Doesn’t time go so quickly with a little one. Despite sleepless nights, poo explosions and bouts of horrible painful wind I feel I am desperately trying to slow time down to keep my baby boy little but that just isn’t happening. He is now 4 months old and we have started teething!
So far we have just had a couple of mornings when he has been in obvious pain which has been horrible so here is what we have done and what I think has helped us. I am not a healthcare professional these are just some of the things we have given a go.
Amber necklace.
Now this is quite controversial and I am a massive cynic but hey if it doesn’t do any harm then it’s worth a try. Now I would like to point out that he never wears this unsupervised so never in the car or in his cot at night. I also made sure to buy one that is knotted between the beads so should it break the beads do not all come loose. I am still on the fence about this although I have to admit when we did put it on him about an hour later, he seemed to be much better. Now that could be a coincidence but hey as soon as he looks like his teeth might be bothering him, we pop it on and plus he looks really cool wearing it!
Teething Gel
This didn’t work at all for us, I think the saliva just washes it all away before it gets a chance to work so this had no effect.
Teething crystals
Not sure if this worked or they just tasted nice so it stopped the crying. But hey it stopped the crying so maybe one to try.
Cheek rub
I love the smell of this and I do think it has made a difference. Certainly, his cheeks look less red and sore after I pop it on and it seems to soothe him. Plus it is one of those things that if it doesn’t do any harm, it is worth a go hey!
Lots of cuddles and distractions
Pain is horrible and pain when you are a baby must be the worst thing ever because it is literally the worst thing they have experienced so they need you to be patient with them and offer them loads of comfort. I found our cat was a great distraction so we followed him all around the house and threw toys for him to play with and this took baby G’s mind off his pain and he was able to calm down and even smile a bit. So get a cat, or borrow one 😉
Slings are ace during teething too as baby G gets quite clingy and just wants to be held and bounced so a sling means I can still get things done while giving him a permanent cuddle.
Chew Toys
These are brilliant, we have a wooden ring from Funky Giraffe, a fantastic gummy glove which is great as he can’t drop it and a selection of other different textured items which he can have a good chew on although his favourite still seems to be mummy’s fingers! Chewing really seems to help massage the gums and both acts as a pain reliever and a distraction so stock up on safe chew toys.
Ice lollies.
I made a few little breast milk lollies which my 4 month old loves. Unfortunately he was too distressed last time his teeth were hurting to see if these helped but since then I have given him one and he seemed to really enjoy it so next time the soreness happens it will be less of a novelty so fingers crossed it helps.
Teething means dribble, lots and lots of dribble and this means soggy tops and dribble rash. Solve all of this by popping on a bib! It means less washing for you, less time searching for a cloth to wipe their chin and no painful dribble rash which only increases their general discomfort so it’s a win win!
These are all the things we have used so far but we would love to hear your suggestions and advice to please let us know in the comments below what has helped you.