7 Easy Steps to Soothe Your Teething Baby

Teething is one of toughest stages new parents go through with their child. During teething, the baby is usually highly irritable without having a reason to be which usually leaves parents flustered. On the other hand, combine the irritability with excessive drooling, rejecting food and a couple of other signs; like, swollen gums and attempting to bite absolutely everything, and you have yourself a solid reason. Your baby is, most likely, teething. Between the ages of 4 to 7 months is usually when most babies start teething and with that, babies either exhibit a lot of teething signs and symptoms or none at all. However, one thing that all experts agree on is that teething hurts, this is why it is highly important for you to know how to soothe your aching newborn; for their sake, as well as yours.

1. Massaging the gums

Naturally, when we feel pain, our usual response is to rub that area or massage it just a little bit. Even newborns know that; you will notice that when they start teething, babies will start developing a tendency to rub their faces a lot. After all, researchers did prove that pressure alleviates the pain.

Pediatricians say that a fast and easy way to soothe a teething baby is to gently rub your child’s gums. Make sure that you wash your hands very well beforehand (pun intended) because, as you know, babies have weak immune systems. They are vulnerable to any kind of microbe or bacteria that enters the body.

2. The old “wet towel” technique

When we were kids, a common home remedy for nearly everything was a cold, wet or damp towel. It turns out that mothers back then were on to something. Medicine says that inflammations are areas where blood vessels start expanding.

This results in said area enlarging, growing red in color and hot in temperature. A cold towel causes a temperature difference which triggers heat to transfer from the inflamed area to the towel.

You don’t even have to use a towel; as long as the item is cold and will not harm your baby, then by all means, give it a shot. Among the recommended items are; spoons, teething rings and pacifiers. Of course, it goes without saying that all those mentioned items should not be placed in a freezer but, in a fridge.

Finally, make sure that whatever you give to your baby is clean. You don’t want your baby to go through the pain of teething, and fighting an illness at the same time.

3. Keep your baby dry

Due to their almost always occupied mouth, babies tend to produce a good deal of saliva which ends up falling off of the edge of their mouth and onto their chins and necks. Not only is this annoying for the child.

The constant presence of saliva on skin can also irritate the skin. Drool rashes are not uncommon among teething babies; despite being easy to prevent. All what you need to do is keep a dry cloth next to you and constantly wipe the child’s chin. As long as the skin is dry, everyone will be happy.

4. Phone a friend

Sometimes the pain is too much for the baby to take. It is not a reason to worry, though. Your baby will communicate its pain effectively; it is in their nature. When they do, it becomes up to you to make a decision; medicines or no medicines.

If you feel like the pain it too much for your child to handle, feel free to schedule an appointment with your pediatrician; ask them about what over-the-counter medication can you use and don’t forget to ask about the recommended dosage.

A thing that you need to keep an eye out for is benzocaine. Often used in baby pain gels, benzocaine is quite dangerous. According to the FDA, it can lead to a serious blood disorder known as Methemoglobinemia.

5. Chamomile

Speaking of medicine, another way to relieve your little one’s pain is by using chamomile; an ancient remedy with tranquilizing effects. Whether it is in tea form or oil form, chamomile has the same soothing effect on the child. Furthermore, during teething baby don’t really get much sleep.

Since, most babies stay up most of night because of the pain, they grow more tired during the day. Their pre-existing fatigue, paves the way for the chamomile to carry on its usual course of action. It faces no challenge in putting your baby to sleep.

6. Make them comfortable

Teething results in a lot of discomfort for your child. It is important that you understand that because it helps you become more patient. Babies are not accustomed to pain, teething is probably their first close encounter with it.

As a parent, you need to respect that and make sure to, at least, provide them with enough comfort to either take away all the pressure and allow them to take on teething pains with full force, or distract them from their existing pain.

There are several ways to do that; you can start by giving them a lot of attention, love and care. You can also try to make them laugh, or even get them a new toy. Anything that makes their life easier is allowed.

7. Give them something to chew on

This point is a bit self-explanatory. When babies are teething, they attempt to bite things. Giving them something to bite poses as a great distraction while soothing them by applying pressure on the gums. However, make sure your baby doesn’t hurt themselves.

Playing the “parenting game” for the first time is not easy. However, what is known for a fact is that it is a great accomplishment. While teething is only one of a never ending list of challenges, going through the journey and making it to the other side is a good sign that you are doing something right. At the end of the day, being there for your child through their time of need is what parenting is all about.