Need Advice on Teething

We felt the same way about Tylenol. Unfortunately, to help aleviate their pain, Tylenol is the only thing that has been effective. It really works well, and provides them the same comfort from pain that we enjoy.

-K.

There is a product out there, it's homeopathic, was given to me by my gfriend when my son was getting his molars -- they are called Hyland's Teething Tablets, no caffeine, they INSTANTLY calmed my son, i mean within a minute or two. He was able to sleep at night. I gave him two tabs but bec they are homeopathic, there's no fear of overdose. I also give to my 9 mo old daughter, they really work!! hope this helps. You can find them at Whole Foods and Wal-Mart.

Hi,

Hyland's makes a homeopathic teething tablet. You would give him two to dissolve in the mouth. There is also another one you can dissolve in liquid (e.g. milk, water, juice). You can find it at most drugstores.

I bought my baby some Teething Syrup which is basically Clove Oil. If you know how to infuse it, you can make it at home.

I also bought a first toothbrush which is shaped like an arc and has short, soft bristles on the inside. I put some clove on it and my baby just wipes her gums with it. I wanted to do this because I want her to feel comfortable with it when we start brushing her teeth.

You can also use cold, washclothes. Just cut a washcloth into strips, put in some water and then a Ziploc. Put it in the freezer. You can seam the edges if you are worried about the tattered strings.

I have also used a Baby Safe feeder with cold fruit inside (e.g. apples, grapes, strawberries, etc.)

I tried to freeze breastmilk and give her some like a frozen treat, but she did not care for it cold.

I never give my baby sugar or syrup or anything non-organic and she has cut five teeth and doing well, overall.

Good luck to you and your baby.

I have found that Hylands teething tablets to help if it's truly a teething issue. They are natural, as I'm like you, I don't give meds unless I have too.

http://www.hylands.com/products/teething.php

This was hard to find. Target by me didn't have it (though I know my friend found it at her Target) when I bought them a few months ago and the Jewel by me didn't have them either. I found them at CVS. There's 125 in the bottle so I still have my first bottle (my son is 14 months now and has 9 teeth and one that just broke thru the gumline).

These dissolve very quickly so you won't have to worry about choking. They are so small and practically melt when in the baby's mouth. The direction say to let it dissolve under the tongue, but I havent been successful in that, I just put them in his mouth.

I apologize for not knowing exactly what these are called, but they may help you. I've seen them at Target. They're small net-like things that have a plastic pacifier-type end to them. You put fresh fruit or other solid food in the net and the baby can gum on them without biting off pieces big enough to choke on. A cold piece of fruit or even an ice cube in the net might be great for your baby's gums. Since your baby doesn't like teething rings, this might be preferable because it will taste good if you use fruit. Or freeze an ice cube tray with a combo of water and juice to give the ice cubes a little flavor to encourage your baby to suck on it (in the net, of course). Good luck!

My daughter was so miserable with her teething that I had no choice but to give her Tylenol and/or ibuprofen. I did find that ice cubes helped a bit and those teething tablets as well. The mesh bags that the other moms are talking about would be perfect for an ice cube. I never had one, so I just ended up holding the ice to her mouth at 3am :).

Good luck!

I would try alternating Tylenol and Motrin. Both have an excellent safety profile and is not harmful at all as long as u give it correctly.

Also, give a frozen bagel, a frozen washcloth, and are u using any teething gels? hyland teething tablets are great.
For more info, go to www.babycenter.com and type in "teething" and a whole bunch of great articles will pop up, from both experts and moms who are going thru the same thing.

Hi Mary,

Poor baby. Those teeth must be driving him crazy. Let me tell you that the discomford of swallen gums is not fun.

I have two kids (3 and 12).

You could put some baby Orajel in his gums. That will numb the pain temporarily. Something else you could do is to give him something cold to suck on. (popsicle, frozen pacifier, or get a washcloth wet, put it in the freezer for a while and use it to masage his gums).

Good luck with the baby. Be patient. This will go away soon. If you need more help, you can email me to ____@____.com :-)

My son did not like the teething rings when he was younger, but I found a rabbit that had rubber paws with different patterns on it at babies r us and he loved it. He would sit and chew on it all day. He is 17mos now and he still like to chew on it.

Good luck I know how it can be when you don't want to give them medicine, but sometimes I had to give it to him when he was in a lot of pain.

If you are against Tylenol, it is time to call your local health food store and get something natural to help control his pain. It is so painful that he is crying all day? He needs some help. Give him what he wants, you, natural popsicles, ice-cold wet towels to suck on and chew on. If the health food store doesn't help, try another one. I am sure there are natural resources.

Good luck, and don't rule out Tylenol completely for a little one who is in pain.

I also give my son the mesh net thingy with an ice cube in it. He loves it!! I think the mesh thingy is made by Munchkin, but not sure. I bought mine at Target.

My 3 kids survive on frozen peas when they are teething! I know it sounds strange but they feel great on the gums and they soften right away so they can eat them! The only drawback is now they don't like them cooked!

Baby Ambesol worked wonders for us. Good luck!

Orajel was a life savior for us-but be careful not to use too much or too often-it numbs the area and helps them tolerate the change. Our baby used to cry the whole night before that, and would want to breast feed or at least keep sucking to overcome the pain..

Hi Mary,

The teething tabs work great. My daughter loved them. Read the package though, I think they do have caffine in them if that's something you don't want the baby to have. I also used Tylenol, frozen pancakes to chew on and frozen bananas. I did a little of everything in moderation. When it got really bad I used Tylenol with no bad side effects. Good luck on whatever you choose!

N.

My vote's for Hyland's Teething tablets!

I have 3 boys under the age of 6 and I remember not wanting to any of the tylenol or motrin either - but it really is not a bad thing - it will not hurt them at all, it will soothe their pain and they will be much hapier. Teething is supposidly extremly painful - they say if adults had to go through it that they would have to be hospitalized b/c the pain would be so bad. I used night time orajel with my 3rd and it worked wonders - it numbs their gums GREAT. If you rub your finger on your cheek after applying it your cheek will get a little numb. If he were under 6 months I would totally get not wanting to do the tylenol or motrin - but I promise you he will be fine, absolutly fine. I would do the motrin - it is better for pain than tylenol. I hope that this is not irritaing to hear. I just know that everyone will be a lot happier and relaxed if he is better.....

B.

I don't know if this will help, but have you tried to put wet wash cloths in the freezer and let your little man chew on them once they're frozen. This helped my daughter. Good luck.
J. P