Monday, June 15, 2015

Teething: The Survival Guide.

 

I'm in the midst of my second dose of baby teething and its painful. Its painful for baby and it's painful for anyone within a mile radius of baby!


There are a few giveaway signs that baby has started teething. Some subtle signs and some worthy of calling the army out for a little support (think devil child).
The early teething signs tend to be baby chewing on things, getting a bit dribbly, snotty and maybe slightly rosier cheeks. Once teething really kicks in you tend to get upset tummies, lots of tears, random screams in the night, extra feeds and cuddles required and a generally grumpy faced baby. The most common sign for my two and probably my least favourite, is the biting. Biting when feeding (ouch) then as they get older just walking up and biting onto my knees or hand, double ouch! I'll be honest, teething is pretty shitty, for want of a better word.

How to cope & sooth your baby


There are a few alternative ways to combat teething and it varies hugely from baby to baby as to their success, but these are my favourite things (other than lots of extra cuddles) to aid the long days and nights of teething and help make them slightly more bearable for all involved. You could go down the ear plug or escape route, but it's nice to bring baby some relief instead.

Nelson's Teething granules

These are natural products and look like powdered sugar. My baby loves them and will tip her head back so I can pour them in, her brother was the same! They seem to take the edge off pretty well and aren't too badly priced. You can buy these in supermarkets as well as Boots and Superdrug. My three year old still begs me to have a sachet when he sees them, they must be good!

Teethers/Toys

There are some great teethers on the market, the best I have found are made from silicon. Soft squeaky and satisfying on those little gums. We recently reviewed the one in the picture below from Comotomo which is great. Both babies have also loved the mini Sophie giraffe which is our other favourite. You'l find they will want to chew on anything they can find, so to preserve the furniture and pets, keep a good stash of teethers in at all times!


Teething Gel

This is a great one to rub on to the gums with your finger, or even smear onto a teether for them to put straight onto the sore spot themselves. It's a toss up as to whether your baby likes the taste, but if they do then this is definitely worth grabbing. It's best used in the day though as the relief doesn't last too long! It tastes just like the adult dental gels, but not as strong. My son would have eaten this on toast if you let him, I'm not even joking.

Amber Jewellery

I used to think this was a load of hoo-harr, but with both children I have noticed a big difference once I introduced amber jewellery. They look pretty cool too! We had two screaming days and nights a few weeks ago, I put amber on the next morning and we haven't had an episode since, despite the fact she has definitely cut another tooth! At worst, your little monkey will resemble a micro surf dude, pretty cool.

Cold Food!

If baby is on solid foods then you can give them things like a nice chilled strip of pepper or carrot to ease the gums. The firmness and coolness will give them a little extra comfort. If baby is not yet having finger foods then chilled puree or apple sauce could bring them some relief too.
If baby doesn't want food then a chilled or slightly frozen wet flannel dipped in water or breast milk would be well received for those ever appearing chompers! Don't get too close though, they'll have your hand off if they get chance!


Teething is a really horrible time for baby and it can be really hard to watch them being in pain. If they are really suffering and will take it, you can give OTC pain relief too. Ibuprofen is meant to be better for teething, though you can give paracetamol too. My son loved medicine, but my daughter hates it big time, so we have managed so far with just the granules and other suggestions above. Find whatever suits you and your baby and do whatever you need to do to survive!

Your baby will grow 20 teeth in total - so you can count down one sleepless week at a time!



Thanks for reading,

Wafflemama