any tips on dealing with teething?

Question

Our son of 18 month is cutting the final very back teeth and it is a living nightmare for the whole household at the moment.He as been up for the last two nights and not settling much at night,he is slavering loads too.I have tried calpol which does help abit but as for bonjella he refuses me going anywhere near his gums with that stuff.I just need some more tips.I have been trying cold drinks and ice pops just to ease the pain too but as anyone got any suggestions on how to keep a teether settled at night?i am desperate to sleep.Thankgod these are his final,he as not been this bad with the rest he as cut.HELP!

Answer 1

Massage those gums. Gentle pressure can help relieve teething pain. Softly rub the baby's gums with a clean finger.

Cool it. Giving the baby something cold to chew on not only helps soothe inflamed gums, but it can distract the child. A cold washcloth or chilled pacifier will work, though something tasty -- like a frozen banana or cold carrot -- might keep the baby preoccupied longer.

You can let the child suck on an ice cube, but only if it's wrapped in a washcloth and only if you keep an eye on the child at all times to make sure he or she doesn't choke. And if the child is very young, you need to hold the washcloth for the child. Letting the child chew directly on the ice could harm his or her gums. The washcloth also makes holding the ice more comfortable and can help prevent it from sliding down the child's throat.

Baby-bottle it. Try this trick: Fill a baby bottle with water or juice, tip it upside down so the liquid flows into the nipple, and place it in the freezer in that position until frozen. The baby can then happily gum the bottle's frozen nipple. Just be sure to check the nipple from time to time to be sure it's still all in one piece.

Let 'em chew. Chewing can help teeth work their way through the gums, so keep your baby's jaws moving. Any object is fair game as long as it's clean, nontoxic, chewable, and either too large or too small to block the child's airway should it get swallowed.

Keep those jaws moving! Give your baby plenty
of things to chew on to lessen teething pain.

You might try giving the baby apple wedges, or for younger babies, apple wedges placed in a washcloth that you hold. You can even try soaking a washcloth in water, freezing it, and then allowing the child to chew on a corner of the frozen cloth. Commercial teething biscuits are a good choice, too (although they can be messy), and slightly stale bagels make excellent baby chewies.

Distract them. The best solution may be to keep your baby's mind off his or her erupting gums. Try playing together with a favorite toy or rocking or dancing around with the child in your arms. Sometimes, a rousing game of peekaboo is all that's needed to distract baby from the discomfort.

Try pain relievers. An over-the-counter pain reliever designed specifically for children, such as children's-strength liquid acetaminophen (Children's Liquid Tylenol is one brand), can offer relief for up to four hours. You can't give children pain relievers around the clock, however, so save them for when they are most needed -- such as bedtime or when none of the other suggestions is helping. Be sure to follow the package directions carefully, and don't give the medicine more often than three times in 24 hours.

Numb those gums. Commercial oral anesthetic teething gels (for example, Orajel and Anbesol) give temporary relief (30 to 40 minutes worth) and can often get baby through a difficult time.

Keep a towel handy. Teething often causes plenty of drooling, and the saliva can cause skin irritation that will only make baby feel more uncomfortable. Keep a soft towel handy to wipe off the baby's mouth and chin area. If that isn't enough, protect the skin with petroleum jelly or zinc oxide ointment.

Answer 2

You could put a teaspoon in the freezer for 5 minutes, then massage the gum area with the back of it. The cold numbs the pain, and the massage helps cut the gum.

Also, you could try giving medised at night time instead of calpol. Medised does the same thing as calpol, but it has a drowsy effect, so 10 minutes after you give it to your son, he will sleep for about 4 hours (or longer if you're lucky)! Also, a lot of mums don't realise, but you can administer 10ml of medicine (ie 2 spoonfuls rather than 1) in one go once the child is over 12 months....check the packaging.

Good luck with it!

Answer 3

I have a bad teether... no amount of teething gel worked on my little guy. I used a chilled washcloth for him to bite/suck on, and frozen teething rings (though he wanted nothing to do with those). Now that he has some teeth, the washcloth doesn't work anymore, but he still has a hard time with teething. I give him paracetamol if he is having a really bad time and ice lollies to suck on. Other than that, he just gets more cuddles and gets to sleep in my bed when the teething's bad. Bepanthen, for really bad nappy rashes :).

Answer 4

Sounds weird, but rubbing Children's Benadryl on his gums might help. It sounds like you're not in the US so I'm not sure if it's called the same thing....Benadryl is an antihistamine for allergies. Also, you could peel an apple or watermelon or mango(something mealy), stick it in the refrigerator for a bit and let him gnaw on it. But at night, the only thing that helped my son was Tylenol(calpol) or Ibuprofen. Does he have a pacifier? That also may help at night by giving him something to chew on, but you may not want to start down that path! Other than that, you'll just have to ride it out! Sorry!

Answer 5

When my son was working on his back molars, it was horrible. Teething tablets seemed to work, also buy some green onions, put them in the freezer and let him chew on them. I don't know what it is about them, but it seems to calm them down. Cold carrots help also.

Answer 6

Lots of cuddles and a couple of those teething rings that you can cool in the fridge should help. ( I have had 6 kids through this stage)

Answer 7

mum of 8...Have you tried teething gel,or you can try teething bonjella. Its not as strong and the taste is ok.. I found that a frozen slice of carrot helps...But i would recomend a little bit of whisky wiped on his gum with your finger...Numb them up and then go for the teething bonjella... That should work...

Answer 8

What I did with my son at the stage was take a washcloth, wet it, then freeze it. He would chew on that until it thawed out. I kept several washcloths in the freezer so he could have one right after the other. It worked for him.

Answer 9

My suggestion is go for hot milk. Not boiling but a little bit hot than warm. He will chew the nipple of the bottle for sure but once the warm milk enters his mouth, he will feel soothing.

Also try to soak a cloth in hot water and press it against his jaw or cheek from outside. According to my grandmother, Rum helps babies to relax in emergencies. I am not suggesting you to get your kid drunk. I am parting with information only.

Good luck.

Answer 10

My son chewed on my finger it hurt me but it got his teeth through quick.