I remember when my son started teething. He was a late teether, and we thought that he would be gumming forever. Late one night, he became a little feverish, and cried inconsolably through the night. The next morning, I saw not one, but two little white buds poking through his gums. It was a very proud mommy moment, and right then, I knew that teething had truly begun and we would be in for some rocky days and nights.
Balian at 9 months
I turned to home remedies and teething products to soothe and ease the pain of teething for my little guy. Here are some of the tips and tricks that worked well for us...
Chomping Fingers
Hate to say it, but when Balian started teething, we couldn't keep our fingers out of his mouth. The kid wanted to chomp and chomp (my dad actually nicknamed him 'chompy') on our knuckles, for as long as we could stand it. My husband minded much less than I did, so he kept his hands nice and clean, and let him chew his knuckles. The pressure felt good against the gums, and really helped him stay calm.
Amber Necklaces
If the knuckles aren't enough, it's great to offer a chunky, smooth amber necklace, like those from Amber Pumpkin. Amber necklaces contain succinic acid, a naturally occurring component in amber, which makes it an effective soother. So the amber necklace not only soothes because of the pressure, but the succinic acid, as well. A lot of moms swear by these, so don't knock it until you try it!
Balian at 8 months
Teethers
From wooden teethers to plastic that safe to be chomped on, little ones love to put teethers in their mouths and chomp until the pain it eased. We found teethers with little bumps to be particularly soothing for our son, because they massaged his gums while he chewed on them.
Anything Cold
On particularly difficult days during Balain;s teething, I took my mom's advice, and stuck a wet wash cloth in the freezer, and then let Balian chomp on it. He loved sucking and chewing on the cold washcloth. He also enjoyed chewing on teethers that could be placed in the freezer and kept cold. We refrained from giving our son cold, crisp things like carrots to chew on, because they're choking hazards. After his teeth came in, we let him have the carrots and he loved them.
Homeopathic Gels and Tablets
We never really wanted to give our son any infant medicines, unless he was running a fever with the teething. Instead, we turned to homeopathic gels and tablets, which really seemed to work for Balian. Once we found a brand that seemed to soothe the pain the best, we stuck with it, and didn't feel like we were using medicines, because what we were giving him was natural and safe. Just be sure to research the different brands and try whatever sounds best and safest to you.
Balian at 5 months
The important thing to remember, is that teething can interrupt schedules, and with babies, you just have to make room for little blips. After all, they're totally worth it.
Awesome tips! Teething is the worst for my kids, glad it's over now!
ReplyDeleteThese are good tips. I am happy I am well beyong this stage with my children.
ReplyDeleteMy almost 6 month old constantly chews on her hands, shes teething and I'm glad you posted these great tips - thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhere was all these products when mine were little. I finally found the one thing that did work for them however and it was a very cold washcloth. They loved it
ReplyDeleteI have one amber teething necklace for my youngest I've had it since he was an infant and it is by far the best money I ever spent. My son would scream his gums would swell and bleed when he was teething so I figured I'd try the necklace bcuz what could it hurt at that point. He is three now STILL wears that necklace and I have had zero issues with teething since about a week after I bought it. I haven't even known he was teething till I spotted the tooth coming in.
ReplyDelete