Infant Teething

Updated on March 09, 2008
K.S. asks from McPherson, KS
33 answers

my daughter is getting her first tooth/teeth in... i can feel it breaking through the gums. she's been pretty fussy in the evenings and i'm sure it's probably the teething. is it okay to use orajel? other suggestions? i've tried using infant motrin but that hasn't seemed to make a difference.

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A.A.

answers from St. Louis on

Hi Kim. My daughter has been cutting a lot of teeth lately, it can be a stressful time for mommy and child. we resently had a Doctors appointment and was told that they were advising against oragel. It not only numbs the gums, but also the throat and has been associated with choking incidents. Although it helped we stopped using it, we were told to try and stick with tylenol for comfort.
Hope this is useful.

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D.H.

answers from Springfield on

Yes, there is baby orajel. Also try Highlands teething tablets. I asked at the pharmacy at Walmart and they had them.
D.

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M.G.

answers from Kansas City on

Baby Orajel is ok, my son didn't like it at all and it didn't seem to do anything for him. I used tylenol for the pain and let him chew on just about anyhting that seemed to feel good. He really liked wet washclothes. And he likes just about any fabric to chew on, he's a little different. Just try everything until you find what works.

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J.S.

answers from Kansas City on

I always used Motrin or tylenol. My daughter would run high fevers when she teethed. A great way to speed up the process is to give her some Zwieback Toast, it is a hard bread and it helps the gums by sort of scratching them, you want to give her hard items to break the gums, as soon as the gums are broken and the tooth comes through the pain should subside. Good Luck!!!

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D.B.

answers from Topeka on

We used teething tablets, they just go under the tongue and melt almost instantly and last longer than orajel. You can find them at Wal-Mart or Dillons for around $3 a bottle. Motrin also works well as it helps with the pain and reduces fevers which are common in babies who are teething.

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D.V.

answers from St. Louis on

Try using either popscicles or a piece of ice on her gums. If she doesn't like the cold right on her gums, try wrapping the ice in a washcloth. You can also make a washcloth wet and put it in the freezer for a bit and let her chew on it. Both of my kids resisted the ice at first, but I just held it on there and eventually they were okay with it for a few minutes at a time. We also used orajel and ibuprofen.
We tried some natural teething tablets that a friend suggested, but they didn't help our kids. You could try those. We also used teething rings that you could put in the freezer. The best ones we used were from Babies R Us and had a gel substance inside. I can't remember the name though.
Good luck! Remember, this won't last forever.

A.S.

answers from Kansas City on

You can use Motrin, Tylenol, Baby Orajel sparingly because it can numb the throat which could be a choking hazard (use the baby orajel, not the adult stuff). My daughter likes to chew on a cold wet washcloth, this is what seems to work best for her. Some people swear by Hylands Teething Tablets, but they don't seem to work for us. You can also use teething toys, put them in the fridge to get them cold (not frozen).

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T.N.

answers from Kansas City on

Life seems so desperate for everyone when your little one is in pain! It will get better. Here's how we've coped:

I give Hyland's Teething Tablets and Colic Tablets to every new mommy as a shower gift! That's how much we love them!

Our son is now 2 and we still use them often! They don't affect his bowels the way back-to-back doses of pain medicine can but still offer lots of relief.

Because they are homeopathic you can still use ibuprofen or acetamenophen at the same time - and cold teethers and lots of TLC... sometimes you have to hit teething with everything you have!

Talk with your Dr. and get the recommended dose for medicines by your daughter's weight. If she's big for her age she may be able to take a larger dose and that will make a big difference. Don't forget to re-calculate as she grows either!

Hang in there - as she gets older she'll be able to better cope with teething and you'll keep learning ways to help her!

T.

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A.B.

answers from Springfield on

Hi Kim S!
I always liked using the infant teething tablets. They are all-natural & dissolve quickly. Baby orajel makes their gums tough, therefore it's harder for the teeth to break through. Using children's motrin or tylenol is a good idea to use along with the teething tablets. Good luck Sugar!
~A.

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M.H.

answers from St. Louis on

When my children were teething I would take a clean washcloth and wet it down and freeze it. I would give the frozen washcloth to them to put in their mouth to chew on. It would numb the gums and give them something to bite on to help the teeth to come in.

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K.K.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi Kim,
I've used a combination of two more homeopathic remedies for my two recently and currently teething daughters... I've given them Gripe Water by Baby Bliss and Hyland's teething tabs. Neither can completely clear up the toothing grumpies, but the combination of the two seems to help ease at least a little discomfort. They can both be purchased at some Hy-Vee's and definitely from Whole Foods. They're a tad spendy ($7.00 for tabs and $11.00 for the Gripe Water). Hope that helps, oh, and the gripe water is made of ginger and fennel, which each have healing qualities for upset tummies too (gas!). Take care,
K.

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B.S.

answers from Kansas City on

I am a Grandmother of 12, ranging from 26 down to 3 and a Great-Grandmother of 2. My Great-Granddaughter was teething and we found a great teething pill in over the counter at Wal-Mart Super store. She was 6 or 7 months then and is 2 1/2 now. The teething pill, which I can not recall the name was great. We just put one or two pills under her tongue and they melted and the pain was gone within seconds. No habit forming involved.

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M.L.

answers from Kansas City on

Hey Kim! Bless your heart and your daughter's little gums as well. Teething can be a very painful experience. I'm reminded of this ever so often b/c 2 of my wisdom teeth are still trying to harden through my gums - weird, I know. But it allows me to understand more of what my little one feels when she's going through this herself.

I've always used "HYLAND's HOMEOPATHIC TEETHING TABLETS or GEL" -- http://www.hylands.com/products/teething.php -- this seems to really help my daughter. They disolve under the tongue but you can also just put 2-3 tablets in a tsp. of water & let disolve then give it to your baby. Just follow the directions on the bottle. :) You can find this at Wal-Mart.

Hope this helps and hope your little one feels better soon. :) ~~ M.

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C.G.

answers from Kansas City on

You can alternate Tylenol and Motrin for the pain. Motrin is every 6-8 hours and Tylenol is every 4-6 hours. The dose is based on your daughter's weight. A small amount of Orajel is OK. I think they might even have a specific one for kids, just check with your pediatrician. The other thing is the teething rings you can buy at Walmart, Target, etc... You can freeze them and it feels good on their gums. You can also just freeze a clean wet washcloth and let her chew on that! My girls really did good with the cold stuff. Good luck!!

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S.M.

answers from Springfield on

We have used orajel with our children and grandchildren.It is okay to use it.We have never run up against any problems with it.We also have wet a very clean washcloth with very cold water and let our granddaughters chew on them.It helps with the fever in the gums.Also when my children were little we would buy those rubber canning rings(not the flats but the rubber rings)and let the children chew on those(of course we watched them very closely while they were using those).Those rings helped the teeth to come through the gums faster than a teething ring you would buy

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M.S.

answers from Kansas City on

I agree with the Hyland's recommendations and if those don't work, get Chamomile tablets that look just the same, but don't have any other ingredient in them. My daughter also wears an amber teething necklace and she has rarely been fussy since we started using it. If you are interested in one of those, I'd highly suggest Inspired by Finn, a WAHM shop on Hyena Cart (http://hyenacart.com/inspiredbyfinn/index.php?c=11), her necklaces are awesome and her customer service is great.

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B.B.

answers from St. Joseph on

yes you can use baby orajel, and get her a tooth and gum cleaning stuff with the finger brush that will help alot

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B.G.

answers from Springfield on

Hyland's teething tablets worked great on my daughter when she got her first four teeth at 8 months. They are all natural ingredients and you can get them at Wal-Mart in the baby department. They just dissolve right on the gums. My daughter is now 11 months and teeth numbers 5 and 6 are coming in but haven't needed any this time!

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L.W.

answers from Baton Rouge on

For my now one year old son I used Baby Oragel. I believe it says at what age is okay to use it on the back of the tube. I do remember that it says only 3-4 pea size drops of it a day. They do have nighttime baby oragel too. I kept a tube in the diaper bag and a tube just use at home. Do you have any of the baby teething toys that go in the refrigerator or freezer? I kept a tupperware full of them ready to go. At the last resort I used baby tylenol, but call your doctor for how much they would like your baby to have. Goodluck with the teething!

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T.C.

answers from Springfield on

yes you can use baby orajel and also use a teething ring the one you can put in the freezer it really help's with the pain and she is done with it wash it off and put it back in the freezer until it is frozen again it will really help and i would keep using the motrin as well sometime's teething can cause fever's.

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C.B.

answers from Kansas City on

There is a homeopahtic (sp) product at Wal-Mart. Teething tablets that melt in their mouth. Worked miracles for both of my children. The bottle is small and white with a blue and pink label. If I can think of the name I will post another time.

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M.A.

answers from St. Louis on

When my son was teething I put his teething ring in the freezer and then let him chew on it. That always seemed to help him, he also liked the vibrating teething toys. I tried the teething tablets w/ him but they didn't seem to make it any better. Other than the cold/ vibrating teething toys I would massage his gums w/ a cold wash rag or my finger.

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W.H.

answers from Springfield on

I tried everything from orajel to motrin when my daughter was teething. I highly recommend teething tablets. They're all natural and safe for all ages and work fabulously to reduce pain and fussiness during teething. They come in little white bottles and are located in either the pharmacy section or baby section of stores like Wal-Mart and Wal-greens. Good luck!

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G.N.

answers from St. Louis on

No dont use orajel it makes the throat numb. Best thing to get for the teething, called Hylands Teething Tablets. They work wonders. They dissolve. Its homeopathic. They sell them at walmart or walgreens. I would give them to my son when he was fussy and it calmed him down and he slept.

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E.Y.

answers from Topeka on

Definitely! Just make sure you get the baby orajel pain reliever not the tooth and gum cleanser. LOL! That's what I did and then I couldn't figure out why my kid wouldn't stop screaming. Keep using infant motrin also (you can alternate with tylenol) and give it every 3-4 hours for teething pain. Good luck!

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A.S.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi Kim,

Yes it is a good idea to use baby orajel you can find it at any pharmacy with the other baby drugs. Do you have a teething ring? That might help or I read some where to put a wet washcloth in the freezer and after it is hard give it to them to suck on. The good news is once the teeth are through it is not so bad anymore....but there will always be more coming!

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N.A.

answers from St. Louis on

My little one never got one at a time, her's came in 2 and 4 at a time so I would use Tylenol every six hours and then Hylands Teething Tablets (one dose) before going to bed. Be prepared they sometimes get ear infections when they start teething. If you use the ear thermometer you can sometimes tell if one site gives you a higher reading than the other (at least that is my key). Good luck

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L.B.

answers from Wichita on

Hi Kim
I used Hylands Teething Tablets. available at Walmart, they are very small tabs that disenegrate when they hit the mouth and they always seemed to help my fussy boys while they were teething. Orajel works to....cold teething rings too! Hang in there, it's hard work getting those teeth in!

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M.T.

answers from St. Joseph on

It is fine to use orajel on your daughter. It is also ok to give her tylenol/motrin for the pain. Orajel numbs the gums providing instant relief, but tylenol provides a longer lasting releif. There is also something else you can use, in place of the orajel. They are called Hyland's teething tablets. They are GREAT! They dissolve in the babies mouth and give immediate relief, without the yuck taste of a numbing gel, and also, since it doesn't numb the gums, they don't start to slobber all over! We found them at our Walmart in the Pharmacy dept. Just ask for them! I very much love these for my kids.

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M.H.

answers from Kansas City on

We use teething tablets too. They seem to work really well. I have heard and I am not sure if it is really true or not but orajel isn't really a great think to give a child because it numbs the whole mouth and could cause the baby to choke. I wouldn't know because I have never used it. You might want to see what the ped recommends. If you can alternate tylenol and ibprofen that seemed to work well for us too! Good Luck!

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D.M.

answers from Kansas City on

Use only baby oragel, not regular. The regular stuff has alcohol in it that will burn the tender gums before it numbs them. Also chewing on a cold uncooked carrot or a cold wash cloth sometimes sooths.

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

I've heard that teething tablets are much more effective than orajel

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K.U.

answers from Topeka on

You might try Hyland's Teething Tablets. I tried it on my last child when he was cutting his molars. It worked great. I wished I would have known about them when my first two were teething. I would recommend it. Good luck! K. U.

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