How to Relieve Baby Teething Discomfort

How to Relieve Teething Discomfort

 

Introduction

Your adorable baby is growing bigger everyday, maybe sometimes faster than you expected. And before you know it, you can tell by the way they are behaving that something is changing, and you’d be right! Their first baby teeth are coming through!

You know that this is only the first of many teeth waiting to come through their tender gums. So what do you do now?

It’s understandable that during this time in your baby’s life, you as a parent will want to do your best to provide them with some relief from their discomfort.

The purpose of this article is to give you different practical options (that really works!) to help bring some relief to the discomfort your baby may be feeling.

There are two options to consider to help your baby with their teething discomfort:

1. Natural treatment
2. Medication

Be aware that no matter what you decide to do, most teething treatments will only provide your baby with temporary relief from their discomfort.

Either of these 2 options will help temporarily relieve your baby’s discomfort, so just stick with the option you feel more comfortable with and you can always change methods as needed.

Natural Treatments

If you are searching for a more natural approach in helping your baby feel more comfortable with teething, the follow methods may interest you. These are the main natural treatments that have helped many babies get through their teething stage of life. They’re very easy to do and can be easily incorporated into your baby’s everyday life, without having your baby fight against you.

• Gum massage

This is always well received by most babies and easy for any parent to do. Clean your fingers, then gently with a little pressure rub your baby’s gums. This will slightly numb the gums and relieve the discomfort your baby is feeling for a little bit. Also, please be careful when doing this as your baby might bite down on your finger from time to time. As long as it doesn't hurt you too much, it’s good to allow them to have a little nibble on your finger.

• Cold food, cold drink, actually cold anything

This method is good to do during the day, as it will be easier during this time to give them something cool to eat and bite on without your baby rejecting it. While they are teething, your baby will be happy to eat and drink anything cool you give them as the coolness from the food and/or drink will bring them relief from the discomfort they are feeling.

• Teething Toys

This is a MUST HAVE! There are a vast range of teething toys, but it is recommended to have a plush teether with solid bits or solid teether. With a solid teether such as the Tommee Tippee Star Teether, you’ll need to place the teether into the fridge and allow it to cool. When your baby is starting to become uncomfortable and you can see they are feeling the discomfort of teething, grab one of the teethers from the fridge and give it to them and they’ll be happy to chew on it until it becomes too warm.

Helpful Tips:

1. It’s a good idea to have more than one teether in the fridge at a time so you can continuously cycle through them as needed.
2. Make sure your test the teether by pressing on it against your lips or cheeks. If it burns you with coldness then let it warm up a little, but if it feels like a nice cold drink you would have on a summer’s day, then you’ll know it’s perfect and safe to give to baby.
3. NEVER put the teether into the freezer as it will make the teether go too cold and doing so may damage your baby’s gums.

• Lots of Love and Cuddles!

As a parent, you need to be aware that this is a tough time for your baby and they need your support and love! Just put yourself in their shoes for a moment, if you were in that much discomfort, wouldn't you want hugs and cuddles from your mum, dad and loved ones? So make sure you let them know (without smothering them) that you are there to help them feel better. Cute, lovable toys are always appreciated by baby too!

The good thing about these natural treatments is that you can easily help your baby feel more comfortable in a fun and natural way. But the downside is that most of these methods do not last as long in relieving your baby’s discomfort compared to gels and medicines, and are also not as fast acting either.

Medication*

If you are currently searching for a quicker and longer lasting approach in helping your baby feel more comfortable then the follow methods may be for you. These are the main treatments that have helped many babies get through their teething stage of life and are worth considering if you're after something harder working than the natural remedies. 

Just be aware that if your baby doesn't like the taste of the medicine they are likely to fight against it, not realising that you are only trying to help them.

It is worth exploring the natural remedies first before going down this path as some parents have discovered that this is not always the easiest way to go.

• Lotions

Lotions are a good option to use on babies, as the ingredients in a lotion usually tend to be safer to use on younger babies compared to gels or other medications. Seda – lotion, is a good lotion to use, but any lotion you use will be fine, just make sure you look at the ingredients and check that it doesn't contain Choline Salicylate. Choline Salicylate is said to be derived from asprin and most doctors and nurses agree that you should NEVER give your baby asprin or to any child under 16. It’s not good for them and can cause health issues in the future.

• Gels

There are a large range of teething gels to select from, but the two listed below are among the most popular ones and are also the most trusted as they do work, but please make sure you check the ingredients on the packaging before using.

1. Bonjela teething gel for Babies, make sure the package says “teething gel” as they have different bonjela gels with different ingredients and if you pick the wrong one you might be harming your baby more than helping them.
2. Seda – gel is also another option to use if the Bonjela doesn’t work for your baby.

• Panadol For Babies

Panadol is the preferred medicine to use for anything when your baby is feeling sick or in pain, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that Panadol is again the recommended medicine to use to help your baby seek relief from their discomfort of teething.

• Nurofen For Babies

Nurofen For Babies is a little stronger than Panadol and also not suitable for younger babies, but if your baby is old enough and Panadol doesn’t seem to be helping them as much, then Nurofen For Babies may be worth considering. Just make sure you use the correct dosage and that you baby is the correct age before proceeding with the use of Nurofen For Babies.

So what should you do & which method is best? 

All in all, there is no right or wrong with which option or method you decide to use for your baby as it is primarily up to personal choice and your individual circumstances. You’ll definitely need to trial different methods to find the one that works for your baby and then stick with the one that helps your baby the most.

You might even be able to alternate between different methods throughout the day.

Also, like all teething treatments, the methods provided here will only assist your baby with temporary relief from their discomfort. So just keep in mind that no matter what you do, it will still be a hard time for your baby and it will just come down to loving and caring parenting that helps them get through it! 

 

Have fun taking care of your adorable baby! 

 

 Esther @ The Little Baby Shop  

 http://www.littlebabyshop.com.au

 

 * Please note that all information and commentary provided within this article is for informational purposes only, and shall not be taken as medical advice. If readers require any medical attention or specific advice they should contact a doctor or other appropriately qualified medical professional. The information contained within this article is based on the author's own experience only, and no warranty is given for its accuracy in any way. There is no assurance that any statement contained within this article is accurate, up-to-date or precise and readers shall contact a medical professional before acting upon any information provided. The author is not a medical professional and the information provided herein is, at best, of a general nature, and it shall not substitute the advice or guidance of a medical professional. The Little Baby Shop and its authors shall not take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information presented within this article. 

 

 

All images courtesy of Boians Cho Joo Young, Clare Bloomfield, Imagerymajestic, Serge Bertasius Photography from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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