Here’s another post from our Parent Panel member Emma, author of Me, The Man and The Baby

When my son was born I thought the worst things we would have to deal with would be those occasional bad nappies and projectile vomiting moments. We were wrong.

By the time Oli was 6 months we had the issue of teething to deal with. Every baby is different so this can happen at any time. Here are my tips:

The main signs of a teething baby are red cheeks, excessive dribbling, loss of appetite, disturbed sleep, wanting to chew your fingers off (my finger was my son’s main teether) and sometimes nappy rash.

Teething toys, which you don’t always need to stick in the freezer; a half hour in the fridge cooled our toys enough to provide the comfort needed.

Teething gel We used to rub this on to his gums on a daily basis. When we couldn’t get him to open his mouth or if we were out and about then we used a teething dummy. We even let him use his toothbrush to rub his own gums. You soon discover what will work best to comfort your child.

Teething powder I never used it myself with my son but I have heard the powder helps to generally sooth the child.

Teething necklaces are a natural remedy. They are worn by baby and not chewed. The amber is thought to be a natural analgesic and its soothing qualities are released when the beads are worn next to the baby’s skin.

Teething rails, some cots already come with them and they can be a solution to stop baby from gnawing away at the wood. You will  find that most baby retailers sell non toxic rails which you can attach to your current cot.

There wasn’t a way we could stop the dribble but we used dribble bibs which stopped his clothes getting wet and we made sure we carried spares in case the dribble did get too much.

Anything cold from the fridge was a winner with my son, we went through bags of ice chips, yogurts and frozen bananas in an attempt to soothe the pain. Of course this is something you should supervise when giving your child due to the choking hazard.

You could try having some cool water handy in a bottle/beaker to keep child hydrated and to keep the mouth cool & refreshed.

If Oli was having trouble with teething pain, especially in the evenings, we gave him some calpol just to take the edge off. Always follow the dosage instructions.

We were still dealing with the issue of teething when Oli had his first birthday, he was still suffering with the discomfort of his back molars so we used distractions to take his mind off it such as nursery rhymes/the park as well as the other suggested teething solutions.

Most importantly cuddles and comfort can be the biggest relief to baby, letting them know you are there for them and giving them a big squeeze can sometimes be the best remedy.

There is light on the other side, trust me. The last few teeth didn’t seem to bother Oli as much as the first several, it’s like he got used to it over time. He has them all through now so I suppose we’ll be visited by a certain fairy before we know it.

Competition: One person who shares their teething tips either as a comment after this post or on our Facebook page will win a BornFree Gumbrush teether. Last entries by Weds 3rd Nov.

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who left a comment, our winner is Vic. Congratulations!

Share on Facebook