Surviving Teething
March 25, 2020 | by amanda ryan
Ah, it’s teething time in your home. Mayo Clinic tells us that the classic signs and symptoms of teething include excessive drooling, chewing on objects, irritability or crankiness, sore or tender gums, slight increase in temperature — but no fever.
While it’s exciting watching your baby grow, teething time can be a little bit of a nightmare for parents (and clearly no picnic for your little). Your little one is moody, grouchy, and very vocal about the pain they’re experiencing. Can you blame them though? Their teeth are literally pushing through their gums!
Sometimes it can feel like no matter what you’re doing, nothing is helping. If you’re at a crossroads for how you should handle teething, we have some ideas for you. Keep reading to learn about how you can survive teething!
1. Use Ice
No, we aren’t talking about pressing an ice pack to your little one’s teeth here.
Instead, invest in some teething rings that are able to be put in the freezer. The cold teething ring will help soothe some of that pain your little one is experiencing. Make sure you have more than one teething ring so that you can keep one in the freezer at all times.
If your baby is having an especially difficult day, they may get fussy if they have to wait for their ring to re-freeze!
2. Give a Little Gum Massage
If the ice isn’t quite cutting it, get in there and give your baby a gum massage.
Sure, you can use your clean fingers if you want to. If you don’t want to touch their gums directly, feel free to use a cool rag or some wet gauze!
3. Try to Maintain a Sleep Schedule
While it can be difficult for both you and your baby to get sleep while they’re teething, sleep is important. Your little one is experiencing a big change right now, and they need proper rest to get through it. If they seem especially cranky, consider trying an over-the-counter remedy, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Make sure to follow the directions on the bottle to ensure that you’re using it safely!
Other Things to Keep in Mind
While it’s important to try to reduce your little one’s pain throughout the teething process, there are other factors to keep in mind.
For example, as babies teethe, they often get more drool on their face than usual. Over time, this can cause dry skin or irritation. Try to stay vigilant with wiping excess drool off of their face, and apply ointment as needed.
Also, teething may cause your baby so much pain that they aren’t interested in eating. If this happens, try to offer them cold foods that will feel good on their gums!
While teething is a difficult time for both you and your little one, there are ways to ease both of your pain. Practice the steps listed above, and remember, this phase is only temporary!
