My granddaughter has started teething! At first we didn’t think teething was the issue but very soon came to realize that those tiny, baby teeth were causing not so tiny discomfort.
Maia was complaining, not crying but complaining. She was waking up a few times at night which was unusual and her little cheeks were very flushed. I kept putting feeling around for those tiny, telltale bumps but none were to be found. Then on the weekend I took Maia to lunch with a friend of mine ( her first ladies lunch!) and my friend said “she’s teething”. I couldn’t believe it, all my poking around in her mouth and no signs of teething. Cheryl takes one look at her and diagnosis the complaining.
True enough, three days later her little teeth started coming through. In the interim I have researched remedies for teething tots.
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When babies are teething, they tend to put any new item directly into the mouth. Partly curiosity and partly an attempt at pain management, infants feel the urge to bite and chew. As the teeth are growing, the cells in the gum tissue above the teeth begin to break down, which helps the teeth slide through. The urge to bite or chew is a good thing, because the added pressure helps break down the gum tissue. Give your child something to chew on! You can find homeopathic ice pops, teething cookies, tablets and gels to help relieve your baby’s teething pain. Some remedies sound exotic, using strange ingredients like whole honeybees or infinitesimally small doses of belladonna; others include the use of chamomile or pulsatilla (pasqueflower). They are all quite safe.
Other natural remedies include herbs and oils, which can alleviate pain or help your baby calm down and get to sleep. One common remedy for the pain of toothache and teething is clove oil. Cloves contain oils that have warming, numbing properties, so that even holding a whole clove against a sore tooth with your tongue can ease the pain long enough to get to your dentist. Clove oil can be rubbed on sore gums to relieve pain, but only use a tiny amount: too much can upset your baby’s stomach. Other homemade remedies include letting your infant chew on a natural licorice stick (the herb, not candy!) You can find natural licorice in health food stores: real licorice feels cool and also numbs the gums when your baby chews on it. Wild fennel, a relative of licorice, grows in disturbed areas in Northern California and other parts of the country: you may be able to harvest it yourself along the bike paths. The feathery, fern-like leaves and hollow stalks can be chewed or sucked for a cooling, licorice-tasting treat.
Some parents find that rubbing a little pure vanilla extract on the baby’s gums can soothe the crying child: this home remedy may work in three ways. First, merely rubbing baby’s gums can ease the pain by creating opposite pressure; second, the alcohol in vanilla extract will create a warm sensation that is temporarily comforting. The third way this remedy may work is in the calming properties of vanilla itself. Vanilla is known as a soothing yet energizing agent that reduces anxiety and promotes feelings of well-being. Besides that, vanilla has long been used to cure stomach distress: a baby whose stomach is mildly upset from crying or swallowing large amounts of drool may find vanilla soothing to the tummy as well as the nerves.
*Taken from parenttime.com
p.s. Sophie the Giraffe also soothes gums , Maia loves Sophie!
