Oh, What a Relief it is?

What is it about a teeny, tiny tooth pushing through your baby’s gum that wreaks havoc on the entire household?  My first baby was an angel baby when it came to teething.  He would wake up in the morning, we would notice a new tooth, and on we went with our normally scheduled life.  Three of his 2 year-old molars were completely in before we even noticed.  Yes, I realize this is unique, and yes, I am forever grateful at how easy this was for us.  However, this presented a new problem when my second baby, EM, came along. A baby who certainly feels each and every movement of her little teeth as they break through her gums, because we have certainly felt her pain and anguish.  We have had, as a result, no clue how to deal with her discomfort.

The majority of our teething issues have centered around sleep.  With the first few teeth, EM was waking up multiple times a night and would be completely inconsolable.  The only thing that did sooth her was a nursing session.  Before I knew it, a month and four teeth later she was waking 2-3 times per night wanting to nurse.  At 11 months old.  So, yeah, we had to re-evaluate that method of comfort.  (But I will defer to our in-house sleep expert for those helpful tips.  Just know that they worked.) 

We had to get creative to comfort EM during her worst moments. Let’s just say that she is not one to munch on a cold teething ring and go happily on with her life.  The worse it got, the bigger guns we had to pull out, yet, I still try to keep it as natural as possible.  In order of severity of pain, I offer the following list.  (And, no, I am not paid to promote any of these products!)

1.      Boiron Camilia Teething Relief - This is a liquid homeopathic medicine designed to treat teething pain and irritability.  The main ingredient is chamomile.  I found it at my local natural food store but it is also usually available on Amazon.  Bonus side effect:  We have also used this, with success, to calm an out-of-control baby (or toddler) having a severe meltdown. 

2.      Hyland’sBaby Teething Gel – This is a benzocaine-free, all-natural gel for the relief of teething symptoms including pain, excessive drool, and irritability.  I have found this to be usually successful in soothing the pain, however, the effects do not to appear to last for a long amount of time.

3.      Orajel Single Use Swabs – The package says that this product relieves teething pain safely, effectively, and instantly.  Let’s just say that I tried it on my tongue before my child's, and it was like I got a shot of Novocain.  The numbness lasted for a decent amount of time too.  These swabs work very well and instantly ease EM’s discomfort.  I predict we use an entire box when her molars come in.

4.      Acetaminophen/Ibuprofen – I have used both of these pain relievers for teething pain and from what I have observed, the Ibuprofen has done a better job of both easing the pain, minimizing fussiness and irritability, and keeping EM asleep with minimal wakings during the night.

So, there you have it.  In my experience, giving one of the pain relievers (either Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen) along with one of the teething products I noted above was the most effective in relieving discomfort and minimizing the crankiness (read: screaming). 

Sofie - also fun for teething babies.