Your infant is cranky and crying most of the time, you may not be getting good sleep these past nights and having ruff days. If you are feeling overwhelmed and fatigued right now there is hope!
If your baby is crying and fussy with lots of drool and not wanting to eat the same food as before then you need these baby teething tips so you can keep your sanity and help your little one feel better fast.
Remember that this stage won’t last forever even if it feels like it is, these sleepless nights will end and you can get the rest you need and deserve.
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Baby Teething Tips
If your baby is about 5 to 6 months or older then they are most likely teething and the way you can tell is by the amount of drooling, need to chew on things, sore and tender gums according to mayoclinic.org and a low-grade fever. All classic signs that your sweet baby is miserable right now.
No child follows the exact book so you may have a teething infant at two months, it just happens sometimes!
I have been in your shoes a few times and I totally understand if you are frustrated and tired due to the ample lack of sleep these past days or maybe weeks. My poor baby boy got six of his teeth in all at once which doesn’t normally happen but makes for a very cranky baby!!
Here are my tips and tricks that worked like a charm and they will for you too!
I understand how frustrating it is when your baby is upset all the time and your not getting any sleep because of this, it’s enough to make any parent go crazy. All you want to do is get some sleep and feel like a human again and be able to deal with your fussy baby.
This is a big problem with babies and so I decided to write down these tips that worked so well for me with our teething baby and I know they will work for you!
1. Over the Counter Pain Medication
If the pain and crankiness are that bad then you need to use some Tylenol or Motrin ( as long as they are 6 months or older), you will be so thankful that you gave this to your little one because it helps with the pain and swelling.
2. Something Cool
Place a wet washcloth or teething ring in the freezer for an hour or so and let your baby chew on it, this will help with those sore gums and give much-needed relief to both of you. Even a cold spoon against baby’s gums will help as long as they don’t have teeth just yet.
I love these teething toys! They are a three step system for different teeth and they work great.
3. Hard Food
Give your baby a piece of celery to chew on or even a carrot, anything hard that is cold will help get those teeth through the gums and feel good to your baby. Just be sure to watch them that small pieces don’t break off and get choked on.
You can use a mesh bag for this as well so you don’t have to worry about your baby choking on any food.
You can also use teething biscuits that melt on babies’ tongue but help with sore gums.
4. Breast milk
Popsicles are good to use as well, simply pour your milk into an ice cube tray and use a binky for the stick part.
5. Cold Food
Any type of cold food will work well like cold applesauce, yogurt and even taking fruit and freezing it. I would take blueberries and peaches and freeze them so our son had something cold to soothe his gums when he didn’t feel like eating a lot. Also, you can give your child frozen peas and carrots if they are a bit older and have more teeth to chew with.
6. Rubbing Gums
Take your finger and rub along the gum line to help soothe sore gums, this can help when nursing your baby too if they want to bite.
7. Vanilla Extract
Dab your finger with the vanilla extract and run it on babies gums, this works to relieve pain and softens gums so the teeth can come through easier. I know what you may think, yes there is alcohol in it but such a tiny amount and you are just rubbing a drop on babies gums but the results are almost instant.
I recommend this one as a last resort if nothing else is working for you!!
8. Teething Mittens
These are gloves your baby wears that will save their hands from getting sore and chapped from chewing on them and this one that I love and totally recommend comes with a Fruit Feeder Pacifier for those frozen fruits or just cold ones.
9. Teething Necklace
You can get a teething necklace for your little one that you can wear and they will be happy chewing on it. It doesn’t look like a teething necklace and come in a variety of styles to complement any outfit. This is my favorite one that I recommend but feel free to choose whichever one you like! My little guy loves chewing on these when I hold him.
What to Stay Away From That Will Cause Inflammation
There is some food that will make your babies teething pain even worse by causing inflammation and pain according to healthline.com. These things irritate the gums and are something you need to stay away from for the time being.
- Refined Sugar- I know there seems to be sugar in everything but the unnatural ones are the ones to worry about and will cause irritation from the fructose.
- Flour- Yup no bread or anything with flour, it has an effect on the body that causes inflammation when already in pain.
- Processed Meat-Things like sausage, bacon, ham, smoked meat, and beef jerky. These contain more advanced glycation end products that cause inflammation.
- Dairy- contain artificial trans fats
- Margarine- It contains trans fats that will cause irritation because they are unnatural.
- Vegetable and Seed oil-These are highly processed oils and cause inflammation due to the high omega-6-fatty acids.
- Refined Carbohydrates-They have a higher glycemic index than unprocessed carbohydrates and raise blood sugar which makes inflammation.
Try to focus more on fruits and vegetables, natural meats, maybe some seafood (tuna or salmon even white fish as long as it is fresh caught not farmed) Coconut milk is a good alternative to dairy along with avocado and fresh eggs.
Keep on breastfeeding if you are still doing that, this will help your little one get essential nutrients and antibodies to help boost her immune system and fight off any inflammation. Breastfeeding will also be soothing and bring some much-needed comfort at this time as well.
Make sure your little one gets plenty of sleep and has those much-needed naps this will also help keep down the stress and lower inflammation in your baby’s gums. Sleeping is our body’s way of fighting off stress and helps repair anything that is sore or inflamed so it is necessary for your little one to get as much sleep as needed.
Note: Do not use teething tablets as they have been found to cause seizures in babies due to the ingredients in them!!!!
Final Thoughts on Baby Teething Tips
These are my secret tips that worked for my teething babies and I’m sure you will find what will work for you. I’m sure by now you are willing to try anything just to get some much-needed sleep and I do not blame you, momma, teething is tuff on everyone and feels like it goes on forever.
Just use the tips and try to keep your baby as comfortable as possible, I know you will notice a big difference after a few hours of doing these! The nice thing is that these tips work all the way up to 2 years old so there is no need to find a new alternative!!
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