Teething 6 Month Old

Updated on October 16, 2006
S.M. asks from Huntington, WV
27 answers

My daughter is in the process of cutting her first tooth. The past week had been pretty tough because she will no longer sleep through the night. In fact, she rarely even sleeps longer than 2 hours at a time. Plus, of course, she's in pain.
Does anyone have any tried-and-true suggestions on how we can both get through this?

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So What Happened?

Well...I think we're through with the first tooth. It finally cut through and her schedule's getting back to normal. (Last night: 10pm-7:30am...YES!)
Thank you for all of the suggestions and I'm definitely going to try a bunch of them for the next tooth which I'm sure is just around the corner...

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A.M.

answers from Huntington on

Hyland's Homeopathic Teething Tablets work great! I've used them for all three of mine and I give them out at babyshowers! You can find them in the vitamin section at Walmart, at RiteAid in the baby section, or order them online.

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S.D.

answers from Indianapolis on

This works every time and most docs will tell you it's not a big deal. Do with it what you want!:) Soak a cotton ball in whiskey and rub it on her gums. It's not enough to be bad for her and it really works. Actually, it's good for colds, too. If it's the taste you are worried about, add a couple drops of a flavored oil like Cherry or a bit of honey.
Say what you will, it works!
Good Luck:)

Oh, I just remembered my parents said I liked to gum on frozen pees when I was teething...you can try that if you are worried about the effects of the alcohol.

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L.D.

answers from Evansville on

Don't know if it'll work for you but my daughter loved to chew on beef jerky of all things. The real thick kind that she couldn't bite off and get choked on. That was the only thing that worked for me and I tried virtually everything. My son liked the frozen teething rings but he wasn't nearly as troublesome as my daughter with his teeth. Good Luck!

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L.A.

answers from Lexington on

I just went through this recently too. my son is 14 months old. the best thing that i have found is Hyland's Teething Tablets. 2 under the tongue, and since you little gil hasn't been sleeping she will probably fall asleep soon after you give them to her, just from the almost instant relief.

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K.C.

answers from South Bend on

Hi S.,
My name is K. and my daughter is 18 months old and we are still going through this whole teething process. At first I had no clue what to do but my sister called me and told me about the teething tablets and they work great. They are smaller than a tic tac and disolve immediately. I give ashley 2 of those every 4 hours and in the morning and at night I give her a teaspoon of the childrens tylenol fever reducer and pain reducer. It seems to work on her extremely well. You can get them at any meijer or pharmacy store.
Good luck to you and your punkin.
K.
South Bend, IN

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S.M.

answers from Davenport on

hi my name is S. and I have two boys; Jordan(5) and Ryan(2). Jordans doctor when he was little told me that her and her sister used teething tablets on all of thier kids. So I tried and have used them ever since. Everyone I have told and has used them love them. So that might be a idea. You can get them at wal-mart and maybe Target. We just moved up here from Texas so I got them from wal-mart or h.e.b.<- you guys don't have. They are all natual and they dissolve easy. My youngest Ryan had a harder time teething then Jordan. And Ryan would open his mouth as soon as he saw them. Thay are called teething tablets made by hylands. they are normally in the vitamin section at wal-mart. hope this helps!

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E.P.

answers from Lincoln on

S. M
When my youngest boy was teething this older gentleman told me to cut up a cold lemon and let him suck on it. They make the funniest faces but it worked. There is something about the acidid juices that help the gums and he didn't act like he was in any pain when he sucked on the lemon. Limes are the same way. My son had his tooth in like two days. Also like other moms have said ear aches come in play while the child is teething and doctors deined it. Hope this helps u out.
E. P

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K.

answers from Lexington on

Some people swear by the Hyland Teething Tablets (they're homeopathic)...but they didn't work for me. Tylenol doesn't seem to do anything for the pain either. For my little girl (now 10 months old), the only thing that seems to work is Baby Motrin. And that seems to work pretty well (at least she is able to sleep for a while).

Every baby is different so you'll probably have to experiment with different things until you find the one that works for your "best friend" (love that, by the way).

Wishing you the best of luck!
K.

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J.P.

answers from Louisville on

Not to freak you out or anything but my son cut his first tooth about the same age and we just thought he was in pain from that untill it got really bad. Anyway come to find out a week later when we freaked out and took him to the er he had a really bad ear ache along with the tooth coming in, which i guess is really common. Keep an eye on the baby's temp. Check temp before you do tylenol. If it is just a tooth it will go faster than you think. My baby liked frozen wet rags. He could hold that in his mouth easier and it obviously felt really good to him.

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E.S.

answers from Louisville on

Alright this is going to sound odd...I know. I am going through this with my five month old - she already has two teeth but working on her third...anyway. I asked the dentist and they said frozen bagels since they have a taste to them. well. That kind of worked but what works even better....frozen blueberry waffels!! I am not kidding!! My daughter LOVES them and they relieve the pain and she likes the taste. plus she can gum them enough that she doesnt choke.
Hope this helps!

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M.E.

answers from Lexington on

The teething tablets are great, but they can make your baby very sleepy. Baby orajel is great too. try some teething toys. My daughter cut her 1st tooth at 4 months. I was given an oral care kit at one of my showers. it had a gum massager in it. it has a rounded handle that is easy for her to hold and the end has little nubbies all over it...she loves chewing on it. I think it came from babies r us. also try giving her a terry wash cloth or bib, or even a rubber covered baby spoon.

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M.M.

answers from Omaha on

Baby tylenol was my savior. They also have baby ambelsol to help[ numb the gums. The teething rings with the rubber and the ones you can freeze also helped a lot. Good luck, M.

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M.B.

answers from Omaha on

This is going to sound weird, but my son likes to chew on a nasal aspirator. We had one we never used for his nose but kept in the diaper bad for emergencies. Well, he found it and chewed on it during teething and it really seemed to help. I think because it's nice firm rubber it helps. It also is helping now as he's cutting his first molars because he can get the tube further back than a teething ring. That coupled with some baby Tylenol (especially before bedtime) seemed to help a lot. Good luck!

M.

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J.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

I always used vanilla extract. I would just put some on my finger and rub it along their gums. They like the taste of it, and there's something about it that soothes away the pain, while they're also getting comforted by their mommy.

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B.B.

answers from Saginaw on

Hey, I just got through this phase. I have an 11 month old son. What I found that works best at night time, is orajel and tylenol. I would give both to him about a half hour before bed, and it seemed to do the trick. He was only sleeping 2 hrs at a time, as well, previous to this. It was a miracle for me!! I'm finally getting some sleep at night. Hope this helps!
B. :)

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G.L.

answers from Omaha on

Teething tablets worked like a dream for my boys. I had twins that were teething, so it could have been really bad. But the 3 of us made it through teething with little effort thanks to teething tablets. We call them happy pills at our house. As soon as any teething would start to irritate one of the boys they got a teething tablet that seemed to make them completely forget about teething. I didn't notice any side effects, sleepiness, irritability or anything like that at all.
I have heard from other friends that stand by them and others that say they didn't work for their kids at all. But I would at least try it if you havn't already.
G.

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D.B.

answers from Cedar Rapids on

The teething tablets really do work. They are a lifesaver! Good luck

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D.P.

answers from Indianapolis on

Orajel works wonderfully!

B.D.

answers from Lexington on

S.,

We use Hyland's Teething Tablets. They are a safe, homeopathic remedy. You can buy them just about anywhere. They work wonderfully! I also second the frozen washcloth recommedation. We also put ice in one of those mesh infant feeders. As she gets older you could use frozen peaches, bananas, etc... Good luck!

B.

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R.

answers from Indianapolis on

Well stay at home mom, first of all I feel your pain and your joys of knowing she is about to cut her first tooth!!! This time is so exciting. Obviously orajel is a great pain relief, but I never wanted to use it all the time. We used frozen wash clothes and let our children chew on them, or I would freeze their teething rings. The coolness of the cloth would soothe swollen gums and help with the desire to chew on everything. I did use orajel on occasion, but felt the frozen clothes just gave them something to do and feel, as the orajel would just make them numb.
Goodluck!!!

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S.L.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hey S.-

I had a very tough time when my son went through teething; he would cut three or four at a time, which was ok because they came in very fast, but horrible because it made him SO very sick.
I think everyone has it right with the teething tablets, the frozen washcloth is good but they do thaw out pretty quickly. Frozen blueberry waffles really are great plus they have built in drool cups, just be real careful because they thaw out pretty quickly too.
Don't forget it's perfectly safe to alternate between ibuprofen and tylenol, and generally this is the most effective way to treat pain. Do so on a regular basis to keep the baby from getting too uncomfortable. I always had reservations about "doping him up" like that because it made me feel just like I was drugging him, but it really does make them more comfortable.
Sinus drainage, diarreah, ear pain are all side effects of teething, so don't be alramed if these things are going on too. And also if you have one of those finger toothbrushes for babies, my son always liked having his gums rubbed with it. Don't worry there is light at the end of the tunnel!!

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A.

answers from Omaha on

My children did well with 1/2 dose ibuprofen. Orajel does not last long and Tylenol was useless (for my children anyways). But the ibuprofen did the trick for the few nights that they really couldn't sleep well. Good luck!

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S.M.

answers from Evansville on

I second the teething tablets. They are all natural and help sleeping...I believe they have chaemolmile (sp?) in them. My sister uses them for her son (I never did cause i didn't know about them) and I will use them for my next. You can get them at Target or Walmart or any drugstore....God speed....this is a trying time...

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E.M.

answers from Bloomington on

Teething tablets are amazing! My daughter is 8 months old and they are the only thing that has worked for us. Tylenol at night seems to dull the pain and help her sleep also. When she gets a fever with teething, Tylenol doesn't break it and I've had to use Motrin. Good Luck!

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T.M.

answers from Indianapolis on

Dear S.,
I know what you are going through because I am a stay at home mom w/3 kids. Right now my 10 month old is cutting teeth and what really works for me is teething tablets. They are totaly natural and they desolve very quickly. You can find them at Walmart in the section with the oral jel. They are kinda hard to find because they are small and not very popular. Also, if the child has been really fusy it will make them at kind of sleepy. Hope this works for you! Let me know if it helps.

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A.A.

answers from Omaha on

I have been through this before. My suggestions is, to if she is not allergic, give her benadryl. This will allow the pain to ease and she will probably get more sleep during the night. It is always good to rub their gums with warm water and to rub their body in case of fever. This will keep them calm. As my dad says, "keep an egg in the cabinet to take away the pain." I do think that this is something that you have to believe to work. All I know is with the first tooth my child gave me the blues (this is when I found out she as allergic to orajel)and in the cabinet went the egg, no more problems after that.

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A.C.

answers from Indianapolis on

It is rough! The only thing I could do then was sleep with them. It at least got us some sleep. But, be careful at that age because what you think might be teething could easily be an ear infection. They tend to come together. My kids both started ear infections between 5 and 6 months. I thought they were teething (and sometimes were in addition), but the sleep patterns clued me in otherwise (and there was a fever with my son, but my daughter typically would not run a fever). Sometimes teething is that bad. Tylenol and chewing on frozen wash cloths are the best thing (mine hated the oragel). Watch for ear infections, they caught me off guard the first few times! Good luck

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