Teething Advice - Seaside,CA

Poor baby!
Have you had his ears checked? Teething can cause all kinds of weird things to happen. When my daughter was a baby, a friend whose little boy was 10 days older came down with the snottiest nose and the most horrible hacking cough I have ever heard in my life. The doctor said it was all because of the teething. My daughter got horrible diarrhea every time she started getting teeth. Just to be on the safe side though, you might have them look at your little one's ears. You can also try frozen teething rings.
This might sound weird, but I teethed both of my children on jerky. We got it at Costco and it came in big bags. It's the really thick stuff, not the brittle skinny stuff you see at convenience stores. They could bite and gnaw on it and they loved the flavor! When it got too slobbery, we just threw it away. We never went anywhere without jerky in the diaper bag. The more teeth they get, the more you have to watch to make sure they can't chomp a chunk of it off, but I have told many friends about this and it worked wonders for their kids too.
Best of wishes. You have just started the teething fun.

1 mom found this helpful

A cold wet wash cloth, or one of those teething rings you can put in the freezer (make sure it has a non water part for him to hold on to or he will not want it). Also the thing my son like the best was me to wash my hands with cold water and then rub his gums, firmly but gently. he would relax into my arms and it still works now that he is cutting molars.

Also thank you for serving our country, both you and your husband. I know it takes a team.

Yikes! I feel for you. Hopefully it goes by fast! A couple more ideas-- those netted/handled things (baby safe feeders) worked great for my daughter. I could put a peeled, sliced piece of apple from the refrigerator (or other cold fruit) in it and she would gnaw on it like crazy. It was the only thing that made her stop crying. You can buy them at Babies R Us. http://www.babysafefeeder.com/
Also, I know some say not to, but I would let her suck on an ice cube. I would hold it for her and let her suck/gnaw for a few seconds at a time (not too long to cause any freezer burn)then take it away for a few seconds, then apply again etc etc. Just don't do it too long or let it stay on gums too long. I think the reason why people have gone away from frozen teething rings is that often they would just give the baby the frozen teething ring and let them suck on it for several minutes which can freeze/hurt the gums eventually. As long as you are supervising though, I don't see any problem, and my daughter LOVED it. Just make sure to use a very big ice cube (and hold it with a paper towel) so that she can't suck it in/choke on it and throw it away when it gets too small and slippery to hold.

When my daughter was 5 months old, she got a large sore on the under-side of her tongue. It hurt her so much that she would just sob and wouldn't nurse until it was numbed up. She also had really bad teething pain when her molars came in. I used the same things for both.

What I wound up using was Lidocaine Viscous 2% Oral Solution (prescription from pediatric dentist) for the surface of the gums and alternated infant motrin and infant tylenol. The directions on the Lidocaine say that you are supposed to mix it in equal parts with Maalox, but I don't always do this, as sometimes I don't want the Lidocaine "diluted". Time giving him the Tylenol or Motrin so that you give it to him 30 minutes before bed/nap time and the Lidocaine (or Oragel) as you put him in his crib so he gets the most comfortable sleep possible.

Another vote for Hylands Teething Tabs...the only thing that really worked for our daughter. When the pain got too unbearable *only 3-4 times right before the teeth are to pop through* we used hard liquir on her gums...

-J.

Wet a corner of a washcloth, freeze it. Then let him bite/chew on the frozen part of it. Feels good and the rest of the washcloth becomes a handy-dandy drool wiper-upper.

Try ice chips that he can suck on while you are holding it. We used ice for both our son and daughter which really help them. The cold helped to sooth their gums.

Go to Walgreen's and get Teething Tablets from Hyland's in the baby area, they are like magic.... Homeopathic Remedy!!!!

Stay away from ORAGEL... it can numb the throat and cause swallowing problems and choking!!!

Love, G.. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

"I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin." ~ Jerry Newport

Have you tried Baby Orajel? At Walgreen's, with the other baby stuff. You rub a little on his gums, to numb them a bit.

Definitely use the teething gel more often than you normally would with your other child. Distraction is always a good thing, during the day anyway, so take him out, play with him, try not to "focus" on the pain aspect so much. Night time will be toughest, but as you know, these moments don't last very long.

I would also recommend the frozen baby washcloth for him to suck on - even if he can't hold it himself, use your index finger & rub that on his gums while his sister is "entertaining" him. Really anything he can safely chew on is another good distraction.

Also, I have found with my son that ibuprofen is a much more effective pain reliever than Tylenol, so administer that only rather than switching around to different things & see if that doesn't make a difference.

Good luck! Just know that we've all been there & this too shall pass!!

i never found any product to help, but i was thinking that you may be like me in that with your second kid it is not as easy to get up and take a walk outside or do other distracting activities. maybe you can try to have keep things ready to put on shoes and get out when the going gets tough. a little fresh air goes a long way.

Hi H.!

One thing that I found with teething, was that there are days that can be managed, then there are days that cannot!

At 4 months old, this is just the beginning! He will teeth until 3! And some kids have a more difficult time cutting teeth, which is why you noticed a difference between your children.

On those "tougher" days, I disregarded the label on the teething tablets, and gave 1-2 tablets every hour for about a 12 hour period of time. I figured those pills were so mild, that if I only did that every now and then on the worst day, that it would be "OK". It REALLY helped! It was an immediate difference within 3 minutes. Then, motrin on a regular schedule should help, as well.

Also, he might like to chew on a washcloth. I always had a small, wet baby one in a baggie in the fridge ready for chewing on. It was a constant chewing toy that worked in my home.

Both of my boys had extreme pain while cutting teeth. They also had fevers, diarreah, and occassional vomitting, too. When they were teething, it was like they had the flu or something. Not everytime, just often. I just got better at stocking my home (and my patience) because I knew what to expect. Some things you have no control over, so it's best to "give in" and just be patient all the way through it. Rocking is a very lovely way to sooth your son. I bought a second rocker for the family room, so I didn't miss my favorite shows because of so many teething tears.

H., I'm sorry that your little one is in so much pain.
Good Luck!

~N.

Have you tried rubbing rum on his gums? My 5 month old is teething and we do that occasionally. It is totally safe and something that used to be quite common. A lot of people I have talked to did it or know someone who has. My mom did it with all three of her kids and we are all fine. I hope things get better for you (and your son)!

How about the oral swabs? We used them as a last resort, because they're numbing and tough to get in just the right spot, but they did seem to work.

My son is teething too right now... there these little meshy feeders and you can put ice cubes in there for him to chew on. It gets the clothes wet so make sure you slap a bib on him!