Our Teething Story & Tricks For Coping
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| Bib, Sophie Le Giraffe, Havea teether, Teething toy (gift, similar) |
When she was getting her 13 week vaccinations, I took the opportunity to ask the doctor to check if she was indeed teething (anyone else guilty of sneaking in questions unrelated questions every time they see a doctor?). He seemed to think it might be teething too, but strangely, asked if I had a lot of milk and vitamin D while pregnant - the first I'd heard of that linked to your baby teething. Babies usually cut their first tooth at about six months old, on average, but they can come as early as three months though, and for others closer to 20 months. Some babies are born with teeth, though it's rare, see this reported case last year in the Daily Mail - how crazy!
Two months later, we're still waiting on the teeth. We're getting through about 4 or more bibs a day, she tries to put everything in her mouth and she is still rubbing hard on her gums, especially at night. For about a two week period in Dec/Jan she would go to bed OK and then with her eyes still closed, let out the loudest scream followed by crying, in what sounded like pain, and my heart just broke every time. Mostly though she has continued to be a happy, unfussy baby. Distractions in the form of toys, remote controls, new places, people etc, keep her entertained through the day!
When I think about it, no one single remedy really stands out as being a big help for us during this teething phase. I have been employing a variety of tools and medicines. Here are some details on how we've been getting through it:
Gels & Granules
A few Mums I know swear by the Nelsons granules and it has great reviews on amazon. It's a homeopathic* remedy that is available widely in pharmacies - you apply it on baby's gum and it is supposed to soothe and calm baby (and mum, they added, hilarious). It does have lactose though, so I gave that one a miss and you might consider the same if you suspect your baby is lactose intolerant.
We have tried Nelsons teetha teething gel (+3 months), and Bonjela teething gel (+2months), but I can't say I have noticed that either has stopped the discomfort or had a big pain relief impact. The Nelsons gel is also homeopathic, so mostly contains natural products. The Bonjela has a local anaesthetic, a pain killer, kills bacteria and claims to act quickly (can't say I witnessed this). I was comfortable using it until I read online that if baby swallows a large quantity, it can numb their throat and then cause blah, blah. Coco definitely sucks it up as I try to apply it on her gums. I don't know how true that piece of information is those, arrghh those forum boards, I only read them when I'm desperate but still random concerns always get stuck in my head. Any doctors or pharmacists reading that can confirm or deny this claim?Anyway, needless to say, I reach more for the Nelsons gel, than the bonjela one, now.
Paracetamol & Ibuprofen
When she is rubbing her gums furiously and crying I have used Calpol, as my drug of last resort. The reason I don't defer to it as my plan A, is that it wears off quite quickly. I am trying to avoid a situation where we're on a drug cycle and every four hours I am dosing her with Calpol, since she is still so young. I did learn a trick from the Medical Doctor who instructed at the first aid course I went to the other day - if you give baby ibuprofen, (e.g. Calprofen), you can alternate and give paracetamol (Calpol) two hours later, rather than having to wait four hours. Again, if you have a young child though, I would use that rule sparingly.
Bibs, Muslins & Burp Cloths
This needs no further explanation - used for mopping up drip, drip, dribble! I love the little handkerchief/triangle style bibs for when we're going out and it does add that little something if you've put together a cute little outfit. Check sizes though, it sounds so obvious, but I managed to get a whole bunch of bibs and they all seem too small. We're just rocking them anyway, until its impossible to get the buttons done up. Muslins - Aden & Anais (pronounced AY-dun and uh-NAY) do some cute prints, if you're into that. They muslins come in different sizes too, squares or the large full size ones.
Sophie Le Giraffe, Havea Rubber Soother & Teething toy
These have worked best for chewing on and rubbing on Coco's gums. I bought a traditional teething ring with gel in it that you put in the fridge, but she was very put off by the cold sensation and wanted nothing to do with it. I might actually try to re-introduce that this week, see if she takes to it this time. The best for ease of grip, especially at 12 weeks, was the teething toy. She now finds it easier to hold unto Sophie (where before I held it for her) and I'm starting to see why it comes so highly recommended. The Havea rubber soother is a dummy/pacifier, but its so soft, so I also used that one in the earlier weeks.
Mums-to-be you could stock up on these items for your little baby medicine cabinet, before baby arrives. I remember thinking 'four months, five months, that's still a long way to go', but you do end up giving yourself a pat on the back for being prepared with these essentials, rather than having to go out for them when baby is struggling. The time goes by so quickly.
It's the weekend, have a good one!
x
Homeopathy* treatment involves the use of highly diluted substances which practitioners claim can cause the body to help itself. It is also called alternative medicine and usually there is no research to back up its healing or curing claims.
Our Teething Story & Tricks For Coping
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