Teething is an expected and necessary stage of childhood development that generally can begin in the early 2 months of age or even 9+ months or later. The onset of teething generally comes along just as you are celebrating your first parenting success at finally getting your baby to sleep through the night. Suddenly, you are back at square one with a crying baby that can’t sleep at night.
Take a deep breath. Your baby is likely simply experiencing the normal discomfort associated with teething. The first teeth breaking through the gums can cause sore, tender gums, and excessive drooling. Your baby’s mouth is uncomfortable and they are understandably irritable and restless.
Fortunately, there are a few tricks and home remedies that have a strong track record of soothing a baby’s painful gums and allowing both of you to get some much needed sleep.
1.) Gum Massage
It may seem counterintuitive, but the counter pressure provided by gently massaging your baby’s gums with your finger or knuckle seems to provide effective relief. The value of this trick is in its simplicity. Simplicity is incredibly valuable in the wee hours of the night, when your baby is fussy, and uncomfortable and you are desperately in need of sleep. This trick can help your baby get back to sleep when your resources and energy are in limited supply. Gum massage alone will not provide all of the relief that you would like but it is a good place to start. This is exactly why we created our teeter to be hollow, to allow for the controlled counter pressure for your little ones. : )
2.) Washcloth
This trick provides a more substantial relief than the gum massage alone, but it does require a minimum of preparation. Of course, you will also need a couple washcloths. If you have the luxury of choice, opt for plain white washcloths to reduce the amount of potential chemicals and dyes your baby could be exposed to. Just ensure these washcloths are super clean as they carry bacteria around super easily. So, opt for cleanliness, always.
The preparation for this trick is quick, just saturate each washcloth with water, and wring out excess water. You are aiming for a washcloth that is wet, but not dripping. Next time your baby is fussy and obviously uncomfortable you will have a cold washcloth that you can let him/her gnaw on to provide soothing cooling and pressure relief. The texture of the washcloth is excellent for easing baby’s gum discomfort, and babies are able to grip the washcloth and gnaw on one corner fairly easily. The washcloth’s size eliminates any choking concerns, but you should make sure that you choose a good quality washcloth that is unlikely to lose threads while your baby is chewing.
3.) Baby Teething Tubes®
Baby Teething Tubes resemble the oversize flexible fun straws that you find in children’s drinks. Instead of hard, brittle plastic, the teething teething tubes® are made of soft, flexible silicone that won’t crack or tear. The teething tubes® are ridged to provide lots of texture to help ease the teething process. The teething tubes® can be stored in the freezer and taken out as needed to provide cool counter-pressure relief. Best of all, the Baby Teething Tube’s size and shape are designed with your baby’s limited motor skills in mind. The ridged surface makes it easy for Baby to hold onto the teething tube, and the length means that it can reach any area of the mouth that is sore. The chunky size alleviates any concern of a choking hazard. The Baby Teething Tubes® have effectively rendered the pacifier obsolete.
3.) Fruits and Popsicles
If your baby is old enough to handle semi-solid foods you can give them fruits to chomp on. Of course, these should only be given when an adult can provide continuous supervision due to the potential choking hazard.
5.) Oral Medication And Teething Gels
Parents often want to know if they can give their baby any oral pain medication or apply one of the topical gel to ease their sore gums. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentists has released an official report advising against the use of topical teething gels. There are concerns about the potential for accidental overdose of these powerful medications, so they are no longer considered safe for use in children.
Oral anti-inflammatory medications formulated for children like children’s Acetaminophen or children’s Ibuprofen are still considered safe for administering to children. Obviously, these should still be used as infrequently as possible. That’s why we make our teethers in the USA and out a natural silicone that is FDA compliant for your littles ones health.
Teething Mistakes To Avoid
Many of the old tried and true tools that we have used for generations have been bumped to the list of obsolete items that Dentists and Pediatricians no longer recommend.
Pacifiers have been proven to cause significant tooth displacement of permanent teeth, and are frowned because of the constant sucking motion while teeth are forming. Teething bracelets and teething necklaces that contained teething beads in a variety of materials that were intended to be worn by baby or mother were prone to breaking and posing a significant choking hazard.
Baby Teething Tubes® Safety Facts
Newer tools, like Baby Teething Tubes® are the new and improved alternative to these problematic tools of previous generations.
Baby Teething Tubes are serious about safety. They are crafted entirely from 100% food grade silicone that is free of the BPA, Lead and Phthalates that are commonly found in plastics. They are not only safe for babies, they are also non-toxic to animals and marine life as well. Baby Teething Tubes® are dishwasher safe, freezer safe, and naturally resistant to bacteria. They are extremely durable. They won’t crack, tear, or break.
Baby Teething Tubes®, combined with the home remedies should be everything you need to get through the teething stages. Though it may not provide any direct relief to the painful area you may want to consider employing other soothing tools to help your baby sleep. Anything that distracts your baby from their sore gums will be an indispensable asset during the difficult teething phase. Sound machines, favorite lullabies, and brightly colored, moving night light displays can work their magic here. Our teethers not only work to help with your little ones teething relief but also have many added developmental bonuses as well. We hope this article helps out and please reach out if you have any insights for us to share too. : )
