Toddler Care - How To Deal With Teething!

Toddler Care - How To Deal With Teething!

Toddler Care - How To Deal With Teething!

Teething can be a hectic time for both your baby and you. Every baby reacts differently to teething but you may find that your baby cries uncontrollably, drools and bites on her fingers. Teething is a painful time for your baby and a very trying time for you. Unfortunately, teething is something every child must go through but here are a few things you can do to help.

Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen

If your baby is experiencing extreme discomfort from teething, you may want to consider giving her acetaminophen or ibuprofen to help ease the pain. Either one will help numb the pain but ibuprofen has the added benefit of being an anti-inflammatory as well. This is especially helpful because as the teeth come in, your baby’s gums can become very red an inflamed from the teeth pushing themselves upwards.

Teething gels

You may have used some sort of tooth gel for yourself in the past and they make them in baby strength as well. Although it seems like a great option to help your baby’s pain, you shouldn’t use this type of teething gel on your baby until she reaches at least 4 months of age. Keep in mind that gels only provide temporary relief and can be washed away in your baby’s mouth, numbing the wrong area. Only apply a small amount directly where it’s needed.

Teething rings

Teething rings can be very useful to help your baby get through some of the pain. If you choose to use a liquid filled teething ring, cool it off in the refrigerator, never in the freezer. A frozen teething ring can shock your baby by being too cold and hard and hurt more than it soothes. There are lots of different teething rings available too. Hard plastic rings with different bumps are wonderful for your baby to bite down on. Biting provides temporary pain relief to your baby, so your baby will want to bite down on something very often.

Popsicles and other cold treats

Giving your child a popsicle or other frozen treat is a great way to help numb your baby’s pain. Like teething rings, your baby will enjoy the coldness of the treat and that in itself with help ease the pain. Since you should limit your baby’s sugar intake in the first year, try to find natural fruit popsicles or other naturally sweet treats. Be careful not to choose a popsicle that has chunks of fruit in them until your baby has enough teeth to chew them properly.

How NOT to deal with teething

You should never go along with anyone’s advice to give your baby alcohol. Whiskey or any other type of alcohol is not a solution for your baby’s pain. In fact, because your baby is so small, just a small amount of alcohol can do a lot of harm to your baby. Try one of the previously mentioned methods for easing your baby’s pain and never resort to alcohol or anything else that might hurt your baby.