Tristan started teething at an early age - 3 months to be exact. His two bottom teeth came at the same time and then we were bombarded with teeth (for what seemed like) weeks and weeks after that. Currently, he's 9 months old with 11 teeth - and two of these are his 18 month molars. So.... I feel like I've become an expert when it comes to this particular milestone in a baby's life.
Luckily for us, Tristan has handled teething pretty well. When those two little white buds began to pop out, I didn't know what was coming. He was constantly chewing on his little fingers, but I was thinking that was because he had just figured out how to get them in his mouth! It wasn't until I was making him laugh when I actually saw something white under his tongue and I started to freak out, thinking of course that he had put something in there and he was going to choke! Lo and behold, he had two little toofers, as we like to call them, growing out of his super pink and slightly swollen gums. Ah. Well. This makes sense. No wonder he's had a harder time falling asleep, staying asleep, keeping things out of his mouth, etc. So, I did the next thing I knew I should do - get out the teething ring. Oh. But wait. The teething ring isn't really made for tiny 3 month old mouths. Plus, he couldn't grip it to hold it yet. I had 3 different rings and all of them were too big. Bummer.
So, what was next on my list? Go to the pharmacy and get some teething medicine to help sooth his sore gums. But wait. All of the medications say not for infants under 4 months. Um... what?!? I talked the pharmacist who suggested I call Tristan's pediatrician. The nurse I spoke with on the phone didn't quite believe that my little baby had two teeth already and I could feel 4 more on the way. She didn't seem as concerned for his sore gums as I was. Because Tristan has always been on the bigger side, I was given the go-ahead to start using baby Orajel, even though Tristan was still 3 weeks shy of being 4 months.
But boy did it do wonders! I didn't want to overuse the product, and I never want to give Tristan Tylenol unless it's absolutely necessary, so I went back to searching the internet for some home remedies.
Because my sweet baby started sprouting teeth at an alarming rate, seriously 1 or 2 at a time non-stop, I came up with a plan that worked (is still working) for us:
1. Baby Orajel (Naturals) is magic - I tried the cheaper brands, but they seem to wear off at a much quicker rate. I would rub some medicine on his gums every time I would put him down for a nap or bed time. It would help sooth the pain so that he could fall asleep.
2. Gum Massage - Tristan always wakes up happy and that's the time I use as an opportunity to massage his little gums with a clean finger. Sounds a little weird, but hey, he likes it because he gladly sits still while I feel for gums that are swollen - - plus, I can feel if any more teeth are getting ready to pop out.
3. A cold washcloth - I would take a baby washcloth, dip it in baby water and put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes ( NOT THE FREEZER ). Since teethers didn't fit, baby wash cloths could. Just make sure they're not dripping! This is nice because he could hold it, I could see it, and it felt so good to his little gums.
4. Chilled fruit - I had to wait on this one for a while until my little guy was older, but once he hit 4 months and I got the go-ahead for food, we would put a banana in the fridge, get it really good and cold, mash it up and rub it on his gums. Worked like a charm, and introduced a new yummy food.
I'm sure there are other methods one can follow when trying to find relief for a little teething guy or gal, but these are the tricks that worked for us. I must say that Tristan is a little trooper and takes his teething in stride. Thankfully, he's tough like daddy and happy like mommy so it all works out for the best. :)
Good luck with those little teething munchkins!!
Luckily for us, Tristan has handled teething pretty well. When those two little white buds began to pop out, I didn't know what was coming. He was constantly chewing on his little fingers, but I was thinking that was because he had just figured out how to get them in his mouth! It wasn't until I was making him laugh when I actually saw something white under his tongue and I started to freak out, thinking of course that he had put something in there and he was going to choke! Lo and behold, he had two little toofers, as we like to call them, growing out of his super pink and slightly swollen gums. Ah. Well. This makes sense. No wonder he's had a harder time falling asleep, staying asleep, keeping things out of his mouth, etc. So, I did the next thing I knew I should do - get out the teething ring. Oh. But wait. The teething ring isn't really made for tiny 3 month old mouths. Plus, he couldn't grip it to hold it yet. I had 3 different rings and all of them were too big. Bummer.
So, what was next on my list? Go to the pharmacy and get some teething medicine to help sooth his sore gums. But wait. All of the medications say not for infants under 4 months. Um... what?!? I talked the pharmacist who suggested I call Tristan's pediatrician. The nurse I spoke with on the phone didn't quite believe that my little baby had two teeth already and I could feel 4 more on the way. She didn't seem as concerned for his sore gums as I was. Because Tristan has always been on the bigger side, I was given the go-ahead to start using baby Orajel, even though Tristan was still 3 weeks shy of being 4 months.
But boy did it do wonders! I didn't want to overuse the product, and I never want to give Tristan Tylenol unless it's absolutely necessary, so I went back to searching the internet for some home remedies.
Because my sweet baby started sprouting teeth at an alarming rate, seriously 1 or 2 at a time non-stop, I came up with a plan that worked (is still working) for us:
1. Baby Orajel (Naturals) is magic - I tried the cheaper brands, but they seem to wear off at a much quicker rate. I would rub some medicine on his gums every time I would put him down for a nap or bed time. It would help sooth the pain so that he could fall asleep.
2. Gum Massage - Tristan always wakes up happy and that's the time I use as an opportunity to massage his little gums with a clean finger. Sounds a little weird, but hey, he likes it because he gladly sits still while I feel for gums that are swollen - - plus, I can feel if any more teeth are getting ready to pop out.
3. A cold washcloth - I would take a baby washcloth, dip it in baby water and put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes ( NOT THE FREEZER ). Since teethers didn't fit, baby wash cloths could. Just make sure they're not dripping! This is nice because he could hold it, I could see it, and it felt so good to his little gums.
4. Chilled fruit - I had to wait on this one for a while until my little guy was older, but once he hit 4 months and I got the go-ahead for food, we would put a banana in the fridge, get it really good and cold, mash it up and rub it on his gums. Worked like a charm, and introduced a new yummy food.
I'm sure there are other methods one can follow when trying to find relief for a little teething guy or gal, but these are the tricks that worked for us. I must say that Tristan is a little trooper and takes his teething in stride. Thankfully, he's tough like daddy and happy like mommy so it all works out for the best. :)
Good luck with those little teething munchkins!!