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Oh, the joys of teething.
Right when you think you’ve found a routine and life is good a tooth decides to make its grand entrance.
Buckle up because this is going to be quite a ride.
Let me tell you, it can easily become an overwhelming time. Here are my tips to make your teething experience less painful for everyone.
Be Prepared for Teething
The first step to surviving teething is being prepared beforehand. You never know when that first tooth will push through, but it will eventually happen. If you suspect your baby is cutting a tooth let’s get going!
Get the products you need immediately! This is one of those times you go running to the store. Whether it is pain medication or throwing teething rings in the freezer get what you need and get it ready.
Things to have on hand include Motrin, Orajel, and teethers. Put items in the freezer for baby. This could be the classic freezer ring, a wet washcloth, and rubber toys, or even a metal spoon that is safe for your baby.
Get what you need and get it now!
Notice the Signs of Teething Coming
My suggestion is to honestly anticipate teething at any and all times. Babies get teeth at different ages.
Some signs of an impending tooth include: drooling, chewing on everything, extra feedings, being clingy and abnormal irritability.
You’re thinking what is up? They are acting off. Then bam, two days later you see the bit of white popping through. And then you realize, that’s why they were off!
If you want to check for a tooth, with clean hands rub your finger along your baby’s gums. With our child’s first tooth we could feel it before we could see it. In most cases, it will be a lower tooth first.
Another fun trick we learned was to hold our child upside down. Now obviously do this safely or not at all!
You know how you play little games where you hold them upside down for a second and they laugh and have a good time. When you do this they will likely open their mouth and you or your partner can get a clear view. This method is much more pleasant than trying to jam your finger way into their mouth and make them unhappy.
This is also a great way to show off their new tooth to someone like Grandma. It is easy and painless and your little one usually thinks it is a great time.
Surviving Teething
At this point you have all the things, you are fairly confident baby is getting a tooth, but what do you do now?
My answer is just to love on them. Give them whatever items you and your doctor deem safe and feel bring your baby comfort. My biggest goal was to comfort my child.
Our freezer was home to pacifiers, wet wash rags, and every teether we owned. I even put their favorite toys in the freezer because I knew they would gravitate towards them. Most simple toys are freezer safe. Keep battery-operated toys out though.
Keep rotating toys in and out of the freezer.
All day.
In and out.
Expect them to nurse way more than normal. Biting can also happen while teething. I was luck to avoid it. Hopefully you will be lucky too!
Nursing comforts them physically and emotionally.
As a nursing momma, I let them eat whenever they wanted. Seeing them struggling and in pain led me to give them whatever comfort I could.
Once we were through the teething we got back on the usual nursing rhythm.
Surviving Sleeping while Teething
Prepare yourself.
Sleep can be rough during teething.
Most children struggle to sleep while teething. They wake up frequently, which may be abnormal compared to what is normal for them. It can be like going back to the newborn phase.
Your baby will likely be exhausted and want to sleep. They are just hurting too bad.
Try to stick to your schedule as much as possible. Get them fed and right back to bed.
Keep it short and sweet. Give them the comfort they need and try to get them back to sleep.
The key is to address their need and get out as quickly as possible.
Don’t let teething ruin all the progress you have made in the sleep department.
Using Medications to Cope with Teething
The common medication for teething is Orajel. This soothing gel is applied directly to your baby’s gums. Always make sure your hands are clean and you follow the directions of the manufacturer’s label and verify it is safe with your doctor.
Motrin or general pain medication is common as well. Lucky for us our baby loves the mixed berry flavor. They get mad when it’s over. I recommend finding one that lasts 8 hours rather than 6 hours.
Our routine was to get them ready for bed. Lotion and jammies complete. Go over to the kitchen for the medicine and then go back to the bedroom to nurse and be put down to sleep.
Have a partner help you with administering the medication. Or if you are on your own have it premeasured and sitting out for you so it is easy to manage.
Try not to rush, force, and restrain your baby. We gave our baby the medicine via a syringe. They got to suck on it and we let them get used to it. Don’t feel like you have to hurry. Keep the situation calm.
If this is the first time giving them medication, consider letting them explore the syringe during the day when it is empty and clean. Safely monitor them if the pieces are small.
At this point they were above six months, fit the weight requirement, and we followed the proper dosage. If your baby does not meet the standard of the manufacturer’s label please consult your doctor.
Sticking to your Routine
My biggest fear during this phase was the idea of spoiling them and not returning to our normal patterns, especially sleep. I didn’t want to ruin the awesome schedule we had established. We stuck to our routine as much as possible.
Our nighttime preparations were for example the same, we just added in the dose of pain meds. Throughout the night they got nursed and put back down, which is how it was when they were an infant.
We didn’t rock them for hours.
We didn’t let them randomly start co-sleeping.
We stuck to our normal outline of a schedule while adding in whatever we could to comfort them.
Our Personal Experience with Teething
Our baby was cutting their first tooth on the longest road trip they had ever been on. It was about a four-hour drive. The night before they were constantly waking up, but we blamed it on being a different location. Turns out it was a tooth!
While traveling home I did my best to make them comfortable, but they were struggling. I loaded up my water cup with as much ice as I could fit and did a pacifier rotation. One pacifier was in their mouth while the other was soaking in ice-cold water.
I considered this a momma hack and a proud moment for sure! Working with what I had available!
Teething is rough. Any time your baby is in pain and you can’t fully help them is hard. Your baby is experiencing pain and discomfort. Other than gnawing on everything within their reach they don’t know how to handle it.
Push through this phase; remember you did the night waking’s for months back when they were a newborn.
This too shall pass, but in the meantime, there is Motrin and Oragel
Once you get through it just know..there are more teeth to come! 🙂
Comment below, what are your biggest concerns or struggles with surviving your baby teething?
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