of my babies medicine, but needs must for both them and us. I tried to keep them to a minimum and most often used at night when they seem to suffer the most.
There are also teething gels of various brands which contain a small amount of local anaesthetic as well as an antiseptic to help numb the area and relieve the pain.
Teething granules and powders – I did have an attempt at these as they were a natural remedy. The powder came in a folded piece of paper and you just had to rub it into the gums. My advice is never to try and administer whilst outside on a windy day!
Amber Teething Necklaces – Necklaces to be worn by baby made from amber beads which contain a special healing oil. Once in contact with your baby’s skin, the heat causes the beads to release the oil which is absorbed into the skin and relieving the pain. We try these ourselves but have heard good things. Make sure you buy a good quality necklace so that it contains genuine amber beads.
Teething Rings
These are a definite godsend. they come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be held by your baby. Some are gel or water-filled and can be put in the fridge or freezer to help ease the pain further. There are loads to choose from but one of our favourites was the Squidge & Pip Sensory Teether.
Baby Toys
Baby toys are available with all sorts of sensory features, and many have teething attachments on them which can be the corners of a comforter, specifically made baby toys such as the Lamaze range. Again they have the little bobbles that your baby can bite down on to give them immediate relief from teething pain.
Dummies
A dummy can be a great comfort to a distraught baby whose natural instinct is to suck and chew whilst teething.
Teething biscuits
Such as Bickiepegs (not quite a chocolate digestive). These teething biscuits are hard biscuits that come on a ribbon that can be sucked and chewed by your baby. These are suitable for both vegans and vegetarians.
Carrots
Peel and wash a carrot and cut into baby hand-sized chunks. Put it in the fridge for a while and then give it to your baby to chew on. The cold will help ease the pain. This can also be done with cucumber.
Frozen yoghurt and other cold foods
Using cold to alleviate the pain and soothing the gums. During teething your baby or toddler may go off their food so using age-appropriate foods which are cold will help the pain as well as the eating issue. Breast milk lollies are a good thing to try with smaller babies. For babies past the weaning stage, lollies can be made with different fruit purees. Make a batch of the Blueberry Yoghurt bites which will help with teething troubles and my kids love them.
Teething Necklaces
These are different to the amber teething necklaces. Teething Necklaces (also known as Mummy Necklaces, Baby Bling etc) are necklaces worn by the parent which are made from materials suitable for your baby to chew and suck on. Most common Teething Necklaces are made from non-toxic food-grade silicone and can be sterilised. These are also quite nice for mums and dads who quite often give up on jewellery wearing whilst baby is young due to the potential of pulling or putting something in their mouth they could choke on.
Teething Gels, Powders & Ointments
I think we’ve tried pretty much everything on the market. Gels such as Bonjela I find just slide off the gums so I prefer teething powders that you sprinkle into their mouth. It’s sweet so they stop crying and start tasting and biting down which absorbs the powder into the gums. Anbesol is an ointment that instantly numbs the area you put it on so is great for instant relief. I would definitely recommend keeping a bottle of this handy.
Distraction
This only really works during the day when they are awake and you can pull funny faces and play as a way of keeping their minds off it.
So here are our Top Teething Tips. As well as all of the above you will need patience in abundance. Remember that it’s, unfortunately, something that all babies endure, and each baby will be different in age and how they cope with their teething journey.
If you have any tips of your own then feel free to add them into the comments box and rest assured that you may help the next Mum that reads this post whilst possibly tearing their hair out!
Good luck x
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Great tips! Please remember that Brush-Baby can help with teeth that are on their way and the ones that are already here as well.
Check out our website at http://www.brushbaby.co.uk for a video, hints, tips and early years gum and toothcare products for babies, toddlers and infants from newborn to 6 years of age.