Teething - Lebanon,NJ

My daughter is teething also. I called the doctor and they said that it was all right to give her an ice pop. I bought the Motts with real fruit juice and NO SUGAR! She loves it. It keeps her gums cool and she has a chance to bite down on it. Just don't make the opeing too big so that the small pieces go in her mouth. Just enough to get the juice and feel the cold. Also cut the edges so that they are not sharp and cut her mouth or gums. Hope this helps. Good Luck!

Has she started eating any foods? If she has, There is a baby product company that makes these mesh pacifier type things that you can put a piece of cold fruit or vegetable in for her to chew on. I can't remember the name of the company but you can find them in the baby aisle of pretty much any grocery or discount store. The mesh keeps large pieces from breaking off causing her to choke. They are dishwasher safe and my son really loved them, not only for teething but are also handy for when she is ready to start learning to self-feed.

Hi M.,

I used homeopathic teething tablets by Hyland's. They disolve in her mouth so it is easy for them to take. yo ucan get them at CVS in the baby isle.

Good Luck!
K.

My son is wearing a baltic amber teething necklace and we notice it certainly takes the edge off of his discomfort. Amber is made of pine resin, which has anti-inflammatory oils which dissolve into the skin due to body heat.

Many people have recommended hyland's- these are not chemical medicine, but highly diluted animal, mineral, or plant materials mixed with a milk sugar coating and are very safe. The Hyland's teething tablets contain a combination of homeopathic remedies designed to cover the gamut of symptoms. You may be able to get an even better result from homeopathy by figuring out which type of symptoms your daughter has. My husband studied classical homeoapthy, and we have been able to determine with both of our children which single remedy (rather than several lumped together) is best suited for each. Here's a simplistic tutorial for the common "ABC" baby remedies:

Aconite- an aconite baby is likely to have a wide-eyed (perhaps with pupils dilated), even anxious or surprised look and tends to toss and turn in sleep with shrieks and often bites fists.

Belladonna- a belladonna baby usually has cheeks RED, swollen, and HOT. They tend to seem angry (although may be normally quite good natured when not teething).

Chamomilla- a chamomile baby is just completely irritable & often has bouts of diarrhea when teething, as well as a red spot on one cheek (and sometimes the other cheek may be quite cold and pale). A chamomilla baby often does not like to chew on anything because pressure aggravates their sore gums. This type of baby often demands to be held and cries if held still or set down; is hard to comfort.

I really liked the Sassy Mesh Feeder. I'd put an icecube or frozen grape in there and let my daughter go to town! She really liked it. Hyland also sells homeopathic oral teething doses. You can check that out as well. I know you don't want to, but a little infant tylenol before bed can go a long way for your baby getting the sleep it needs when it's uncomfortable. Good luck!

Hylands Homeopathic Teething Tablets - as many people have said - are wonderful. My son would be fine during the day but wouldn't be able to fall asleep due to the pain so I would give him 2 Teething Tablets and he would be asleep within minutes!

But DO NOT USE the Lil' Remedies brand - they do not dissolve easily at all and they did not seem to work once we crushed and dissolved them in water.

Good luck

M.
One thing I found very helpful was a "safe feeder". You can find it on Leaps and Bounds, Babies R us and Buybuy Baby. It is a mesh pouch with a handle. You can put apples in it. Your daughter can chew on the apples without fear of choking. It will help with the pain. You can also put in crushed up ice. All three of my kids loved this.
Hope this helps.
Good Luck.
S.

Super Yummy by Discovery Toys is not your ordinary teether. It has 5 different surfaces/textures so your baby can find the one that is just right for her. It is pthalate free. See it at www.toysofdiscovery.com

Here's what it says on their website:
"It's five teethers in one that will encourage sensory exploration as it soothes and comforts your teething tot. Stimulate baby's gums and ease the pressure that builds as teeth begin to appear. Five uniquely textured heads and light scent provide a range of sensations. 4" (10cm) long."

Naturally? Hmm..the only way I remember hearing about that would be to put whiskey on their gums...lol..I personally don't recommend that.

I use Teething tablets from Wal-mart..all herbal. Works great.

Nanc

Hylands teething tablets. They dissolve VERY quickly and helped a lot. My son is 14 months and has 8 teeth, 2 molars and a 3rd coming in. Getting teeth hurts! They say if it was us adults, we would be lying in bed all day, taking motrin like candy.

I second the suggestion for Hylands Teething Tablets. I use them with my son, who's 22 months & just cut six teeth at once, and have been using them since he was 7 or 8 months old. I also use tylenol, which is the safest medicine you can give a child.

good luck-
A.

Hi M.,
I have heard about baltic amber necklaces as a good remedy for teething pain. You can find out more on line. Apparently in Europe they are widely used. I am going to try it with my daughter when she starts showing signs of teething.
M.

i know you said no medicines but there is all natural teething drops that really worked wonders for my son when he was teething...
however if you are really against it, does she take a paci? try putting the paci in the fridge or freezer and then giving it to her... also you can buy those munchin feeding net looking things and put frozen carrots or freeze juice in ice cube trays and put them in there... if you don't mind the mess
as for the sleeping, if you don't want to give her any thing, you may just have a few sleepless nights until shes finished teething... the only thing that got me any sleep was tylenol and teething drops...
good luck! the joys of mootherhood eh?

Hi M.,
Try using ice and since she does not like the teethers maybe putting the ice in a breast milk storage bag. Good luck!!

If she's already eating fruits... I suggest freezing a large cut pieces of apples. The cold would sooth her & it'll tastes yummy so she might like it. Just make sure you're watching her to prevent choking. Or purchase that food feeder at babiesrus that looks like a rattle but the tip is a removable net pocket that you can put food into. She can suck the juices & not have you worry about the choking issue. I forgot the name of that item but it's around the bottles/feeding area. It's a white handle w/ a white net & the rim that connects to the handle is a dark green color.

Even freezing her teethers might help, too. =) Good luck!

I also have found the Hylands Homeopathic Teething tablets helpful - they dissolve in saliva immediately. Hylands also makes a homeopathic teething gel too to rub on the gums. I also give my little guy some vegetable stalks to gum - celery or very thick kale/collard green stalks. They seem to give relief and pleasure and the stalks are too hard for him to bite through or rip anything off of them. Also you could try cutting bananas in quarters the long way and freeze them. Then your daughter could suck on them for relief (they get rock hard, so no fear of choking there either)
Good luck!
L.

Dear M.,
The best remedies for teething are pizza crust and mini bagels - yes, the old fashioned remedies. They are tough to bite off, yet soothe the gums, and desintigrate with saliva. Putting them in the fridge makes them even more soothing. Also, your family will appreciate having pizza once a week, simply because you need the crusts for teething purposes.
Good luck, W.

I would freeze the mini bagels and let my daughters just keep that in their mouth - they do get kinda messy as they dissolve, but they were the best. The one thing I'd worry about with the teethers is that a lot of them are made in china and such - who knows what the water or whatever it is they use in them comes from. I know it's a longshot, but with all of the problems w/toy recalls & everything, who knows. When I mentioned that to my cousin who has a 15 month old she looked at me like I was crazy, maybe I am (just a little!) but i'd rather be safe then sorry. Good luck!

Try a frozen bagel...this really worked for my teething twins.

Hi M.
When my girls teethed we gave them frozen waffels! Sounds crazy, but it worked great! I would cut them into strips and keep them in the freezer so I could just pop one out at a time. (The whole thing got mushy if we gave them a whole one.) They would naw on them to their hearts content. They would only be able to get tiny little pieces off at a time. My earliest teether was around four monthes or so and this worked great.Hope this helps, and good luck!

Try a nice cold carrot. I used it with my son.

Hi M.,
Maybe you can try taking an ice cube and twisting it in a baby towel and holding it together with a rubber band. Then your daughter can suck and gnaw on the ice without hurting her mouth or choking on the ice cube. I do this with my daughter when she's growing a new tooth or when she's really hot. Even though she's almost a year she never chews on the rubber band so it should be safe. Even though she doesn't like the wash cloth, it couldn't hurt to try.

try Gentle Naturals Homeopathic teething drops-it is just chamomile. i found it at Target in the baby section. it works great!

Hi there. My pediatrician and sister recommended a product called Humphrey's. You can buy it pretty much in any grocery store. It is a homeopathic treatment for teething. I used this on my daughter when she started teething and it worked wonders. There are 135 pellets in a container. I put 1 to 3 pellets in a 1/2 teaspoon of water to dissolve and then applied to my daughter's gums. I repeated every 2 hrs up to 4 times a day. I used this treatment in conjuction with Tylenol, when I needed to. Let me tell you, Humphrey's is inexpensive and did the trick for me. Also, frozen bananas helped as well. My pediatrician did not recommend oral gel because she felt that it was kind of like novacaine. Hope this helps.

Hello
Oh yes teething...! It can be a difficult challenge. With my two children I have found that gently massaging their gums with those teethers that go onto your finger, they could chew onto the teether without hurting your fingers. I think trying to put a bagel in the feezer and then letting her chew on that ,may also seem to help with the discomfort. I also tried the washcloth method and that did not help either. If those do not help maybe just a regular teether.. Hope this helps and good luck..

I have a son about the same age and I just asked my friends for advice also. Everyone said stay away from Orajel! One friend suggested natural chamomile teething powder. I'm not sure where to find it, but will check Whole Foods and some other natural stores.

i know you said she doesn't like the wash cloth, but did you try dipping it in some cold chamomile tea? that really helps my baby. the Hylands tablets are awesome--they dissolve right away--but if you're worried about the tablet form, I have also had fantastic results with Camilia drops by Boiron. they are also homeopathic and come in pre-measured doses. hope that helps!

I know this must sound crazy...but it definitely worked, especially when I was breastfeeding...my mother-in-law is old fashioned - and she would boil chicken legs until the meat would fall off and under "Strict" supervision she would hand my children the bone to naw on - yes I know it sound ridiculous - but my kids hated all the teethers and would actually lunge for the bone when they saw it - they would have it for hours (my max. was 3) and it helped. Their gums got the rubbing they needed and the pain was so much less. And they were happy. I heard of everything from oral gel, to rubbing brandy on their gums, to giving a popicle (the icies that came in the plastic tubing) to allowing them to use your fingers (too many germs for me) to plastic toys (too dangerous). And although I was very much against the chicken bone - it worked out best. Hope this gives you some useful help or at least ideas on what other things to try.

All the suggestions you've already been given will help during when she's awake, but not when she's sleeping. She's in pain! Have you every had a toothache? If so you'll know how the pain in one tiny area of your mouth takes over your whole mouth. I understand your desire to not use medicine, but try Hyland's homeopathic teething pills, at least!! All natural pain relief. Worked pretty well with my daughter, though I did have to give her Tylenol some nights.