Nobody likes those restless nights of a teething baby. Instead of worrying about running to the store to grab baby Orajel or teething tablets, we have eight home remedies for teething babies that should safely do the trick!
1. Frozen anything. Babies will love the cold feeling on their sore mouths. It will temporarily numb the pain and attract their attention on the cold object and away from the throbbing pain. Some great examples are:
a. Fruits & veggies. They bring great flavor but tend to be a choking hazard. Use a mesh feeder or place the fruit inside organic tea bags to protect from swallowing. Otherwise, frozen celery sticks are a great solution!
b. Washcloths. Get a washcloth wet, freeze it and let your little one chew away. Even dip the cloth in chamomile oil to help sooth the pain and tie knots to give your child a harder surface. The best part about a washcloth is that it will catch all their drool!
c. Waffles/bagels. What’s great about frozen bread is that as your child continues to gnaw, the bread will soften instead of melting all over their face. You’ll still want to watch them carefully to prevent choking.
d. Pacifier. Don’t have a chew toy? Pacifiers work great! Let out all the air, fill the pacifier with water, freeze and relieve.
e. Bottle. Fill a bottle with water and freeze it upside down. It’s like an ice cube without the choking hazard.
2. Applesauce. Babies love their applesauce and it’s healthy for their developing teeth! Make sure that it’s nice and cold so they can enjoy the flavor and comfort their painful new teeth.
3. Raw carrots. Frozen or raw, carrots are hard enough to put pressure on their gums to relieve pain. So why go through the trouble of freezing when raw is just as great?
4. Massaging. By putting a little pressure and massaging their gums, you will alleviate pain and reduce swelling.
5. Rusk. Believe it or not, rusk is healthy and safe for your child. As they chew, the rusk will just crumble so you don’t have to worry about choking hazards or painful teeth.
6. Cold spoon. If you haven’t noticed the trend yet, anything cold always does the trick! Put the spoon in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes and let them gnaw away. The cold metal is instant gratification.
7. Child’s toothbrush. As a dentist, you know I love this one. Get your kid used to holding a toothbrush and help him or her with the teething process at the same time. The bristles on one side and hard rubber on the other are a great duo to knock out pain.
8. A lot of love! They are clearly going through a tough time, so there’s no better way to help them than by cuddling up, giving kisses and taking their attention away from the pain and onto you.
