teething...drooling

J., My son got his teeth at 4 months like it was no big deal and now I have an 9 month old daughter that is barely breaking skin with her bottom two teeth! The teething thing is totally different for every child, and you never know until that time comes. I have had lots of luck with the nu ice teethers that are freezable without cracking. They have a gel-like substance in them that seems to be soothing. Also you can try frozen eggo waffles or frozen wash clothes, just wet them and then put them in the freezer. Both seem bizare but work! I spoke to my Dentist and he assured me that a child can go to 10 months old before they get any teeth. I think for some it takes alot of work to get them to come out. It will be over before you know it, good lock!

I'm an old old Mom. Cheap and easy remedy we used when mine were young (ages ago) was to fill a baby sock, or little bag with crushed ice and let them chew on that. Relieves their pain, and easy to clean up

I too gave humphries for teething but I didn't stop a good thing they have what they need why would you stop. they can't hurt. them

Hi,
I have been going through the same thing, my twins are nine month old now. Here are a couple of suggestions;
Infant Tylenol when he seems particularly uncomfortable, every four hours is ok but one dose ususally does it for the day.
Let him suck on hard objects to relieve his itch and pain.
Massage his lower gums with your finger, applying a tiny little bit of pressure but not too much, just sweep your finger back and forth on his lower gums, in the front, those will come out first.
Some swear by orajel for babies but my pediatrician does not recommend it.
Finally, if you clean the skin of a lime and take a strip and rub it on his gums from the white side touching his gums, a natural ingredient in it will cause mild numbing. I AM NOT A DOCTOR, mind you, so you may want to check with his first, I am from Iran and this home remmedy is practiced frequently in our culture.
Good luck to both of you, and remember, this too, shall soon pass.

You said it right there J.. The unexpected is what you need to be ready for. All children are different in how they experience teething. Welcome to the individual. All three of my children have had their own ways of dealing with teeth, body changes and pains of any sort. What I have tried to do through out is to be the loving, understanding source for them. Hold him, talk to him about his teeth. He hears you and the tone of your voice is what he'll understand the most. I also froze the teething rings and that helped with my son. I remember he use to bite my shoulder when I was holding him and the first few times it shocked me. Then I would take him off my shoulder and sit him on my lap with words like: Oh honey are your teeth bothering you? This will help him be aware in ways that will amaze you. You can try a nice chamomile tea and see if something warm is soothing or a cold popcicle (you can make them yourself to choose if you want it sweet or a sugar free flavor)You can hold it for him to suck on.
The hardest part of parenting for me was to realize that I couldn't take all pain away. The thing I could do was to be the calm in all situations. Even now it will teach your child that he can get through anything, no matter what. My favorite saying is: If mom's alright, then the family will thrive. Your child is a wonderous gift and you are the blessing that guides his light.

Dear J.,

Well, he is only 7 months old and you are the most important person in his life, and he is pretty smart to want to be with you - survival, you know. Why don't you just hold him and do you work with the other hand? Or, sometimes just get him busy on the floor with some toys - he is just trying to get adjusted to this world and is trying things out. You and he need to work together. O.K.? Babyhood is only a short time in his life - so just enjoy being with him and remember all the cute quirky things that he does. Try to get him interested in something before you walk away, and just let him cry for a little bit, make sure he is comfortable.

C. N.

He may continue teething or a tooth may pop out. If he's still biting down on things, it sounds like he's still teething. I've been told and have read that when babies get their teeth it's hereditary. Do you know when you and your husband got your first teeth?

My son is now 8 months old and he also started teething at 4 mos (tons of drool, chewing, crankiness, etc..) but he didn't get his first tooth until 7 months. He had a bump in his gum for 1 month. He just now got his second tooth at 8 months. I gave him Hyland tablets and gel and sometimes Tylenol when it was really bad. I also gave hum Hyland colic tablets which are basically camomile. He loved all these tablets. He hated baby oragel - gagged and cried so we didn't do that. A few times, he'd wake up crying in the middle of the night and the poor little guy would be wimpering while chewing and drooling all over his sleeve. We'd comfort him until he'd fall back asleep & give him Tylenol. For him, teething has been intermittent - some days & nights are really bad and some days nothing. The pain and discomfort comes and goes as the teeth are moving. Try different things to chew on - wood toys, cloth toys, rubber toys. My son likes warm washcloths. He wasn't fond of frozen things but we tried frozen mini bagels, frozen wash cloths, frozen gel teething toys. His absolute favorite thing is a Nuby - it's a hand held teether with a small mesh bag - you can put teething biscuits, ice, apples, whatever in it for baby to chew on without choking. You can hand wash in in hot soapy water or put in dishwasher. He LOVES chewing on a teething biscuit in it - he also loves chewing on the handle. Best $6 we ever spent but we wished we had bought it sooner. We bought his at the Right Start but I've seen them at all baby stores. Re: the crankiness, you have to just go with it and comfort him as much as you can. We found that taking him for walks (either in stroller or carrier) late in the day was a life saver.

My daughter was and still is (at 14 months) a particularly droolly baby. I've just come to terms with it. But she has 11 teeth already and got them fairly early. As one parent said the things that helped us survive:
- cold teething toy- my daughter's fav was one shaped like a 5 point star
- tylenol!!! The teething tablets didn't do much for my kiddo
- a toy that vibrates when she bites on it. It is a yellow star with a blue handle. I took/take this everywhere we go!
- Frozen washcloth

J.,
Don't worry, believe me the teeth will come. Some babies take a little longer than others. We'd just put a bib around his neck and let him stroll around. As for the behavior, I think baby's in the stage of "Mommy's leaving and never coming back!" It's a little scary for them and that's why they cling so much. I'd say try making a game out of it! When you walk away, turn around and say some funny phrase(etc. boo, a-boo, rah). My son loved it! And I'd watch out about the tylenol! Too much and he could get immune to it, then when you really do need it, it won't help! My sister-in-law's kids are all immune to tylenol..
Luck and Best wishes... *Beauty*

Hi J.,
In addition to teething, there could be other reasons your son wants to be held a lot right now. A very normal thing around this time is the beginning of separation anxiety. As babies become more aware of themselves as separate beings, more aware of their surroundings and more social, they become more attached to mom. He still can't hold a picture of you in his mind when he can't see you so it becomes very scary to lose sight of you. You can try singing or talking to him when out of his view because he does know your voice and that might help reassure him. It's a challenging time because it's so hard to figure out exactly what is going on. (I'm going through it now too). I would be careful of giving tylenol or other meds unless you're sure it's teething. You might need to adjust how much you expect to get done during the day and just spend more time holding your little boy. Remember it's a phase and he'll be asking for the car keys before you know it!!! :)
Good luck,
A.

Yes, definately teething in my opinion. My daughter did the same thing exactly at seven months. I remember she needed to be held contantly at this stage, and I usually "wore" her in a baby carrier. It's going to be hard on both of you for a little while and his/your sleep may be disrupted also due to the discomfort of that emerging tooth.
We used to freeze the tiny baby washcloths in a long "popsicle" shape for her, and that really seemed to help, as she could chew on them and get a little relief. Good Luck.

Hello J.!
Get ready for some little pearly white teeth. My grandaughter started this cycle at 3 months and just turned 1 year last week. She has 11 teeth and is working on another one. She is going thru all the symptoms you mentioned. Drooling, running nose, whinny, doesn't want to be put down or out of sight.
We use teething gel and tablets (Hylands), baby toothbrushes to chew on when in the high chair, cold teething rings, frozen fruit large chuncks (we kept a close eye on her so she didn't get too be of pieces before she could really chew it up) and lots of love! I hope this gives you some help and you are doing a great job.
Mom of 3 grow daughters and 1st time Grandmo!

I always had soft rubber toys and a cool teething ring ready. They're like little dogs when they're teething and anything to chew on helps. For snack time those little biter biscuits in the baby section are good too. A little messy and you have to watch them when they start to break up, but they're still helpful.