I’ll admit it.
When my kids were teething, I went straight for the Tylenol.
Maybe I should have been more hesitant when it came to giving medication*, but I figured both my babies were fussy at the best of times, and I was shooting for instant gratification (well, instant relief).
But I know many of you think twice about giving any type of pain medication, and rightly so. Although it’s tempting (especially at night), there are a few drawbacks to whipping out the Baby Advil willy-nilly:
*Avoid medications that contain benzocaine. Benzocaine products have been associated with a rare but serious blood condition called methemoglobinemia.
Following are 4 all-natural remedies you can try to relieve your little one’s discomfort when in the throes of teething.
These are completely safe to use, without any of the worries associated with analgesics.
If I’m missing your favourite, be sure to let me know in the comments below!
How can a little strand of beads help with teething?
I’ve always been under the impression that amber necklaces worked because it gave the baby something hard to chew on.
However I’ve recently learned that the necklaces aren’t actually even meant to be chewed on.
When the amber beads are warmed by your baby’s skin, they release a natural anti-flammatory, soothing your little one’s pain and having a soothing effect on the nervous system.
Amber has actually been used as a natural pain reliever for centuries (who knew?).
Even when I gave my kids a dose of Tylenol, I often supplemented with a natural or homeopathic medicine.
For those of you that like me, like to make sure all your bases are covered, there are some homeopathic teething medicines like Camilia that are readily available online and at most pharmacies.
Camilia is completely safe for babies and toddlers, and contains no sugar, dyes, preservatives or alcohol.
I don’t found these worked all that well for us, but I’ve heard from some parents who swear by freezable teething toys.
The idea is that they’ll chew on them, and the hard, cold texture will feel good against their gums and numb them a bit.
I LOVE the concept, but just found neither of my kids would actually chew on them! They’d lick them, throw them in the air, and play with them, but in the end, I’d be the one attempting to hold it against their gums (you can imagine how well that worked out).
My kids LOVED chewing on toothbrushes.
The problem with a conventional toothbrush, however, was the gag factor (you know what I’m talking about).
Well apparently they now make a baby toothbrush that appears to be gag-free, soft, and has a nice little handle for baby to hold.
What products work best for your little one? Am I missing any super-amazing products? Let me know in the comments below!
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