How do I relieve babies teething pain?
Teething signs, over the counter remedies and natural teething solutions available in the UK.
Teething signs
- Biting or gnawing on everything, including you.
- Clingy and whimpering.
- Disrupted night time sleep and fitful day time napping.
- Drooling (often partnered with chin or lip rash).
- Grumpy.
- Lack of appetite and possibly off breast or bottle milk (the sucking draws blood to the gums and makes them more sensitive).
- No interest in toys.
- Raised temperature (but not a fever, which is a temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or above).
- Red cheeks.
- Sore, sensitive or swollen gums.
Home remedies to relieve teething pain
- Your cold finger on the gum area can numb the pain temporarily.
- Something to chew on, such as a wet flannel kept in fridge.
- Cold food such as apple puree or yoghurt straight from the fridge.
- Cold chewing aid such as frozen bagel or bread.
- Wipe drool from face with cloth to prevent rashes.
- Lots of comforting cuddles (or as Nana puts it ‘nursing’).
Over the counter remedies for teething
- Homeopathic teething powder
- Painkiller for baby’s (e.g. paracetamol or ibuprofen)
- Silicon teething ring (better than gel filled – much easier to sterilise)
- Hard teething biscuits such as Bickiepegs
- Teething gels (can contain a mild local anesthetic to numb pain and antiseptic to reduce infection) – please be aware of product recalls for teething gel brands
- Wooden teething ring or amber necklace
Symptoms not believed to be teething related
- Teething and diarrhea are not usually associated (if your baby has diarrhea and a high temperature consult your doctor as it maybe connected to another illness)
Teething tips from real mums
- Frozen banana or cold cucumber to relieve hot gums
- Rubber spoons are softer on sensitive gums during weaning
- Cold water from a doidy cup gives baby relief from hot gums
- Serve food that you would normally heat up cold from the fridge
Teething milestones
- Typically babies teeth at six months, however 1 in 2,000 babies is actually born with a tooth or two.
- Early starters can cut a tooth at three months and it is not usual for some babies to see their first tooth closer to twelve months
- First tooth is normally the lower central incisors and the last teeth the second molars, found in the upper and lower back of the mouth
- Teething order of appearance; the bottom front ones first, then the top two middle ones, then the ones along the sides and back
- Baby teeth fall out around the age of six when the permanent teeth are ready to come in
Keeping baby teeth clean
- When teeth come through start brushing gums and teeth with a baby toothbrush and a light smear of baby toothpaste.
- Dentists tend to prefer first visits at around six months.
- Don’t put your baby to bed with a bottle as the milk can pool in the baby’s mouth and lead to baby-bottle tooth decay.
Please share any teething tips with Mindful Mind below…
Sources:
NHS Choices Teething Introduction
Pamela DenBesten, Pediatric Dentistry University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry Is teething associated with diarrhoea
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This entry was posted in Baby, Baby Health & Wellness and tagged Baby Teeth, Bickiepeg Teething Biscuits, Teething Remedies, Teething Signs. Bookmark the permalink.
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