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Just when you had started thinking that your little one would be sleeping through the night, the baby decides to do a concert at 3 A.M and wake up the entire neighborhood. It is certainly an occasion to rejoice when your baby starts getting her first tooth. This is a huge milestone. Moreover, it explains why the baby has been so cranky lately, why she has been a drool factory and why it has become habitual for the baby to stick everything in her mouth.
The baby will have to endure inflamed, painful and swollen gums for days and even months by the time the first tooth finally decides to show up. That’s why they are called cutting teeth because they are nothing short of an ordeal for the kids and the parents as well.
Home Remedies For Teething
Cold Items
Take a plastic bag and put a wet washcloth in it. Keep the bag in the freezer and let it chill for an hour. It can be soaked in chamomile tea as well to have a soothing touch because this tea is known to calm fussy babies and put them to sleep. The baby will enjoy munching on the washcloth when it’s finally removed from the freezer because the pain is numbed by the cold cloth and the ridges in the gums are massaged by the fabric.
A teether or refrigerated pacifier can also be used. However, the teether shouldn’t be kept in the freezer because the baby’s gum might be damaged as it gets too hard. Various refrigerated teethers can be found in the market and some even have plastic handles that will prevent the baby’s hands from getting cold when they pick them up.
Pressure
The sensation of the teething pain can be ignored if pressure is applied on the baby’s gums and that’s what the babies are craving for. If cold items are being rejected by the baby, it might be useful to give them a room-temperature teether to chew on. Vibrating teethers are also available in the market. You can try out different teethers on your baby if one type doesn’t work on them. Another strategy that can be tried out is rubbing your finger on the gums of the baby until a squeaky sound is emitted.
The sound may soothe the baby and the pressure that’s applied will also make them feel good. Take a wet and clean towel or dishcloth and let it get chilled by putting it in the refrigerator. The baby can be given the cloth or towel and allowed to chew on. Not only will the baby like it in their mouth, but inflamed gums will also be soothed with it.
Teething Biscuits
A teething biscuit can also be given to the baby. When the teeth are cutting through the gums, gnawing on these unsweetened and, hard and cracker-like biscuits can be very helpful.
Cold Fruit And Vegetables
Mesh feeders are used by several mothers with frozen mangoes, bananas or other frozen fruits because painful gums can be soothed in this way. A cheesecloth or muslin sack or a knotted handkerchief is a good alternative to a mesh feeder because they are free of any issues related to petroleum-based or plastic synthetics. Re-usable tea bags are also sold by numerous health food stores in an eco-friendly hemp (aff) or undyed cotton. Not only are they safe, but are also ideal for soothing the babies.
However, parents should ensure that they cut the tie string less than 9 inch because anything longer than that can actually become a choking hazard for the little one. A carrot can also be used by parents. But, this should be a big carrot, not a baby-sized one. Get it out of the fridge and allow the baby to gnaw it to their heart’s content.
Clove Oil
This can prove to be highly beneficial for the gums, but if used in excess, it can actually cause the gums to blister.
Use a carrier oil to dilute it and then massage it onto the gums. Take 1 or 2 tablespoons of almond oil or another edible oil and add 1 drop of clove oil to it.
Breastfeeding
Teething can be different for every baby. The pain can intensify by sucking for some babies and they may go on a nursing strike. Others may be comforted and may wish to nurse more often because they use the nipples as a teething toy. If the baby bites during nursing, mothers can rub a finger on the gums to ease their pain.
Plush Teething Toy
When teething is painful, the baby can be given a plush and soft teething toy to chew on. They can be washed in the machine and are soothing. These soft toys are tender on the gums but provide comfort from the constant itching and irritation that babies go through.