How To Keep Your Teething Baby COMFORTABLE

Everything seemed so smooth, the girls had just hit 6 months old…both girls were sleeping well, eating well and starting to hit milestones…then BAM! They weren’t sleeping, had no interest in their bottles and seemed ornery. Does this sound familiar???

 

Something tells me that if you’re reading this, then you too have felt this helpless pit in your stomach and have probably spent the last few hours of the night researching frantically how to help your little one. You’re not alone and we are here to help!

 

We felt at a loss and couldn’t figure out what happened…then like a sharks fin peeking out of the water, we saw the culprit. In the sea of their gums, a shiny, white, and SHARP new tooth was rearing it’s menacing head (insert the classic Jaw’s theme song)

 

Once we figured out the problem, we started to work towards a solution for our little beans.

Now we are here to help YOU get through this rough and exhausting time.

 

First Things First…What to Expect

• This is a tough time for you but an extremely hard time for your baby
• Their sleep pattern is going to be disturbed. One moment your babe was sleeping through the night then suddenly they can’t get comfortable and in turn, can’t fall asleep
• They will most definitely have increased drooling so keep those bibs on to help wick away the moisture and prevent skin irritation!
• Your happy baby has suddenly become ornery and cranky
• Frequent pulling of their ears can be a tell tale sign
• Worst of all, they’re in pain and will cry those big old crocodile tears that make us all, as parents feel terrible
• HANG IN THERE!!! This will pass just like all the other milestones!

 

So When Should You Expect This Arduous Event to Occur??

That is an excellent question!

Most experts report that many babies will start teething around 6 months of age, however this can vary just like anything else (DiMaggio & Cernigliaro, 2019). Your bean may get their first tooth as early as 4 months old, so it’s best to be prepared early!

 

Their Gums are Swollen and Sore, How Can You Help Them??!

• Massage their sore gums. Make sure to clean your hands very well and use either a finger or cool damp cloth to rub their gums
• Soothing coolness. We preferred using teething rings that could be placed in the freezer because our girls LOVED to chew on them! There are tons of great products out there that can be placed in your freezer for those times that they just need something to gnaw on
• When all else fails and they’re still extremely uncomfortable, try using acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen. We found that Children’s Motrin worked best for our girls at night because it seemed to last longer. (Note: Motrin cannot be used until your baby is 6 months of age or older) We suggest alternating between the two to give your baby continuous pain relief. Be sure to follow the recommendations of your pediatrician when giving your baby medications, even over the counter ones.
• We used Benzocaine free Orajel to help soothe their sore gums as an adjunct to the other remedies. It is recommended to avoid topical medications with benzocaine or lidocaine in them as they have been found to be harmful and in some cases fatal to babies (DiMaggio & Cernigliaro 2019).

 

How About Some Natural Remedies

If you’re looking for other avenues of relief besides traditional medicines or just trying to use them as a last resort, here are some great examples of holistic remedies!

• Essential oils– these have been gaining popularity over the past few years with many parents. It is recommended that you limit the use of oils to lavender and chamomile for this age group.
  • Chamomile is popular due to its favorable effects of relaxation and sedation
  • Lavender is naturally calming and nontoxic making it another favorable choice
  • You place a small drop on their jawline to alleviate symptoms. It is always recommended that the oils be diluted down before being directly applied to your baby’s skin. These oils can also be placed in a diffuser if you do not want to place them on their skin
  • (Healthline,2019).
• Mesh Feeders– we used these for a completely different purpose at first, trying to get the girls to eat pureed solid foods. But guess what??? Take the puréed foods put them in the mesh and pop them in the freezer…voila! A natural teething remedy that your little one can gnaw on for relief! If your little one has mastered puréed and moved on to solids wordthen freeze some of their favorites and pull them out when those pesky teeth start popping through.
• Organic Teething Biscuits– Our girls love these, LOVE them! Not only do they help with the pain of their new teeth but they’re also a great treat! Keep in mind that these are crackers and as such can cause a choking hazard when they break into small pieces. You can find them at your local grocery store. We like to give them organic ones because they have limited ingredients. So all the good stuff with none of the fillers!
• Teething Gloves– little ones love putting things in their mouths when teething, it not only helps soothe their pain it can also help calm them. We found that our little beans had trouble keeping some teething rings in their mouths. That’s when we found these awesome little inventions! The girls love them because they’re fun little toys that also have a textured rubber that allows them to chew on the glove for relief.

 

That brings us to the end of this post! There are many other remedies out there but we included the ones that most people have said were successful for their little ones! In the end, do some research and try many different remedies as combinations, you never know which one will be the winner for you baby! As always, feel free to contact us with any questions..we are always here for you!