Ever since her latest round of teething began, Pumpkin has been really interested in everyone else’s teeth.
She sticks her fingers in my mouth to examine my pearly whites – and apparently does the same thing to Daddy-man.
And she did it to the T-rex at Mini Montessori today too! Before she flipped him over and started chewing on his tail, that is.
I’ve also noticed that when she’s suffering from teething pain, clicking my teeth together a few times and letting her root around in my mouth with her probably-grubby little fingers distracts her – at least for a little while.
(One thing I’ve learned in my short time as a parent: if ANYTHING will distract your baby from pain, even if it’s just for a few moments, you let them do it. Even if that thing is rooting around in my mouth with probably-grubby little fingers.)
Last week, I was invited to an event for National Teething Week with a few other bloggers. It was sponsored by the lovely people over at Camilla and I learned lots about teething. (See my previous post about the signs of teething – I didn’t know there were so many!)
As you would probably expect, a good portion of the morning covered techniques for dealing with teething pain.
Advice from a dentist
Dr Philip Wander, a holistic dentist, talked us through some of the many options for relieving teething pain. These include:
- Giving a dummy
- Offering a teething ring (especially one that has been in the fridge)
- Rubbing the gums (accupressure)
- Distraction
- Lots of cuddles
- Homeopathic remedies – like chamomile, rhubarb and poke root (these are the ingredients in Camilia)
- Over-the-counter medicines – Paracetamol and ibuprofen
- Topical treatments
Obviously, these all have their upsides and downsides, and some will work better for some babies than others. The key is to know about all the options and find a combination that works for your baby (and this combination will probably change!)
Even at her absolute worst, Pumpkin usually calmed down with a cuddle and a walk outside. I think now that it’s cooling down at night, the fresh and slightly chilly air give her something else to think about.
Dr Wander also told us about his “Three Cs”:
- Considerate – Be aware of what’s going on with your baby and remember that there’s always a chance that what your little one is experiencing may not be teething pain. If you’re at all in doubt, seek out medical advice.
- Careful – Be careful with any medications you give. Be sure to read and follow the instructions carefully and always give the right dose.
- Caring – It can be hard when you’ve missed sleep and your little one has been fussy and irritable for days. But it won’t last forever (normally, it’s only about eight days) and the poor babies don’t understand what’s going on. Give lots of cuddles, be patient and do what you can to get everyone through it comfortably.
We were also reminded NOT to give honey or jam on the dummy. It doesn’t relieve pain, it gives the baby an unnecessary dose of sugar and it’s not good on little teeth. Also, honey can be dangerous for babies under a year old.
Baby massage
We also got a chance to try some baby massage techniques. The lovely Eva from And Chillax gave us a mini masterclass in soothing baby and providing distraction from teething pain.
I tried massage on Pumpkin when she was younger – but she was not a fan.
This time, she was too busy trying to explore her new surroundings to hold still long enough for me to actually practice any of the techniques that Eva showed us.
But, luckily, we were given some information to take home and when we tried it later, she loved it – especially the foot rubs (apparently, she takes after Daddy-man).
As well as showing us different massage techniques, Eva gave us a few top tips for massaging baby:
- Always tell the baby what you’re going to do – she combines this with a sign (rubbing her hands together)
- Sing along with the massage – this keeps baby entertained and helps to ensure that you give enough attention to each body part. She has a different song for each massage.
- Keep the room nice and warm – you don’t want baby to get cold!
- Sunflower oil – she gave us a bottle of the organic sunflower oil that she recommends – apparently, it’s better for the skin than the olive oil I was previously told to use. It does seem to be lighter and not nearly as greasy.
Look after yourself
One last thing: Dr Wander was keen to point out was the fact that parents need to be taken care of too. A few bad days of teething can take a lot out of Mummy and Daddy, as well as baby, so be sure to do what you can to keep yourself relaxed and rested (being calm yourself can help your baby feel more comfortable too).
The main ingredients in Camilia are great for relaxation, we were reminded, so a cup of chamomile tea or rhubarb tea can be a good way for parents to unwind.
I’d never tried rhubarb tea until recently. But it’s really nice – and nice hot cup of it definitely helped me recover from a difficult day.
Do you have any advice for relieving teething pain? I’d love to hear it! Please share in the comments below.
To find out more about teething, National Teething Week and Camilia, visit http://nationalteethingweek.co.uk/
Disclaimer: I was invited to an event sponsored by Camilia, where they fed me well and gave me a lovely gift bag that included the tea and bear featured above. All opinions are 100% my own.
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Hello there, I really enjoyed your post and it would have been very useful when our little man was teething. We found that the Teetha powders worked really well and seemed to calm him down quite a bit. x #binkylinky
Thanks for your comment. I’ve heard about the powders but haven’t tried them. Might need to add them to my collection of treatment options though!
Fab advice! Baby massage is great for teething when they are tiny and will stay still 🙂 Luckily a good chew on pretty much whatever comes to hand and distraction works for us during the day. At night Calpol and teething powders do the trick. Only four more molars to go and we’ve cracked the milk teeth! Thanks for sharing x
She still likes the massage – but won’t stay still for it for very long. The molars seem to be the worst. Good luck!
I love this, some really good teething tips. Never tried baby massage, must look into that #mummymonday
Thanks! Hopefully it’s helpful. 🙂
Fab tips, it’s so hard when my son is teething, I know it’s not his fault but with no sleep and crying it can be so tough to remain as patient as I should!
I’ll certainly be doing a few of these tips during his next session xx
It’s so hard to be patient through it. Definitely remember to take care of yourself too. I think that was the best piece of advice I took from the event! Can’t take care of baby if you don’t take care of yourself, y’know?
Teething is the pits, gel and nurofen helped here. Thanks for linking up x
Nurofen and Calpol definitely work wonders! Thanks for the linky!
Very informative and useful post. Baby L is 15 weeks now and showing (what we think) are signs of teething. Not really looking forward to when they start coming through!
Thanks. Hopefully it’s useful. Good luck with the teething!
Ah my 14 week old is already teething bless him!! At the moment we’re just battling with teething gel and calpol but I keep being recommended teething powders, so we may give them a go.
I think it’s good to have a variety of things to choose from. That way you can mix it up and only use what baby needs. Good luck!