TIPS AND TRICKS TO HELP YOUR TEETHING TOT
Like everything baby related because babies are all different they will all experience teething differently. One of my friends has three children now and this is the first time teething has caused chaos in their house. The other two dribbled and drooled but this little fella is not sleeping, his routine is completely out of whack, he’s refusing food and in turn it’s disturbing the other two kids as well.
Teething can be a testing time for everyone. I often think how cruel it is that our little ones have to go through such pain but the only silver lining here is they don’t remember: but we do! James started teething early, he was just nearly three months old and as he didn’t sleep for about two years I didn’t really know any different but boy if you’ve had two sleepers and then a child who is suddenly not sleeping it can be really tough.
You feel so helpless as a parent watching them with their red cheeks, eating their hands and yours and drooling all over everything and everyone they come into contact with. The symptoms of teething can vary depending on when your child is cutting his or her first tooth. My sister was actually born with a tooth but the majority of babies start teething between four and nine months and don’t panic if your baby is not teething yet because some little ones may start teething as late as one year of age.
The individual and very different teething experiences that babies go through mean experts often disagree about the symptoms of teething. However most parents notice some of the following in their little one – drooling, biting, irritability, ear pulling and sleeplessness. In the beginning you might be dealing with a lot of dribble for quite a while. There are some amazing brands around now like Cozi Dry.
Emily Godson came up with the idea for this product when each of her three babies drooled incessantly while they were teething. She remembers her ‘eureka’ moment, whilst changing her baby’s vest for the 100th time and she wondered why she had never thought of the idea before when she was designing kid’s clothes. She sells vest, bibs and gift sets ranging from €18-75 www.cozidry.com
If you are trying to take shortcuts in life make them worthwhile. I’m a great believer in using products that work and vests like these help prevent your babies clothes becoming damp which can lead to colds and skin rashes.
There are also lots of great bibs on the market like the neckerchew €15.99 from www.cheekychompers.com that are a bib and a teether in one! Your baby will love the chewy piece on the corner of these bibs which means no more teething toys being flung around the car, restaurants or even when you’re out for a walk!
As far as pain management goes I used Teetha (€6.49 www.earthmother.ie) all the time. James actually recognized the little sachets after a while and used to get very excited when I took them out which led me to believe it gave him great relief. The Nelsons Teetha Teething Granules are a homeopathic remedy, which is another reason I felt so comfortable using them. As James was so young I really didn’t want to be giving him medicine all the time. I used their teething gel (€5.99) at night before I put him down and if he was struggling during the night I would rub some more on.
Keeping lots of bits and pieces in the freezer was also my savior. When James was a bit older and eating solids I used the Clevamama Clevafeed (€6.99), which is great for putting frozen fruit into and they can chew away to their hearts content. Never leave your child unattended with these items though.
It’s normal for sleeping and eating patterns to be disrupted during this time and if you have a teething tot you will need a lot of patience and cuddles to hand but it’s important to note that if your baby is experiencing diarrhoea or has a temperature or if you detect bleeding of the gums or if you are worried about your baby’s symptoms please consult your doctor.