How Can You Help Your Teething Baby?

When your baby is teething, it can be one of the most challenging parts of being a parent to a baby.  It’s hurting your baby, and no parent likes to see their child suffering. 

It can also mean you’re getting less sleep, and you’re always on high alert trying to make your baby feel better. 

So what can you do the provide relief to your baby when they’re teething?

Know the Signs

You may not initially realize that your baby’s teething is what’s causing them discomfort or to be fussier than normal. 

Signs of teething, along with problems sleeping, include excessive drooling and chewing. 

However, if your baby is fussy and has other symptoms like diarrhea, rash, or fever, then teething may not be the root cause so you should speak to your pediatrician. 

Choose Products with Natural Ingredients

First, there are a lot of teething gels on the market, and some of them do work well. With that being said, you want to choose these products carefully. 

Look for products without ingredients like parabens, gluten, sucrose, or petroleum-based products. 

Instead, opt for teeth gels with herbal extracts that are naturally soothing and provide relief, like thyme and chamomile. 

Before you use any gels or medicines, you should speak to your pediatrician first. 

Also, if you think you might need to use an over-the-counter medicine like ibuprofen or acetaminophen, you should also ask your doctor about this too. You want to talk about dosing and especially what to do if one dose doesn’t seem to be working. 

Use a Teething Ring

It sounds simple, but teething rings are actually very helpful because they massage your baby’s gums. 

Choose items that are solid materials and not filled with gel. Also, inspect any teething toys or rings you use every time before giving them to your baby to make sure there aren’t broken pieces. Those could be a choking hazard. 

The FDA warns against teething jewelry made from items like silicone and amber because they can be a choking risk. 

Use a Chilled Washcloth

You don’t have to buy anything special to provide your child some level of relief when they’re teething. You might use a washcloth that you’ve put in the freezer. 

Take a few washcloths, soak them in water and then put them in the freezer for at least 30  minutes. 

Make sure there are no loose strings, and then you can give them to your baby to chew on. It will provide cooling relief. 

If your baby has already been introduced to solid foods, chilled fruit is another easy way to cool their gums and provide relief. To avoid choking, you can put fruit in a mesh feeder, and then your baby can chew on that. 

Another simple and inexpensive remedy is using a cooled spoon that you’ve kept in the freezer. You can then rub it on your baby’s gums. 

Try White Noise

A white noise machine might be something that you can use in your baby’s room to help them sleep. It can work any time, but when it comes to teething, it may be that the sounds from the white noise machine distract them enough from their gum pain to allow them to fall asleep. 

Massage the Gums

Wash your hands carefully and when your baby seems to be especially uncomfortable, massage their gums. Apply gentle pressure and massage them in a circular motion to relieve some of their pain and discomfort.

Clean the Drool

It’s tough to keep up with all of the drool when your baby’s teething, and it’s one of the main signs that’s what’s going on. However, you should try to keep it off your baby’s face as much as you can because it can then lead to irritation and rashes, which will further make your baby uncomfortable. 

Use dry cloths, and you might also want to have your baby wear a bib when they’re teething so you have something to quickly wipe the drool away with. 

Try to Maintain Routines

As tough as it is when your baby is uncomfortable and you’re feeling the stress, try to maintain any routines including bedtime. Teething is temporary, so don’t let it interfere with their regular bedtime and all the other routines you’ve established. 

As difficult as this period may be, it will also end before you know it. Every baby phase seems to go in the blink of an eye, so do the best you can.