How to Lessen Teething Discomfort

Teething can cause a lot of discomfort to a baby. At times, a baby that is experiencing pain and discomfort will cry even through the night, causing lack of sleep for both baby and parents. At times no amount of lullaby songs or cuddling can help a teething baby, especially if the pain is unbearable. Here are some tips that can help alleviate teething discomfort for a baby.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Acetaminophen or paracetamol
• Oral/gum gels or solutions (ex: baby Orajel or Anbesol)
• Cotton buds
• Cotton cloth
• Teether

1. If the baby is in a lot of pain, contact your health care provider and ask what kind of pain reliever you can give your baby. The most common answer would be acetaminophen or paracetamol, for example, Tylenol.

2. You can also apply gum gels or solutions (Orajel or Anbesol) using cotton buds.

3. Give your baby a teether. For faster pain relief, you can give a teether that has been frozen or something that has liquid in it. You can also use your clean fingers to rub your baby's gum to relieve discomfort.

4. If a teether is something you want to avoid due to rampant leaded teethers in the market, you can substitute with a piece of cotton cloth that your baby can bite on. Place the cloth in a freezer bag and freeze in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Remove from the freezer bag prior to use. You can freeze several pieces ahead of time so you have extra to use when needed.

5. A pacifier can be given to temporarily relieve pain, but it can be habit-forming so use this only if you're in a public place and the baby is making too much noise. Doing this will not only help you deal with the problem temporarily but can also prevent too much attention drawn towards you. A good example of a time to do this is if you are in church and your baby's crying is interrupting the service.

6. Have your baby drink cold water or milk from the baby bottle. Sometimes, sucking the baby bottle nipple may be a bit painful to a teething baby, so make sure that you cradle and comfort your baby.

7. Consult your doctor or health care provider if everything else fails. There could possibly be another reason for pain, like an infection.

[leelee78]

on 9/1/2009 Great tips! I never thought to use a frozen cloth. I may actually get some sleep tonight!

[Ceile]

on 2/1/2008 What wonderful advice! When my children were teething, many years ago...I would do as you advised and put a cloth in the freezer...it really did help!