Your Teething Baby

As your baby grows you will start to see a few different signs that your little one is beginning to teeth. You'll want to pay attention to excessive drooling, hands in mouth, and strong bites on whatever they put into their mouths.

Take a finger and place it in your babies mouth if you don't see any teeth, this way you can see if you feel some pressure from the top and/or bottom gums. The bottom teeth tend to come in before the top and you can usually feel a hardness underneath the gums. With my little guy it only took about a week for me to see them and for them to push through (two at one time)!

Depending on the age of your baby you can anticipate what teeth to expect and how you can help sooth their pain. Below is a table showing between what ages how many teeth will come in.

There are several options when picking the right teether for your baby. The type of teether you use can depend on how old your baby is, how sensitive they are, and how severe the pain is. Hopefully, you got a ton of teethers at your baby shower so you can test some out and see if any brand works better than others. Below I have broken down a few different teether options depending on how early or late your baby is teething.

Store Bought Teethers

When going to the store to purchase teethers it can be a lot to take in. There are SO many different types of teethers out their today- massaging teethers, vibrating teethers, frozen teethers, etc. The number one thing you'll want to look for when purchasing anything for your baby, especially anything they'll be putting in their mouth, is that it is BPA FREE.

For anyone who doesn't know what BPA stands for, it is an industrial chemical known as Bisphenol A. It has been used to make certain plastics and can be found it polycarbonate plastics. Common items that may contain BPA are things like plastic containers and water bottles. BPA can be harmful to your baby and even you if their is any left over after the production of the product. It can seep into food and/or beverages and enter your body during consumption. BPA has been known to lead concerns on brain health, as well as overall health of infants and children. So overall let's just stay away from the BPA and make sure to look into any chemicals you see listed on baby teethers as well as any baby products.

A good tip someone told me a couple years ago:

"If you can't say it, don't eat it!" (or put it in your baby's mouth.)

Now, that I've scared you into oblivion (my apologies) let's break down a few brands I use that are store bought and BPA free! Nuby is a very common teether brand that has many different styles of teethers. You can find vibrating teethers, frozen teethers, and even teething bibs. The teething bibs especially come in handy if you have an excessive drooler and want to keep them dry while also giving them an option to bite on for relief. You can see a few Nuby products in the picture below.

My guy loves the chill-able teethers and so I have a variety of those. One I had gifted to me was a little stuffed animal with a teether attached. The one I have is from Carters but you can also find them at Osh Kosh! I just throw the whole thing in the freezer and hand it to him before he goes down for a nap.

Another brand that has a great reputation for teethers is Dr. Brown's. You may have seen the Dr. Brown's logo since they are also a bottle manufacture. This brand gives you a variety of teethers to choose from as well as a breakdown of just what age you might need them at.

If you have a different bottle brand chances are it may have come with a teether of some sort. We have MAM bottles and our gift set came with a pacifier style teether. It looks like a regular pacifier only slightly bigger. This is a great teething option to thrown in the freezer and clip on to your little one if you're heading to the store or just hanging out around the house. This teether has tons of ridges so there is a lot of texture going on. The best part is a regular pacifier clip will usually clip right onto it, so it won't get lost or fall on the floor!

Homemade Teethers

If your more of an all natural and crafty DIY mama you might want to just make your own teethers! You can purchase some washcloths and tie them up into a cute style (bunny ears) and wet them and throw them into the freezer. It's a nice soft teether for them to chew onto when the teeth coming in are causing a lot of sensitivity on their gums. If you're really crafty with he DIY you can find instructions on how to make wooden baby teething rings using some essential oils and coconut oil.

Frozen Fruit

My current go to for my guy, since he is big enough for baby food and is transitioning to the next level, is frozen fruits. It's also great for me because I'm usually killing two birds with one stone by feeding him and soothing his pain.

You can find mesh teethers that allow you to place frozen fruits into it to easily and safely allow your baby that cool and yummy relief without choking. Or if you're feeding you can freeze a peeled banana and let him chew on it. The cold but soft texture will soften with his saliva and bring him some relief while he fills his belly.

Another way you can utilize frozen food is to blend up your own baby food and place it in the fridge. This is especially useful on hot summer days when staying cool is a chore in itself. I usually put half a banana, some berries, almond milk, yogurt, oatmeal and some ice in the blender. Blend till frothy and consistent (no bumps or lumps). Pour into a container and place into the fridge and serve for lunch or snack.

There is no doubt that your baby will wake up in the middle of the night while teething. Be prepared on how to get him or her back to sleep quickly. Have a bottle ready to go in the fridge (not a lot, but just enough). Try serving it to him or her straight from the fridge. The cold might help take some pain away and it will also deflect the from waking up in the middle of the night. Throw the paci back in their mouth and let them fall back asleep. Chances are if your baby usually sleeps through the night they will be so tired that they'll fall asleep easier once some relief comes.

Medicated Relief

If your baby is really struggling and in pain (you'll know the cry) you can give them a little Tylenol. Now, I am not telling you to make this a nightly thing but giving the recommended amount when thigs get really bad is okay. New teeth pushing through can be very painful and you'll want to try all the teether options before just resorting to Infant Tylenol.

There is some dilemma whether the infant Orajel is safe for baby's or not. I personally do not trust it but know that people have used in on their little ones and been okay. Whenever you will be giving your infant a medication or product always check with your pediatrician and see what they think. Get their input, do some research, and go with your gut. You'll know what is safe for your baby and what isn't.

Pacifiers

After washing your pacifiers place them in the fridge or freezer to keep them cold. When you start to hear your baby fuss or wake up grab one and throw it into their mouth. They might just need some cold relief to subside the pain. I usually try to keep 1 or 2 in the fridge so that I am prepared anytime of the day depending on just how bad the tantrum is.