Teething can be tough on babies, and mommies too! There are so many fantastic teething options available now, that I didn’t know existed when my 8 year old was teething! Here are some tips, and great products you might want to try.
Go for the cold
Cold can feel great on baby’s tender gums. Try moistening half of a clean washcloth, then placing it in the freezer. When it’s nice and chilly, give it to your baby to chew on. If your baby is eating solid foods, try frozen foods in a mesh feeder. If not, try a frozen cube of breast milk or formula in the feeder.
Note that many liquid filled teethers aren’t designed to be frozen (check with the manufacturer.)
Go Home(opathic)
Teething tablets are back on the market, and contain homeopathically prepared plant ingredients to relieve pain, swelling, irritability and wakefulness associated with teething. The homeopathic teething gel has no numbing ingredients or artificial dyes or flavors.
Baltic Amber contains succinic acid that is absorbed through the skin to relieve teething pain. My boys wear their necklaces all the time. In fact, even though I was holding/nursing my son, who was wearing one as I typed this post, I forgot to include them. Oops!
Think outside the plastic
The BPA, PVC & Phthlate free teethers are adorable, many double as toys, as some are even sustainably made. When you think “teether,” do you think plastic? Think again.
Natural Rubber Vulli‘s Sophie the Giraffe is probably the most well known rubber teether, but companies like Hevea and Natursutten offer them as well.
Silicone Chewbeads makes chic jewelry for mom to wear & baby to gnaw on. Jellystone Designs also has wearable teething jewelry, along with some very cool BPA free teethers shaped like skateboards, smartphones, chocolate bars & more.
Wood Wood teethers? Yep! Haba, Hape and Lifecircles and Little Sapling (among others!) make beautiful toys/rattles teethers, that are either sanded smooth (no finish) or are finished with safe paint.
Fabric Fabric teethers are adorable, and double as toys. Some brands are Dandelion, Dress Me Up Organic, Babykicks (and others!) make organic fabric toys & rattles that are the perfect size for little hands, and don’t have any doo-dads that could make it unsafe to chew. Combining wood and fabric, KangarooCare care makes beautiful necklaces with wood and crocheted fabric. Not only are they great for baby to gnaw on, but they are great distractors!
I love that there are so many teethers that will remain favorites for years to come. I’d gladly wear a lot of the jewelry even after my children are all out of the teething stage!
What is your favorite teething pain relief tip or product?
