Our top tips and hacks for when you’re trying to soothe a teething baby.
The teething period is one that’s often filled with pain and tears. For both them and you! It’s so difficult watching your little one cry and struggle with sore gums.
We were already fortunate enough to have a guest blogger help us to write 5 teething tips in the past. But as this is one of those topics where we all scavenge the internet for as many ideas as possible, we’ve decided to write 5 more for you. Read on!
1. Distract your tot with plenty of play
It’s difficult to not think about a consistent pain when you’re on your own. We’ve all been there. When your focus is entirely on the pain, so it doesn’t feel like it’s getting any better. In fact, it feels much worse. One of the best things you can do to help soothe your baby and their teething pains is to distract them with something they love more than anything else in the world: you!
While you can’t take the pain for them, you can give them all the love and attention they need to become distracted from their sore gums. Play the familiar favourites, sing their favourite songs, get out their favourite teddies, and get them giggling again.
2. Avoid rashes on chins with Dribble Bibs
When your little ones are teething, you’ll notice that their drooling becomes even more excessive! It’s one of the most common signs that your baby is teething, and you might notice a constant state of dribbling at this stage. You wipe some away, and a minute later your baby is all dribbly again.
This not only leaves you with a slippery messy baby, but it actually puts them at risk of receiving rashes around their chin or mouth. You’ll want to be sure that you’re able to wipe it away as much as you can, and we’d really recommend looking into dribble bibs from small businesses like Totsi. They’re soft, comfortable for your baby, and super absorbent. And you won’t be constantly needing to find new tissues or cloths to wipe away the extra dribble that comes from teething.
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3. Let your little one chew on a cold (clean) flannel
This is a simple hack that won’t require any medication or additional purchases, but should definitely be done for short periods and under adult supervision!
Take one of your baby’s freshly cleaned flannels and put it in cold water. Wring it out until it’s damp (you want to avoid it being sopping wet) and fold it over several times, or tie it in a thick knot. Once there’s a ‘chunk’ so to speak, then give it to your baby to chew and put their gums on.
We’d recommend you don’t make it too cold, and definitely don’t leave them unsupervised for this, as this could be a potential choking hazard. But your baby will appreciate something cold and soft to offer some pain relief in their gums.
4. Once the teeth are visible, our tip is to introduce something “crunchy” for your baby’s teething pains
We wouldn’t recommend any hard boiled sweets or sticky toffee. But once your baby’s gnashers start to peek out, and you’ve started to introduce your little one to solid foods (roughly around 6 months or more), then something crunchy will really start to help.
According to this NHS article, a good thing to introduce is raw fruits and vegetables, so things like slices of apples and carrots are a really good idea. If they’re not quite ready for that, then try some crusty bread or a breadstick. The NHS also recommended soft fruit like melon for when those gums are feeling extra sore.
5. If it gets really bad, then consult your doctor about pain relief
While we want to do what we can to offer tips and relief for teething babies, we also would strongly recommend consulting your GP or a pharmacist for help. If you find that the general tips for a teething baby aren’t helping, and the tears just aren’t going away, then your doctor will be able to advise you on using teething gels, liquids or pain relief medicine to help. We always recommend families to follow parental instinct. If you think your baby needs to see a doctor, then follow your gut.
Disclaimer: We have researched and included robust sources to provide information in this article. However, we are not health or medical professionals and you should always seek medical advice if you are worried about your baby’s health.
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