Teething Tips

Since Forest had 8 teeth by the time he reached 8 months, I consider myself to be quite the expert on how to handle baby teething discomfort. Of course, all babes are different and I hear that some don’t even suffer from teething symptoms. Some don’t stop sleeping through the night when cutting a tooth. Some don’t get diarrhea. Some don’t fuss incessantly turning your smiley happy baby into a demon possessed monster. Some don’t get a painful, hideous rash on their face due to biblical amounts of drool. 

Some babies are not Forest. Forest felt each excruciating tooth wedge it’s way through his gums and he reacted accordingly. Sleepless nights, short naps, itchy rashes, explosive diapers, nonstop fuss fests, the works! Here are just a few things in our ‘Teething’ kit to help us through the hard times. First things first: Pain relief! 

1)Infant Tylenol and Motrin. 

OMG why do I feel so much guilt for giving my baby Tylenol when he’s teething? Maybe because I’m the sort of person who only takes a pain med when I’m suffering from a migraine or equivalent. Otherwise I’m all about ‘natural’ remedies. But y’all, I am also all about a good night’s sleep. When baby won’t sleep through the night because of teething pain, no amount of amber necklaces or gnawing on frozen wash cloths is gonna get the job done. And nothing, NOTHING, makes a teething baby crankier than being overtired. Sleep is essential to getting through the trauma of a new tooth and Tylenol is your friend in this department. 

Notice I keep saying Tylenol even though I’ve also listed Motrin. Motrin is an anti-inflammatory which also has an 8 hour lifespan meaning that in theory it should be a better teething med for babies swollen gums and should also be longer lasting in those night hours (Tylenol only lasts 6 hours). 

However, like I said, all babies are different. We tried Motrin one particularly bad night and Forest woke up 3 hours later howling in pain. We gave him Tylenol the next night and he slept good and hard and all night long. It’s weird because I’m the same way. Theoretically, Motrin should work better for me but I’ve always been a Tylenol girl. I swear they didn’t pay me to say this. Find what works for your baby and don’t be afraid to use in case of emergency! 

2) Baby Orajel. 

First off, you should know that this is not a pediatrician approved substance even though it says baby right in the title and also says #1 pediatrician recommended brand. I'm sure some pediatricians recommend it, but the official AAP party line is not to use this for infants.  It contains some sort of active ingredient that in rare instances can cause extreme side effects in babies. I’m not an expert and probably won’t explain it correctly, so I urge you to read more about it here. 

Orajel essentially acts as a numbing cream for babies’ gums. We use it when Forest refuses his bottle because his gums hurt so bad. He’s never had a side effect from it and it’s helped him to push through the pain to get a full meal. 

3) Hyland’s All-Natural Teething Tablets. 

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OMG I love these things. I’ve already mentioned how much I prefer natural remedies and these teething tablets really deliver. One of the main ingredients is chamomile which has awesome calming and pain relieving effects. In the olden days, parents would put chamomile tea bags on their children’s gums to ease teething discomfort. We also used chamomile for Forest's colic episodes as a newborn, and Hyland's makes colic tablets too (though I didn't know it at the time and we'd actually give him chamomile tea in a bottle...it worked but a tablet would have been simpler!). 

These teething tablets are super baby friendly and dissolve quickly under their tongue.  When I administer them to Forest during a teething tantrum, I can tell a difference in his demeanor almost immediately. I also will give these before naps since I don’t want to give him Tylenol all day long, and instead just reserve the good stuff for night time. 

Teething toys:  
1) Frozen gel teethers. 

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Forest loves these round gel teethers. I put them in the fridge instead of the freezer because the freezer makes them a bit too cold for him to hold on to. 

They do make these teething toys which solve that problem but by the time I discovered them I already had a mountain of teething toys and couldn’t justify the purchase. 

2)Zoli Gummy sticks! 

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Ohmygoodness the best teething toy on the market, in my opinion. Easy for baby to grasp and sort of also acts as a toothbrush so it gets points in the dental hygiene department as well. 

3) Celery stalks. 

 We gave these to Forest a lot when he was first teething. Now that he has a mouth full of teeth and can actually eat the celery it doesn’t quite have the same effect as gumming the crisp cold veggie. But for those first few teeth, it was a major hit.

4) Pacifiers.  

We strictly give pacifiers for sleeping times, but now that Forest has the dexterity to pick up his own pacis and the memory to seek them out, we will allow him to use them during the day in teething emergencies. It soothes him, making him less fussy, and he’ll also chew on the edges using it as another teething apparatus. 

5) Sophie le Giraffe. 

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It's a mystery why a cheaply made rubber squeaky toy that reminds me of something I'd buy my dogs on the $1 aisle at Petsmart is all the rage for teething babes, but I'm drinking the Kool-aid. This thing works and the babies love Sophie. 

Miscellaneous Teething Supplies: 
1) Boudreaux's Butt Paste. 

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Lots of babies get diarrhea when teething so you'll want to have plenty of your preferred diaper rash ointment on hand when the time comes. 

2) Aquaphor. 

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I've mentioned before that Forest gets a terrible teething rash every time he cuts a tooth. When it appears, we put Aquaphor on his face before bed to try to help it heal while he sleeps. It definitely helps with damage control and keeps the rashes from getting too painful or out of hand.

3) Aveeno Eczema Cream. 
 

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We used this for the same purpose as the Aquaphor, it's just a bit lighter so I reapply this after meal times during the day and while out on the go. I love Aveeno products for myself and baby and this stuff works great for sensitive baby skin.  

Ok guys, that’s about all my tips on the subject. Anything different work for the babies in your life?