Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
Before giving your child any teething remedies, first make sure they are in fact suffering from baby teething pain.
It’s not always easy to distinguish teething pain from other aches, but these obvious signs of teething can be helpful:
• A lot of drooling, more than usual
• Chewing or sucking on their hands
• Loss of appetite
• Not sleeping well
• Low-grade fever
• Swollen gums
Some children won’t have any significant signs of teething and their teeth will just start popping up.
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Teething fever
A teething fever generally is a slightly elevated temperature and last for two to three days. If the fever spikes to high temperatures and lasts for longer than a day or two, it is not due to teething but something else i.e. urinary tract infection or ear infection.
Teething remedies
Teething toys – refrigerated or chilled teething toys can be used for providing relief and teething necklaces can be worn by baby to chew on when you’re holding them.
A wet washcloth – just like the teething toys, you can keep it in the freezer or fridge until you need it.
A pacifier – some children like sucking when they are teething, and a pacifier can help to distract them from the pain.
Teething biscuits – this can be used for older babies who are already eating solids.
Rubbing your baby’s gums – a clean finger or a moistened gauze pad can be used to rub your baby’s gums to relief discomfort.
Hard foods – if your baby is on solids, you can give her hard foods which can be gnawed i.e. carrot, chilled cucumber or some people even try a piece of biltong.
Over-the-counter remedies – if nothing else works and your baby is especially cranky, medicines like acetaminophen (Tylenol etc.) or ibuprofen (Advil, children’s motrin etc.) may help but avoid any teething tablets or teething meds that contain pain relievers such as benzocaine or lidocaine as they can be harmful and even fatal to babies.
As always great information and tips! It’s funny how different each child can be when it comes to teething. My oldest had sure signs of teething; she drooled soooo much we had to keep a bib on her at all times lol. My youngest hardly ever drooled but had small grade fevers and boy was she cranky! LOL its funny because it kind of went with their personalities, especially the younger one; she’s a drama queen while her older sister is much more chill.
Haha yeah I am seeing the pattern now – my daughter was a drama too and she struggled with her teething. My son was really easy going and we never had many problems with him teething.
I can’t imagine what babies go through when teething, especially if they can’t express why they are miserable. All that pain and discomfort in such a tiny body… It’s good to know that there are some handy, non-medicinal remedy to help soothe the pain of teething.
This is a great article. Thankfully we past this period with no major problems. My daughters teeth just popped out and we never had to do anything. But before that time I, like most mums, researched and everyone said take the necklace. But I was a little affraid. Can’t babies choke on those because I see most parents put that while the baby is sleeping? I just couldn’t do that.
Actually I used the amber necklaces for both my babies and it worked like a charm! You are so lucky your daughter teethed easily. My daughter turned into a monster!
Teething is so tough Nicole – especially since it can go on for about 2+ years… for some babies (like my oldest child) it is a never ending drama for the whole 2 years until all the teeth have come out!
Teething is tough! These are useful tips, Lynne! When my son was teething he’d alternate between being cranky and wanting to chew something. We would bake multigrain rings for him to chew on. He would discard the ring as soon as it became soggy. They were quite tasty. A cousin got him a pacifier but he didn’t like that. With babies, it can be so hard to tell why they’re uncomfortable. And some babies start teething really early. I think my son developed his first tooth when he was five months old. Don’t even ask what that did to the breastfeeding! 😀 Feels hilarious now. Wasn’t remotely funny then!
Breastfeeding a teething baby is only funny when it’s not your own boobs in the equation!I totally agree with you on that one.
All the knowledge I am getting here, I love it. Saved for later
Wow, definitely needed this after my baby’s check up yesterday. The loss of appetite gave me some peace and now I know why he is behaving a certain way. Thank you soooo much.
I have no complaints about teething my son teethed like an angel
You are so lucky Terr-lee – so many babies struggle so much!
Very good remedies it was a hard thing to get trough but we got through it
It is a painful process for both baby and parent but thankfully we are through that whole ordeal.
All my 3 babies never gave me a problem when they were teething
You are very lucky! My son didn’t have too many problems but my daughter was already such a bad sleeper and teething did not help the situation at all.
You are very lucky! My son didn’t have too many problems but my daughter was already such a bad sleeper and teething did not help the situation at all.