October 07, 2019
Welcoming a new baby into the home is hard enough—late nights, early mornings, and endless diaper changes—but adding teething to the mix can turn your bundle of joy into a bundle of tears. If your baby is cranky and you can’t figure out why, keep an eye out for drooling, chewing on objects, or sore and tender gums, as these may mean your baby is teething.
Here are some tips to help your little one through this uncomfortable process:
Remember when you were a kid, and a new tooth began to grow in behind the baby tooth that fell out? That soreness is the same your baby is feeling—an uncomfortable pressure that causes the urge to chew and bite on different objects. To relieve some of this pressure in situations where you might not have anything safe for your baby to chew on, try carefully massaging their gums with a clean finger to ease some of your baby’s discomfort.
Plenty of parents rely on cool objects to help their babies feel better when they’re teething. Placing a wet, clean washcloth in the refrigerator does the trick, but some parents use things like refrigerable teething toys to keep their baby more comfortable, distracted, and entertained.
Giving your baby a snack to chew on is another reliable way to relieve pressure in the gums. Something large and frozen, like a carrot , gives your baby something to play with and frees your hands for other tasks. This tactic should only be used, however, if you can give your baby full supervision.
For babies with severe teething pain, tried-and-true methods might not cut it. The discomfort and distress that comes with teething can cut in to both your and your baby’s health and happiness, so it’s important to take action if you think your baby’s teething is excessively painful. Things like baby ibuprofen and acetaminophen can help, but always check with your pediatrician before administering medication to your infant.
It’s certainly frustrating, but teething is a natural part of infancy that typically shouldn’t be a cause for concern. Just be sure that you and your baby are getting enough rest so you can get through the teething process as simply as possible.
This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information on this web site is for general information purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or health care provider on any matters relating to your health.
