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Friday, February 15, 2013

Teething Tips and Remedies


Most babies between 3 months and 12 months (according to webmd.com). Some babies will react fine to teething, with hardly any symptoms. Other babies will cry non-stop, won’t sleep and good luck if you ever want to go somewhere in public. I don’t blame them for being fussy and having a hard time sleeping, babies have never really experienced pain before. So, to them, a cutting a tooth can hurt pretty bad. The good news is, finding out what helps sooth your baby can save you a lot of time, and make your little one feel better. This is not medical advice, just simple tips from moms to moms. Always check with you baby’s Pediatrician to confirm or before giving your baby any medicine.  


Symptoms of a Teething Baby:
-Drool, Drool, and MORE DROOL
-Fussiness
-Chewing on Fingers or Toys
-Refusing to Eat or Drink
-Swollen or Sensitive Gums
-Problems Sleeping
-Low-grade Fever (debatable)
-Diarrhea (debatable)
-Pulling on Ears (due to fluid build up)



Check out one of these awesome baby teeth charts to track when your child's teeth should come in, and write down the day that they do!




There is no right way or wrong way when it comes to parenting and taking care of your baby. What works for one baby, might not work for another. This is a list of just a few things you can do at home to make your little on feel better. My advice is to know the signs and symptoms. Babies grow at different rates and they will cut teeth at different times too. Be aware of the most when most babies will cut certain teeth and try to keep track, that way when your little one isn’t feeling good, you will understand why and know how to help them!

1. Give them lots of love and attention: a lot of babies love to cuddle with their Mommy or Daddy when they’re sick and don’t feel good. Try not to force them to play, if they want to cuddle forget about the dishes that need to be done, call for take-out for dinner, and spend time snuggling up with your little one. Babies love to chew a lot, so letting them on your hand or finger is useful, but it hurts when they cut through their teeth!

2. A Cold Wash Cloth: the cold will help sooth babies gums. Try getting a pack of cheap soft wash cloths for babies, and soaking in cold water. You can let the baby chew on it, or wrap it around your finger and let them chew on it. If you go out, carry a wash cloth with you and order a glass of ice water to sooth your baby when you go out to eat.

3. Let Them Chew on a Raw Carrot: especially with their first teeth, babies will not be able to bite anything off of this. Let them chew on a cold raw carrot, watch them carefully if you let them hold it! It could be a choking hazard.

4. Other Frozen Fruits and Veggies: Use a mesh food teether and put frozen fruits or vegetables in them. If they are frozen, your baby won’t be able to bite off any parts, but it will still be cold, hard, and flavorful!

5. Teething Rings: love these. My baby was very young when she started teething, she couldn’t hold a toy in her hand.. so, when she started holding toys, the small teething rings were the best thing for her! And she loved being able to hold a toy all by herself. A lot of people will put these in the fridge or freeze them.

6. Sophie the Giraffe: I know a lot of people who have loved this! It’s a great toy that looks very fun and friendly, while giving the effects of helping to sooth a teething baby.

7. Pacifier Teethers: I love the whole Tommee Tippee collection. I’ve used pretty much all of their feeding products. This brand sells teethers that look like a pacifier on outside, but the baby is really chewing down on, on their gums. There is also one that is flavored, the Razbaby Razberry Teether. I wanted this, but couldn’t find it in a store when my baby started teething.

8. Gum Soothers: I love these. Most will come in a medical kit that you will buy or with a tooth and gum cleanser. My daughter loved the tooth and gum cleanser, it’s a rubber brush that goes over your finger. I bought it as her first tooth brush, to get into the habit of learning to brush our teeth. She loves it; she would probably sit there for an hour chewing with the rubber gum soother.

9. Amber Teething Necklace: I don’t know too much about these. They are made with Baltic Amber, a rock, which has an acid in it that works as a natural pain reliever. It works by the rocks, being heated up from contact on the skin and releasing an oil that is said to help with the inflammation and pain associated with teething. Now, after I researched this I found out, that they are NOT meant to be chewed on and could be hazardous. Also, they are not recommended for babies younger than 36 months. I’m not sure why other people have tried these, but they seem to be a popular “green” option, even though they aren’t recommended for babies of teething age!

10. Mommy’s Teething Necklace: There are necklaces that Mommy can wear and your baby can chew on. You can find some on etsy.com or try to find a tutorial to make your own. I have heard great things about these!

11. Teething Biscuits: my mother suggested these to me for my teething baby, however, I could not find them anywhere! There are a bunch of great recipes to make your own at home on the Wholesome Baby Food website.

11. Medicines: Although, it is not proven that babies get fevers because of teething, mine did. It’s just not proven, but many things in life have yet to be proven. Most Pediatrician’s will recommended giving a baby Tylenol (a pain reliever/fever reducer) when any fever occurs, because fevers can be dangerous to a young baby. It is NOT recommended to give your baby a pain reliever medicine for teething, when there is no fever.

12. Teething Tablets and Gels: They make a variety of teething tablets and gels. Teething gels, like Orajel, seem to numb the gums. Some parents are not ok with giving their baby medicine that has numbing medicine in it, but then again every parent is different. I recommend doing your research on teething medicines and talking to your child’s Pediatrician before giving them to your child. 


Read the article: “Are Teething Tablets Safe?”



Please comment and say what has helped your child the most when they were teething?

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