Teething Tips
Written by: Francine Breslin
‘He’s probably teething’
This is something which has been said to me over & over again since having my little boy. Teething, teething, teething. Everything gets blamed on those illusive teeth but there are so many different symptoms, & remedies. It’s a minefield!
My little boy started dribbling…I mean really dribbling…at about 5 weeks old. We were going through at least 8 soaked through bibs a day. ‘Oh he’s definitely teething’ is what everyone told us…his first tooth came through 9 months later! That is a long time to be teething with no sign of actual teeth. One thing I didn’t know before having a baby is that the teeth are busy moving round & getting into place way before they actually emerge from the gum which is why teething tends to take a looong time. A long & often painful time.
Looking online at signs of teething or ways to ease the discomfort opens up a whole new fountain of fun. I found lots of conflicting information so I thought it might be useful to compile a list to help shed some light on things.
Common symptoms of teething:
Chewing on items and fingers
Drooling
Irritability
Swollen gums
Grabbing/rubbing ears
Rubbing face
Off their food
Difficulty sleeping
Teething rash/red cheeks
Runny nose
Diarrhoea/nappy rash
Blood blister in the mouth
Raised temperature
Some things that helped us along the way…
Dribble bibs
Dribble bibs became my new best friend.
Cloud and Cuckoo dribble bibs are super absorbent perfect for any teething baby or toddler. Cut to fit snug around the neck they keep your baby dry and help to prevent rashes. Made from cotton and lined with micro fleece Cloud and Cuckoo dribble bibs trap excess moisture and reduce the amount bib changes throughout the day.
Invest in a decent teether
Anything they can get their hands on goes straight into the mouth.
They seem to find great relief in biting and chewing anything, hence our reason for designing ‘My Friend Goo’.
Distraction techniques
Poor things, nothing you do can soothe them. They don’t want to be held, but they don’t want to be put down. Nothing you can do is right. Bad times in baby-land. I tried a million and one different distraction techniques, listening to music, singing, dancing, favourite toys, bouncing on my yoga ball whilst holding him (at times rather vigorously), reading a book. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn’t but it was worth a try.
Carrot, celery and cucumber sticks
These are great for biting even before the teeth come. The other great thing is you can leave them in the fridge or freezer so they are lovely and cold.
Frozen Fruit
Similar to carrots, celery and cucumber; frozen fruit like berries and bananas, are another way to soothe sore gums (wait a ten minutes or so when you take the fruit out of the freezer).
Knotted frozen flanel/muslin
I know this sounds a bit weird but I cut up a square of muslin tied them into a knot, ran them under cold water and then left them in the freezer for emergencies when his mouth was really hot. This might not work for everyone but again in my darkest moments anything was worth a go.