Hi all,
My little guy, now 11 months, has turned from a super happy and sweet baby to a very cranky and clingy baby! He already has 8 teeth--4 on top and 4 on the bottom. He was never bothered by those initial teeth. But, as of last week, he started acting very cranky, started sleeping irradically, stopped eating well, and he has been drooling like a mad man! Usually, he wakes up smiling and happy, but lately, he's been crying when he wakes up. When he is awake, he's clingy, whiny, and just generally very crabby. He cries at the slightest bump or if something doesn't go exactly his way. We did take him to the MD b/c we thought maybe it was an ear infection, but he's ears are fine. He also seems to be on the verge of walking--he's been cruising around the furniture for the past few months, and he'll take a step or 2 here and there, but he's not walking by himself yet. Has anyone else experienced this crankiness w/ teething? Any remedies to help him out? We have been giving him Motrin or Tylenol when he gets really cranky, but I hate to give that stuff too much. Thanks so much!
Hyland's teething tablets! Whoever invented them is my hero! I didn't use them with my first child because I was SURE they wouldn't work (I have no idea why I thought that) but I have used them for my daughter EVERY time she teeths because Tylenol and Motrin just can't do the job like the teething tabs can. Plus, teething tabs are safe!
My 11 month old is very similar to this. What I learned from my oldest is that it not only might be the teeth, but some of the clingyness could be from his being very close to that next milestone of walking. They both have effects on sleep and on thier attitude. Not really fun to go through.
I just started using the teething tablets when my 2 year old got his last set of molars, it seemed to work well on him. We don't really give our youngest anything, because there are so many mixes of what might be the issue, but if none of our stand by's work we do the tablets and it seems to help.
Just remember, better days are yet to come! :)
My 6 year old is getting her 6yr.molars and all she wants to do is chew on stuff. She keeps saying mom I just want to chew. I have been finding anything fun for to chew up like starburst, fruit snacks stuff like that.
I would find him some chewy stuff to help break the teeth threw.
Also take a washcloth and get oneside wet then freeze see if he'll chew on that and get some relief or eat a popsicle.
My daughter went through this too. Cranky was not the word I would have used!!! LOL We used the teething rings, oragel...in the q-tip form so we could get it exactly where we wanted it, and her boo bunny..which is a reuseable ice cube wrapped in a little decorative bunny holder. She liked it on her cheek..jaw line area.? I do not know why! but man did she chew on those teething rings. I too do not really like those teething rings that have fluid in them so I would stick her favorite chewing toy(that sounds weird) in the freezer and get it really cold...she loved it! Good luck! We also continued the cranky behavior even after the teeth were in and she finally is out of it, but I think it is the first "I want my way" stage.
If it is teething, this is what helped my daughter. Those teething rings were uselss for us, she hated them. I also didn't like the drug factor and we tried that orajel on us...and hated the feeling on ourselves, so I certainly wasn't going to give that to her. Here's what we did.
We wrapped up an icecube in a washcloth and tied it off with a hairbinder. We got just the icecube part wet and she'd chew and suck on that thing for hours at a time. When the ice melts, she stays hydrated so I didn't have to worry about her getting water, it was for little hands to hold because of all the extra washcloth material and it sort of soaked up all that drool so it help her clothes dryer. It was the only thing that worked for us in the teething department. Plus, if she chewed it, there were no chances of choking on ice chips. The washcloth was just enough protection from frostbite too.
We called it an 'icecube sucky', and when we would ask her if she wanted one, she'd always say yes. Even if it was in the middle of the night, it helped TONS. It was a soothing sucky thing that I think sort of reminded her of nursing or something. Comforting I guess.
Good luck.
We are going through this EXACT same stage right now with our almost 1 year old.
I have been offering her lots of wet rags, and do the teething tablets. Makes for a WHOLE different girl within a few minutes.
Hang in there this too shall pass! :)
