(This is Titus, Kendra’s son (since I didn’t have a good teething picture of my son). As you can tell, he’s not doing so hot)
Five in the past three weeks. Five teeth , that is. Yes, our poor son started poppin’ out teeth left and right…so we’ve been on a fast and furious teething ride since! Now that things seem to be subsiding, we’re holding our breath to see if there are any stragglers! He now has a total of seven teeth (four on top, three on bottom)…I think he’s ready for a steak.
As you can imagine, it has been a…rough…three weeks. I’m so, SO, glad that I’m a stay-at-home mom, because I really can’t imagine having to roll out of bed and go to work after rocking the poor teething babe all night! I’m probably doing the world a favor by keeping my frumpy, mother-of-a-teething-baby self inside and out of view anyways.
I’m not sure what your baby is like, but mine gets particularly clingy and quite irritable when teething. I love the clingy part (because that means more cuddling), but it does get a little overwhelming when trying to cook, clean, fold laundry, start a garden, etc. The hardest part (other than watching him in pain and feeling like I couldn’t do anything about it!) was the lack of sleep.
Fortunately, I think we are finally emerging from this teething marathon and his sleep schedule has gotten back to normal!
For those of you mamas who are anticipating a teething baby, or who are in the midst of it right now, here are a few things to try:
Hyland’s Homeopathic Teething Tablets. These are my favorite and shall always be in my cabinet, diaper bag, or purse.
Hyland’s Homeopathic Teething Gel . I haven’t used this yet, but I recently saw it on the market and am very interested in learning more about it! What a great alternative to orajel.
Herbs for Kids Gum –omile Oil. Contains Oil of Clove which is a well-known home remedy for teething and toothaches.
Infant Pain Reliever . Try holding off on this until it is most needed, since it can’t be given around the clock. Perhaps wait until bed-time so that it’ll help your baby (and you! ) to get some rest.
Teething Biscuits. After I realized that my son could eat finger-food (I’m a dummy), I started giving him teething biscuits and he has loved them!
Massage . The counter pressure of massage often alleviates teething pain and soothes the gums.
Allow your baby to chew on something…anything! . Ok, well, not anything! Make sure that whatever your baby chews on is clean, non-toxic (avoid plastic items, especially soft plastics) and not small enough to choke on. Refrigerated bananas, wet wash clothes and frozen bagels are good choices.
Here is a recipe that Kendra gave me for the Oil of Clove homemade teething solution:
4 drops clove bud essential oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Combine ingredients. Try this out on your own gums first and adjust formula accordingly, keeping in mind that a baby’s gums are much more sensitive than yours.
What have you used and found successful (or not successful)? Any more tips for dealing with teething babies?
Check out more Works-for-Me Wednesday ideas here .
rachel says:
Our 2 favorite teething remedies are the raspberries by RaZbaby. They are all silicone, all chewy and nubbed and they were a life saver. The other was the teething swabs by OraJel. Loved them. Easy to use and not messy. I buy both these things for all new mommies :-)!
May 14th, 2008 at 1:02 am
Pepper says:
I’m glad I’m not the only one that didn’t realize children are amazing with finger-food at a young age. I was just amazed at there gag reflex. And I have to ditto the Hyland’s tablets. Absolutely love them!! Now I’m going to have to find the gel though.
May 14th, 2008 at 2:15 am
Kendra says:
Baby Titus LOVES to chew on the tip of a Tylenol Bottle when his teeth are bothering him. You know, the rubbery dropper top that inserts into the bottle. (Don’t worry, I let him chew on the tip of an empty, washed out bottle.) He really seems to get relief from chewing that little thingy.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Kansas Mom says:
My son would only use one thing to teeth on - a damp washcloth that had been in the freezer for a while. It was softer than even plastic from the fridge. I loved it because it was so easy to have a bunch in there ready for him and then to throw them in the wash to clean them.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Superchikk says:
I am so glad to know I’m not alone! My son’s first tooth came in with little fanfare, but the second tooth has taken its sweet, ever-lovin’ time coming in (two weeks), and we have all been miserable.
I love the teething tablets! And I have also frozen a wet washcloth for him to chew on. And when finally resorting to infants’ pain reliever, the pediatric nurse told me ibuprofen is better than Tylenol for teething. We’ve given it to him at bedtime, and it has helped him relax.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:33 am
andi says:
The Hyland’s teething tablets are the best! We used them for all three of our children. We also used to use cold or frozen food for them to chew on. I don’t know what they’re called but we used that thing that looks like a big pacifier but instead of nipple it has a mesh bag that you can fill with food. We would freeze little bits of fruit and then put them in the bag and let them chew away.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Stephanie says:
We are in the midst of my daugther’s 9th and 10th teeth breaking through. These are her eye teeth and they seem to bother her so much more than the others that have come in (center four on top and bottom). She is biting a cold wet washcloth which she never would before and she also loves that rubber top part of the dropper! I give her infant pain reliever right before bed which seems to help for about 4-6 hours. She went from sleeping through the night most nights to up 2-3 times a night…making my week at work so far this week a bit of a haze. Thanks for this post it was very timely for me! I’m going to have to try the homemade teething solution.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Audra Marie says:
I love the teething tablets! We also keep a pacifier in the freezer and Little Miss Princess loves to chew on it when she’s teething.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Sarah says:
This is such a timely post. My first baby is just beginning to get really fussy with teething and I just bought the Hylands Teething Tablets to try. Thanks for all of the great ideas!
May 15th, 2008 at 6:49 pm