Inside: How to help your teething baby.
Here’s my top 5 list of products that have always saved our day (at least up until now – 18 months.) I recommend having all of these things on hand because you never know when teething pain will strike. Start with 1 and work your way down the list until it gets better. I’ve tested them on both my babies (except for #5) and have had the same results for each child.
There are exceptions to the rule, however. If your mama instinct is telling you that something isn’t right – go see your doctor!
5 Things That Will Help You Soothe Your Teething Baby
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1. Baltic Amber Teething Necklace
I know, I know…you’re thinking “hocus-pocus!” While scientific evidence may be lacking, there are just too many positive reports to ignore the effectiveness of Baltic amber teething necklaces!
As you probably know, amber is ancient tree sap. Baltic amber is ancient tree sap that comes from a special geographic region and has been rolling around in the Baltic Sea for a few million years. It has a comparatively high concentration of succinic acid (3-8%), which helps alleviate teething pain (among other things). When worn, baby’s body temperature warms the amber which then releases the acid into the skin and blood stream.
I once forgot to put the necklace back on my son after his bath and I noticed the difference in his behavior within 24 hours. He is usually all smiles – even when he’s tired, but after a few hours without his necklace, he was irritable and just plain unhappy. It took me an entire day and night of dealing with a miserable baby to realize I had forgotten to put his necklace back on. Once I did that, he was back to his old self within an hour. I have other accounts of the same effect with both my babies, so yes, I believe in the “hocus-pocus.”
This is the one my babies wear. I chose it because it has been tested and certified for authenticity and succinic acid content. There are fakes out there.
Even if you’re skeptical, it’s still worth a try. What could be better than a natural, continuously effective, relatively cheap way to provide relief to your irritable baby, that’s even cute to boot?
2. Silicon or Wooden Teething Toys
For one reason or another, my babies’ love for most popular teething toy Sophie the Giraffe fizzled out quickly. Lucky there are so many teething toys out there, it wasn’t hard to find a few good replacements that are still being drooled on – even after 6 months of use.
These are our favorites:
3. Something Cold
Give baby cold or frozen slices of cucumber, apple, watermelon, etc. to munch on. When our babies were getting their very first teeth, we gave them these fresh food feeders with cold fruit in them. There are so many different kinds on the market these days – next time I might get one with a cap.
Soak a washcloth in an herbal teething tea from mamanatural.com and then put it in the freezer for the next time baby needs it.
This popular teether from Toofeze has a stainless steel disk that can be cooled off by running it under cold water. I have it stuffed in the diaper bag for when we’re on the go.
4. Homeopathic Teething Drops
If you haven’t tried these before, you will be amazed how effective they are!
Some parents use them first thing – and I don’t have a logical reason why they shouldn’t.
But personally, the effectiveness of them sort of scares me. Though the ingredients are herbal, and the liquid tastes like water, I am still cautious and use it sparingly. We’re talking INSTANT relief here!
I find my babies tend to have the most pain at night lying in bed. They aren’t distracted and have all the time in the world to think about how uncomfortable they are. The chamomile in the drops helps relax and soothe which is an added plus.
5. Teething Gel
I’m wary of using teething gels because they contain things like Vaseline, alcohol, and Benzocaine – not exactly the things I like to put in my baby’s mouth. But if all else fails, and my babies are screaming in pain, I do like having this joker up my sleeve.
I always have a tube of it on hand just in case. And I was so thankful I did while we were camping in Croatia last month! My baby girl was suffering so much – she was sobbing uncontrollably for an hour. And all else DID fail! We were considering taking her to the emergency room because we didn’t know what else to do – she was in pain! Nothing helped until I remembered I had the teething gel packed away in the diaper bag. I put some on my fingertip, swiped it over where her new molar that was just starting to sprout, and she was right as rain within seconds! It saved the day (and the night!)
Other Ways to Help your Teething Baby
Those are the 5 teething products that have done the trick for us every time. Are there any other products your baby has tried and loved? Please share in the comments below so that everyone can learn from your experience. Thanks!
For more information and more natural solutions, check out this article from Mama Natural. I found her dietary suggestions to reduce inflammation and her homemade teething oil to be quite helpful. Her website is an amazing resource in itself – it’s saved us when I ran out of answers.
Related:
How to Get Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
5 Awesome Baby Products You Don’t Really Need!
