Teething and Sleep - Florence,MT

Updated on April 19, 2009
A.B. asks from Florence, MT
20 answers

My second child, 5mo female, got her first tooth 3 weeks ago and her second yesterday. Since the beginning of teething, she has slept HORRIBLY. Bed around 8 and then up every hour until 3. Not always able to console her either. Have tried Tylenol, rocking, nursing...you name it. Has anyone else had a tough teether?? Although I used to completley disagree with this, I'm tempted to let her "cry it out". I have a 3 yo that needs her mom to be fun during the day and w/o sleep, I'm not nearly as motivated as I normally am. Just looking for others out there that can relate and any suggestions.

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L.D.

answers from Pueblo on

Hyland brand "homeopathic" has something called "Teething" and I think they actually have that one at Wal Mart etc....In T-dad health food stores are limited but also I recommend for all kids their Mag Phos and they also have Calc Phos. The Cal/Mag is a miracle for all ages. I take Soloray brand cal/mag. One calms the nerves and one the muscles, and no one usually gets enough of either! It calms ADD type kids, helps us sleep, be more patient, and 3 a day all month and all the girls in my family dont have cramps! yeee haaaa!

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T.L.

answers from Denver on

Try children's MOTRIN instead of Tylenol. Tylenol is only a pain reliever/fever reducer, while Motrin is a anti-inflammatory medicine as well which could be very helpful as those gums are painful because they are pretty inflammed right now as her teeth are coming in.

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K.H.

answers from Denver on

i second the reference for Hylands teething tablets. they naturally help decrease pain and inflammation from teething and also have a touch of chamomile to help baby sleep more restfully. good luck!

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J.C.

answers from Casper on

Have you tried the teething tablets that you can get at Walmart in the vitamen section? I thought that they were a crock and then used them for my 17 month DD. They work! She was an odd ball and got her 2 front bottom teeth, then 3 molars!!

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S.M.

answers from Fort Collins on

my daughter was the same way! it was horrible! I finally switched her to over to advil (motrin) only and i found that the Tylenol was actually keeping her awake. I know it sounds crazy but it really happened like that with her. Plus tylenol doesn't actually help teeth as well as advil... they'll tell you that with braces and things... So really that's what I would sugest and tell you good luck! it wont last forever

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M.H.

answers from Boise on

Have you tried teething tablets? You can get them at Walmart and Fred Meyer. They are wonderful! They have a lavender flavor to them and they do not numb up like the orajel does, they just take the pain away. I would try that. Give her a couple tablets before bed and she might not wake up, if she does give her a couple more. They melt as soon as they are touched to the mouth so there is not choking hazard.

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A.B.

answers from Provo on

I love teething tabs. They are a little pill you disolve under the tounge. I agree you should get her checked for ear infection and then use motrin...much better than tylenol. sounds like there might be extra pressure in the ears when she lays down.

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K.L.

answers from Great Falls on

My son had a pretty easy time until he started getting his eye teeth and his molars....and then it was HORRIBLE!! I used Motrin and Hyland Teething Tabs along with teething gel when it got really bad and it worked. Good Luck!

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A.S.

answers from Denver on

Highlands teething tablets are awesome!!!!!!! :)

E.S.

answers from Fort Collins on

try Hyland's teething tablets. they are homeopathic & worked great for us!

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R.E.

answers from Billings on

Hi A.,
Theeting is very difficult for some babies and others very easy. Our daughter has had a terrible time when it comes to teething. The pain is greater than most of us realize. Our Dr. has had us doing the Tylenol and Ibuprofen schedule when she is having her pain cry due to teeth. (You can give them Tylenol every 6 hours and Ibuprofen every six hours.) So, what this means to you is that you can alternate every three hours. Start with the Ibuprofen, then in 3 hours, give her Tylenol and then in 3 more hours give her Ibuprofen.

These medications will not hurt the baby when used together in this process nor will the 3 hour schedule make them ill. I do suggest, however, write down each: Tylenol at 2:00 and then, Ibuprofen at 5:00. Make a list as you go so you don't want to double up on one if you forget what you gave to her last. This is very important.

This has certainly given our little one comfort and relief from the pain.

Hope this helps! :)

R.

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J.D.

answers from Denver on

Awww-she's in real pain, so crying it out won't comfort her a bit-just will confuse her because sometimes you come and sometimes you stay away. I bet if she cries hard you come. And I think that's confusing, especially for a baby who's hurting.
Crying it out is for sleep training (and then can be very necessary) and shouldn't be utilized for teethers. Teething's awful but temporary and she needs to know you're there for her throughout the pain, I think. Have you tried anything homeopathic? We often used a combo of tylenol infant drops and Camilia teething drops and they really seemed to help.

poor baby....poor you not sleeping well ;( Hope it's over really soon.

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G.L.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Ooooh, I remember those days. You have my sympathy. My daughter had an awful time with teething, which means so did the rest of us.

Have you tried Hyland teething tabs, a homeopathic remedy, widely available at pharmacies and Wal-mart? Many of my friends absolutely swear by it. Unfortunately, my daughter (aka the teether from hell) was allergic to them. It's easy to tell if your child is allergic, because she'll throw them up immediately. But of my many girlfriends and their sweet little teething nightmares, we're the only family I know who didn't use these successfully.

My daughter did seem to get some temporary relief from gnawing on a frozen washcloth. Chewing on something fairly hard, such as a plain wooden block, also seemed to help. I think for her, the counter-pressure felt good.

Good luck - just remember, this is a stage and, thank God, it will pass.

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S.S.

answers from Cheyenne on

My son was a horrible teether (started at 4 months and by 12 months, he had 14 teeth, so we had a long first year...I knew exactly when each tooth came in). Nursing/rocking will help, but remember that sucking puts pressure on those teeth and hurts, so be patient if she is off and on during it! As far as sleep, try to take her to the couch or big rocker (my hubby needed his sleep and I didn't want to disturb him) and pile pillows around you so you can doze off when she does (I know they say not to do that because they can get too used to being rocked, but I had the same "every hour" problem you have and that was the only way I got any sleep at all and I would just wake up and put the baby back to bed once he drifted off to a deep sleep again about 3 am and would return to bed myself...also discovered the beauty of closed captioning on the TV...sometimes a little kid show like Dora would distract him from his teeth for a few minutes to let you get a few more minutes of sleep.) I can say that as long as once the teething episode is done, you return right to your normal routine, my son has not felt any ill effects of the night or two of rocking/sleeping with me. Just also try to sleep when your kiddos nap if you can get them to sleep at the same time...

I would watch the teething tablets. My friend (a RN) pointed out to me that sometimes they have different things in them that you do not want your child to have (for some reason caffeine is sticking out in my head as one thing, but it has been awhile...so just use caution, though I know everyone swears by them.)

I used Oralgel (which makes the drooling worse, but seemed to calm him lots) and alternated Tylenol and Motrin for him (using Tylenol four hours before he goes to bed, so he gets a dose of Motrin at bedtime to help him sleep longer). I also would wrap an icecube in a soft washcloth and put a rubberband under it to keep it from slipping out and wet it down and he would chew on that and that helped too. I would usually have to force it into his mouth at first but once he felt that it helped, he would happily chew on it for a bit. My son never used the teething rings...he never liked them much. Anyway, time is the only other helpful thing to them...and lots of hugs and snuggles. Just remember, teething has to end...there are only 20 teeth (my son has been working on #s 17 and 18 for a couple of months...they are the 2-year-old molars and keep going up and down on him...ugh!), but soon it will be over!!! yipee! I'm just looking forward to that day! Hopefully your kiddo will give you a few more weeks between teeth than my son did to give you time to catch up on your rest!

S., 26, mom of 16-month-old with 16 teeth and #2 on the way in Aug!

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D.K.

answers from Denver on

Poor thing, teething can really cause problems at night.
Get teething tablets so if she wakes that will help relax her and her to go back to sleep. To be honest, tylenol did nothing for my kids, motrin was the only thing that lasted most of the night. Also make sure she doesn't have an ear infection as my son got one close to cutting teeth, have no idea why other then excess mucus and slobber going on.

Majority of the time we didn't put him on meds for the infections but waited them out. Then turned out he had drainage issues and had to have tubes later..anyway, do not let her cry it out, she is very young.
She may be hungry or going through a growth spurt on top of the teething. My daughter did great on motrin and the natural teething tablets were great for my son (just don't last long), ask your Dr if you can give her motrin for the teething.

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G.P.

answers from Boise on

I can SO relate to you. My son gets his teeth in sets of two, and is miserable. It is so frustrating to hear those people that tell me their child got a tooth and they didn't even know that they were teething!

So first, yes, have the ear infection checked out. My son did get one while he was teething last and at that point it was hard to tell if he was crying for that or the teeth, although other than the medication, I treated it the same with him.

If my son was already in pain and worked up, there was nothing that could help him. What I would do was to give him Tylenol (Motrin if you choose, although I think they are supposed to be 6 months for that, so ask her doctor), and then would have to walk and shush, and bounce him till he calmed and was asleep. Usually, the Tylenol would help him stay asleep, plus he liked the treat :). When I knew he was having trouble, I would give him some Tylenol before the naps or bedtime and that - sometimes - would help him nap better and prevent the upset. The teething tablets didn't touch his pain, and we tried all of them in many different doses.

When I talked to my son's nurse about the pain, she said that for her own kids, the teething tablets did nothing, and while they may help for some discomfort, they don't get those kids that are truly in pain. She suggested the Tylenol. Also, I had a friend that had a difficult teether, and she was prescribed a compounded medication by her pediatrician. You may ask about that too.

Good luck to you!

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C.L.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Hi A.! I'm going through the same thing with our 7 month old. Poor guy got his two bottom teeth at once and is now getting THREE on the top - all at the same time! Unfortunately, even with all of the Tylenol, Motrin, or teething tabs, it also seems like one of those things that still isn't too much fun and only time will get you through it!

I do want to echo what some of said about Hyland's teething tabs. They have Belladonna in it which is a toxin/poison. Obviously, since this is homeopathic medicine, it's in such small quantities that it shouldn't hurt, although I have heard reports of some kids having reactions to it. My little guy actually just seemed really "flat" on them and quiet so it kind of freaked me out. I'm sure right about now you're thinking quiet and flat sounds great! But it worried me a bit, so we cut them out. There are also some other homeopathic teething tabs made by Wylands (I think?) that don't have belladonna in them, but I didn't think they really worked.

I'm doing the Motrin and I've also heard that rubbing just a dab of Benadryl (anti-inflammatory) on the gums can help - though I haven't seen much difference doing this, and I know some want to totally steer clear of Benadryl - but I just thought I'd add that to what's been already said.

Good luck and hang in there!

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S.S.

answers from Denver on

I had this happen with my 2nd child and I resorted to Hyland's Teething tablets. I know there is tal kfrom some people who do not suggest them because of one ingredient in them, but if children are given them according to directions, there is no problem.

When experienceing the painful teething in my house, I gave my child 2 tablets 4-5 times a day (wake-up, nap, nap, bedtime) He always rested easier and with little to no pain when he was given them before sleeping.

I always find the tablets near the children's vitamins at Wal Mart.

HTH

Have a GREAT day!

S.

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J.P.

answers from Denver on

I had luck with homeopathics--hylands teething tablets, boiron's camilia, and natra bio teething drops. Also, hylands calms forte for kids helped with sleep.
Good luck!
J.

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J.D.

answers from Denver on

Poor baby! My daughter had a really tough time with teething too. We used Hyland's teething pills (they can be found at natural grocers) and tylenol in the middle of the night. Your 3 year old probably won't pick up on much if you're not fabulous every day. And the teething won't last forever. Hang in there, give cuddles to your suffering little baby and take care of yourself--make sure you get some time away! You could check for a babysitting service to give the 3 year old some entertainment for a couple hours while you rest with your daughter. It's only temporary (even though it feels like forever!)

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