Teething - How Can I Help Her Cope?

Kintarō Hattori

Hi Folks,

So our little girl is almost four months old and I think she's started teething. She's a wonderful sweet little girl who never complains other than for her nappy being dirty or if she's hungry. She seems to be a very content little baby. Roll on this week though and I think she's started teething. She's quite grumpy and she can't get enough of having her hand in her mouth.

Speaking to some of the other parents in work I can get her water filled teethers to keep in the fridge and plenty of teething gel to help sooth her discomfort. Is there anything else I can do to help her?

Bacchus

Whenever our little one's cheeks flared up with teething, we gave her some teething granules. They seemed to help.

This won't be everyone's cup of tea but we have her wearing an amber bead necklace ever since the first signs of teething and we think it helps. It is difficult to be sure of course but the one day we forgot to put it on her after a bath, she was demented with the teething. I can only speak for our own experience but for the most part her teething has been very mild and we only had to use the granules on a couple of occasions to ease discomfort. I think we once gave her calpol to help her as she was in a bad way (the time we left the amber beads off).

Kintarō Hattori

Bacchus wrote: »

Whenever our little one's cheeks flared up with teething, we gave her some teething granules. They seemed to help.

This won't be everyone's cup of tea but we have her wearing an amber bead necklace ever since the first signs of teething and we think it helps. It is difficult to be sure of course but the one day we forgot to put it on her after a bath, she was demented with the teething. I can only speak for our own experience but for the most part her teething has been very mild and we only had to use the granules on a couple of occasions to ease discomfort. I think we once gave her calpol to help her as she was in a bad way (the time we left the amber beads off).

I'm no baby expert so had never heard/thought of using amber beads. Would you not be worried though about them coming off the chain/breaking apart?

painauchocolat

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I'm no baby expert so had never heard/thought of using amber beads. Would you not be worried though about them coming off the chain/breaking apart?

https://hse.ie/eng/health/child/childsafety/teething_necklace.html

Obviously any decision is your own, but the above might be helpful.

wuffly

Have you got the wonder-weeks app? If not try and download it, kids go through a lot of development in year 1. The apps breaks it down into developmental leaps they go through during the first 18 months. The leaps can cause them to be unsettled (clingy, upset, messed up sleep, hand in mouth etc...). Its not accurate for every child but for us some of them were to down to the day. Hand in mouth can be developmental as well as teething.
If you are sure its teething and you need to give her something, baby bonjela is good, if its very bad nuerofen as its inflammatory so eases the pain a bit more effectively (not if there is any risk of chicken pox etc..). Breastmilk ice pops if BM is available.
Pawpaw on her cheeks/chin if they are red and sore, change bibs regularly if there's lots of dribble.
Honestly its hard to know what's going with them half the time! Mine is 16 months and honestly feels like he should have about 50 teeth the amount of 'teething' he as done.... he has 8!

smaoifs

Bacchus wrote:

This won't be everyone's cup of tea but we have her wearing an amber bead necklace ever since the first signs of teething and we think it helps. It is difficult to be sure of course but the one day we forgot to put it on her after a bath, she was demented with the teething. I can only speak for our own experience but for the most part her teething has been very mild and we only had to use the granules on a couple of occasions to ease discomfort. I think we once gave her calpol to help her as she was in a bad way (the time we left the amber beads off).

We also used amber, on an anklet. She's almost 8 months now with 4 teeth through and another on the way and between the amber and Teetha gel she hasn't been too bad so far.

OkeyDoke12

anbesol

Bacchus

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I'm no baby expert so had never heard/thought of using amber beads. Would you not be worried though about them coming off the chain/breaking apart?

We were initially concerned about that so we only had it on her during day when we were monitoring her. We quickly realised she never passed any notice of it so we just left it on her. I think it's been on her 5 months now and never an issue at all. The past week or so she has "discovered" it (she's going through a leap and seems much more aware of everything) so she has been pulling at it a bit but I don't have a concern that it'll break. It's a personal choice for you, but they get a thumbs up from my wife and I. There is some science behind it too btw, it's not purely hippy dippy nonsense Oh, and apparently it is more effective as a necklace as opposed to around the ankle. That said, my cousin has the anklet version on her boy and also swears by it.

wuffly wrote: »

Have you got the wonder-weeks app? If not try and download it, kids go through a lot of development in year 1. The apps breaks it down into developmental leaps they go through during the first 18 months. The leaps can cause them to be unsettled (clingy, upset, messed up sleep, hand in mouth etc...). Its not accurate for every child but for us some of them were to down to the day. Hand in mouth can be developmental as well as teething.

Honestly, this is one of the first things I'd tell any new parent to get (if they are looking for tips). It's freakishly accurate. While it doesn't stop the periods of unsettled behavior and sleep disruption, it at least gives you a heads up what is coming and how long you have left of it. Leap 7 is a beast... so cool to see the change in her but my god... the nap/night routine has taken a few steps back. No wonder they say 9/10 months is not a good time to start creche

catrionanic

+1 on the wonder weeks. I honestly think that, in Ireland at least, we tend to put almost every rough spell down to teething, when most of the time it's just a leap!

My wee man is 8 months, and his first two teeth just popped up this week. He's actually been much less grumpy this last week or two, but was a pure terror during Leap six, which was a week or two before that. Leaps make for much grumpier babies than teeth do, in my limited experience anyway!

MaryMD

Calgel is also pretty good, I know it can only be purchased in the UK and isn't available for purchase in Ireland (for reasons I'm not sure, some law re Lidocaine) anyway its approved and allowed in the UK. Its made by Calpol. We rub a little on my little ones gums when she has it and it definitely helps.

wuffly

Bacchus wrote: »

Leap 7 is a beast... so cool to see the change in her but my god... the nap/night routine has taken a few steps back. No wonder they say 9/10 months is not a good time to start creche

Going through leap 10 at the moment (16 months), i can honestly say the leap of doom doesn't begin to describe it!! The changes are amazing tho! No more leaps after this, just terrible 2's and threenager :eek:

Bacchus

wuffly wrote: »

Going through leap 10 at the moment (16 months), i can honestly say the leap of doom doesn't begin to describe it!! The changes are amazing tho! No more leaps after this, just terrible 2's and threenager :eek:

They do seem to get worse and last longer the older they get. When my wife said to me during (I think) leap 5 that this goes on for the first year and a half I was lost for words. No-one tells you this stuff!

cbyrd

Kintar&#197 wrote: »

I'm no baby expert so had never heard/thought of using amber beads. Would you not be worried though about them coming off the chain/breaking apart?

The properly made one's are individually tied on, so even if it were to break the beads done come off. I have a little guy almost 6 has been wearing it constantly since he was 4 months, same with my almost 3yo .. they don't pay any heed to it at all.

pwurple

Oh lord. not these beads again.

There is NO science behind them. Amber molecules cannot pass through the skin barrier. They are a large molecule.

Nicotine patches work because it is a small molecule and can get through skin.

Insulin has to be injected for diabetics because it is a large molecule. Amber is large. So, it does nothing. All you are doing is wrapping a strangulation and choking hazard onto your baby.

They do not do anything for teething. Unproven. No clinical trial. Not a thing bar placebo affect for parents who feel they have to "do" something.

Let me tell you my story about teething with one of my kids.
My daughter was born with some of her teeth erupted (yes, a little freaky, but it does happen). She had all her teeth a good bit earlier than her peers. She still went through the rosy cheek thing, the cranky thing, the bad nappy, long AFTER she had all her teeth. It was likely a passing virus, or tired from a restless night, missed nap, or a developmental stage. But it had nothing to do with teeth, that's for sure.