Hard Core Teething

Amidst all the flu-like illnesses turned infection, our littlest family member decided to sprout a tooth!  To say I was surprised is an understatement... he was still two days shy of 4 months old!  I know that he isn't the youngest baby to ever get teeth, but I'm a little confused as to how to help my little guy through the teething pain.

The common answers like ibuprofen, teething biscuits, and chew toys aren't really going to work for our little guy.  He's too young for ibuprofen, still only breastfed, and not coordinated enough to hold chew toys to his mouth for very long.  One might mention Hyland's teething tablets, but if you look closely you'll see that they are formed mostly from a base of Lactose, which won't be helping his eczema at all.

So I will probably search out the Hyland's Gel to see if it helps.  It's claiming to be "all natural" but with all the "parabens" thrown in there I do wonder.  Meanwhile, besides massaging his gums myself, do you have any recommendations for young teethers?  (PS -- I don't have any whiskey and I don't think I'd use it if I did!)

Comments

[Laura]

I cut up some new dishcloths into quarters and wet and froze them in the freezer. Then my son was able to knaw on a really cold piece of cloth from the freezer, and that seemed to cool things down for a while. Also, this is probably too old for your son, but I gave my son crushed ice (in really small pieces he could have swallowed) and he liked crunching on that. But I think he was older at that point, maybe 9 mo. or so. Make sure you have a good small teething ring and put it in the fridge, maybe he will get the hang of holding onto it. We had a little water-filled duck which was the only one he could chew on for the longest time. Good luck!

[Laura]

I cut up some new dishcloths into quarters and wet and froze them in the freezer. Then my son was able to knaw on a really cold piece of cloth from the freezer, and that seemed to cool things down for a while. Also, this is probably too old for your son, but I gave my son crushed ice (in really small pieces he could have swallowed) and he liked crunching on that. But I think he was older at that point, maybe 9 mo. or so. Make sure you have a good small teething ring and put it in the fridge, maybe he will get the hang of holding onto it. We had a little water-filled duck which was the only one he could chew on for the longest time. Good luck!

[Susan]

Talk to your pediatrician -- ours okay'd infant tylenol (and told us the dose per her weight) for periodic teething pain.

We do use the Hyland's gel but I'm not sure how much it does. The tylenol helps much more at getting through the night. Got the Hyland gel at Freddies in the natural foods section.

Also we use a wet baby washcloth stored in a baggie in the freezer to let her chew on it. I have one of those gel teething rings but she doesn't use it much even when I remember to offer it.

[leslie]

frozen flax bean bags - like regular bean bags, but with flax inside. just pop them in the freezer for a while and let your little one gnaw on it. the flax stays cold for quite a while, but there are no chemicals to seep through or worries about the freezing/thawing effects of plastic as with most teething toys. little hands can hold onto them easily and they're useful as toys afterward.

[clementine]

There is a liquid homeopathic formula that we got a new seasons. It comes in a box of single dose tubes. Also, as long as you're holding it a cold carrot work well. I would hold off on the tylenol if you can, more and more info is coming out about possible long term side affects. Good Luck

[valerie]

Where would one get a flax bean bag? We are dealing with teething, and that sounds like a great solution.

[Melissa]

Yes more info on the flax bean bags please! Those sound like a great idea!

I also do the frozen washcloths and my little girl loves it (6 months). One night while traveling she was sobbing from pain and in a fit of desperation we bought the plastic water filled teething rings. A couple were in the shapes of animals and they seem to be fine (she likes chewing on them even when she isn't teething) but some of the rings gave off such a horrible chemical smell even after washing them several times that I ended up getting rid of them.

I take a whole baby washcloth, roll it up into a little tube, then wet and freeze it. Make sure when you pull it out of the freezer that it doesn't have any hard icy chunks that could cut your baby's gums. I usually re-wet it when it comes out of the freezer to thaw any ice. I find that when my baby is teething she doesn't eat as much during the day (but wants extra nursings at night - go figure) so the wet cold washcloth is also a great way to keep her hydrated.

Good luck with your little one!

[meg]

They have flax sax at LilyToad. It is in St. Johns right next to US bank. www.lilytoad.com
When they are done teething the make great tossing toys. My 2 year old loves them.

[frommn]

Clove oil also works to numb the gums - I make some with whole cloves. I break them up a bit with my fingers and then let them sit in veggie oil. Then, when my baby seems in pain, I use my finger to rub a little oil (without any clove pieces) on his gums. I tried it first on myself, and it does indeed numb the gums.

[sarah]

i also did frozen peas - too small to be a choking hazard. i also kept carrots in a glass of water in the fridge - until those teeth pop out that is. the gnawing seemed really soothing to my daughter. and it's cold. the wet washcloth never did it for her, unfortunately. we also had a homeopathic remedy concoted just for her (a consitutional rememdy) that did seem to help a bit. every single tooth was a major trial for us - i feel for you all.

[capella]

I have been fortunate enough to have babies that don't have teething problems....but, my friend whose daughter has major teething episodes commented yesterday on an amazing improvement in teething problems after a couple of visits to an osteopath. I think it must be similar to craneosacral work in the effect it has on allowing the body to realign & drain out stagnation fluids/energy so that events like teething aren't traumatic. Just a thought....

[indianacur]

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