Top Teething tips for infants and toddlers

Teething can be a sometimes traumatic time for a little one. Some children are able to make it through unscathed and not bothered, while others are sleepless and miserable. They say that if an adult had to go through teething they couldn't handle the amount of pain that the baby goes through while teething. So, if there is anything us parents can do to make it more bearable we are willing to listen... right?

In my experience with my two children, both of my children were bothered by the teething process, and my youngest is still finishing up those 2nd year molars. We have been open to ideas that others have shared with us and want to pass on the best of the advice that we received. Here are some of the things that we have done or used and I'll mention a couple things that we tried that didn't work for us (but may work for you, as each child is different).

I did find that my son had an easier time with teething because he was still using a binky at a year old when he was doing most of his teething. My daughter didn't use a binky very much or very long and had a harder time during the teething process. It makes sense though since my son was already used to soothing himself with his pacifer and would chew on it, while my little girl would try to chew on her hands.

Teething toys- These items that need to be refrigerated are nice for the child to bite on. We have two that have worked wonderfully for both kids. One is just gel-like and can be bitten on all the way around it, and the other has a ring of circles that are frozen and cruchy to bite on. Both of those were nice at times while cutting teeth. Sassy and Bright Ideas are the brands we have for those toys.

Wetting down a washcloth and putting it in the freezer- works similarly to the teething toys and can be nice for the child because they can suck on the water in the washcloth. My children really liked that.

Biter biscuits- The brands that we tried did not work well for us because they were too tough and only made my children cry more. I do know now that Gerber is making a biscuit that more well suited for children who are teething, but that was not available when we were in that stage more.

Medicine- I am the type to only give medicine when I absolutely need to so I would only do a little bit of the infant tylenol when it would get bad and my child couldn't sleep. Unfortunately during this past week they have now removed that from the shelves due to recalls so at this point there is nothing to give children except for Homeopathic teething drops. I highly recommend the ones by Gentle Naturals. Those have helped both of my children.

Music- I am a musician and often would play music or sing to my children as well as snuggle them. Some of our favorite videos are the Baby Einstein series which has soothing music and pictures. While my kiddos are teething they found all of these things to be very comforting for them.

I hope some of these ideas help you on your journey as a parent. Good luck and I wish you many sleep filled nights!