Teething troubles

Let's talk about teething!

Parents, congratulations! You have made it through the “4th trimester” of pregnancy. Your baby is finally sleeping through the night. They are starting some solid foods. But all of a sudden, they aren’t sleeping through the night anymore and are super fussy. All that hard work goes out the window when they start teething. Here come night wakings again, irritability, drool everywhere and a fussy baby and a fussy mom.

There is not much you can do to get rid of teething pain, but there are few things on the market to make it more bearable.

Around 4 months of age, infants put thing in their mouth because they are teething and it feels good. Developmentally, infants and toddlers put thing in their mouth to help explore their environment. So, once they start this developmental milestone, it’ll be a while before they stop. During this time, it is especially important to make sure your house is baby proofed.

What not to use for teething:

I do not recommend the use of Orajel and the FDA warns against using products with benzocaine for infants and young children. There is a small risk of fatal condition called methemoglobinemia which results for less blood carrying capacity for Oxygen. So, best to use some simple things that I’ll talk about below when your baby is teething. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix. But fortunately, it will be over before you know it!

Helpful tips for teething:

The best things to use are natural remedies and toys to keep teething pain at bay. Here are some helpful tips!

1. Use a cold washcloth for babies to chew on.

2. You can also use infant Tylenol (acetaminophen) if your baby is very irritable and you think they have pain. Tylenol is safe to use at all ages, and make sure you give the correct dose based on age and weight. You may give Tylenol every 4 to 6 hours. See these dosing charts here.

3. I used these Hyland baby teething tabs with my daughter and saw some benefit. These tablets were recalled by the FDA in 2017 for containing inconsistent amounts of belladonna, which is the ingredient used to make babies more calm. However, the tabs are back on the market and don’t contain this ingredient anymore, so they are safe to use, yay! : (#affiliate)

Here are some of my favorite, tried and true teethers that my kiddos or friends have used. They are useful and super cute too! Remember to avoid products with small parts or that can break easily. #affiliate

And, you can’t go wrong with any of these safe and super cute teethers from HABA (#affiliate). HABA makes high-quality educational products for kids of all ages which are built to last. Any of these products will help your baby be a little more comfortable and get through the next couple of months when they are teething.

You got this!