7/10/12

Natural pain relief for teething

Even though Oliver started teething at four months old, he didn't start showing signs of being in pain until recently.  He is waking up multiple times throughout the night fussing, he is also drooling so much he is choking on it.  Teething has completely absorbed my 5-month-old baby.  

When it comes to remedies for teething pain, all I knew about was Tylenol/paracetamol, gum numbing gels, and teething tablets that dissolve instantly. I read that the gel was not that effective, and the tablets are not really that great.  As much as I would like to give him Tylenol every 4-6 hours to kill the pain, I know that's insane. I cannot consciously give my son Tylenol/paracetamol more than absolutely positively necessary. That being said, I cannot sit by and let my baby be in pain, if I can help him. 

I have spent the last week trying out drug free remedies for teething pain.  While I wish I could say there are plenty of options, there really are not.  Luckily there are a couple I can tell you about that have made my baby's teething discomfort much more manageable!


1. The first remedy, and my personal favorite, is the mesh pacifier bag filled with frozen fruit. 

Side Note:I have a good friend whose son was being very difficult about eating solids at 6 months old.  She bought one of these mesh pacifiers, filled it with banana and voila! her son could not eat it fast enough!

Here is what you do.  Fill the mesh bag with frozen fruit, but not too much.  I packed my bag full the first time, only to realize Ollie couldn't get his mouth around it comfortably. After taking half the fruit out, I held Oliver in my lap and held the pacifier the whole time while he gnawed away at it.  He loved it, ate all of the fruit out of the bag.  This really works!  Oliver was not fussy for hours after eating the frozen fruit. 










MMMMMM!
Frozen Mangoes!



2. My second favorite is a washcloth that has been soaked in Chamomile tea, and then placed in the freezer or refrigerator for an hour.  Oliver loves this one too! 

Steep a bag of Chamomile tea, then soak a corner of a washcloth in the tea.  I soak 3 or 4 baby washcloths at once and refrigerate them in a Ziplock bag.

BONUS: Chamomile is also thought to help sooth colicky babies and help babies sleep.  You can even put a teaspoon in their bottles

3. This tip I came up with on my own! Refrigerate or freeze EVERYTHING at night  At the end of the day I wash all of the water filled teething toys, his pacifier and a couple of plain water soaked washcloths. This way the next day I have a full arsenal of teething ammo.  





4. Last but not least...Amber Teething Necklace- Currently, there are two different thoughts as to why wearing amber on the skin can have soothing and calming effects on teething children. One thought suggests that when amber is worn on the skin, the skin's warmth releases minuscule amounts of healing oils from amber which are then absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream. The other theory is based on scientific findings which have shown that amber is electromagnetically alive and produces significant amounts of organic, purely natural energy. 

I have not personally used this on Oliver, but would LOVE to hear if you have first hand knowledge and thoughts. For more information visit Amber Artisans.







If you have any other natural remedies please share!

Two confused parents=One amused baby Hopelessly we are trying raise a baby who is clearly smarter than both of us. April is an award-winning writer and blogger. Her work has been published in over ten countries and four languages. From books to newspapers, to print/online magazines and everything in between, you can find her work. For more on April, Visit AprilMcCormick.com

10 comments:

Claire said...

What help with both of mine is Aston and parsons, not sure if you get it there, but I'd never herd of it until my baby shower with Sam 4years ago. One of my friends gave me a basket of useful things one being this powder. I saw it and thought how is a powder suppose to help. Needless to say Sam started teething long before I thought he would and like most 1st time mums hadn't got anything in for it, I tried A&P and although it was a pain to get in he seemed to like it and it seemed to help. It also helps there tummys. The next time I tried it he opened his mouth for it never had another problem giving him it. The same happened to Amber.

As for the amber I got Amber a bracelet she's had it on a few day but I can't say I've noticed much of a difference but meet a lady how swears by it. So I'll keep trying it!

Unknown said...

We have the beads. I wasn't sure if they were working or not, until I lost them for 2 weeks. Bub's cheeks came up bright red, he got grizzly and whingey and dribbled something awful. I hunted the beads down, and within about 3 hours of putting them back on everything started settling back down. Would definitely recommend them!
Thanks for the tips, I think I'll go clear out a space in the freezer! :-)

foodpixie said...

I could not find any scientific research on Amber necklaces. Do you mind publishing your sources?

What I did read was how the necklaces pose a potential strangulation and choking hazard.

I also doubt that gentle warmth from a body could release chemical components like Succinic acid, considering that different colored amber (like green and red) is achieved by the heat from fire.

Here are the two sources I could find, and the last bit of information is from a jeweler friend of mine.

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400886/Are-Amber-Teething-Necklaces-Worthwhile.html

http://scepticon.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/amber-teething-beads-a-few-points-to-consider/

But may be a very soothing chew toy.

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

Fair enOugh food pixie. My main sources is the Amber Artesian websit. The link is live in my blog if you click on the "amber artesian" name.

Also, the beads come highly recommended by three of my readers. All three admit they are skeptical as well, but can see a clear difference with the beads on.

I as well have the strangulation concern. Most sites to be in the safe side recommend for children at 36 months.


I personally will be getting the bracelet, as mentioned by Claire.

Stones have been used for centuries for healing. However I think you would be hard pressed to find a doctor or scientist to acknowledge and reccomend it's properties over traditional medicine.

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

Thanks Shay! Between you, Claire and Mre Loquacious, I'll be visiting my local bead store! Anything is worth a try at this point! Plus, I do believe in the healing properties in stones.

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

Thank you Claire!! I've never heard of A&P but I'll be looking for it now!

Thanks for the idea of a bracelet over a necklace.

Unknown said...

The choking hazard was something that came across my mind too - here in NZ I was lucky enough to find a necklace with a clasp that snaps open if under pressure, and all the beads are individually tied off on both sides, so that in the event the necklace does break, the beads won't go flying. Combining these with supervision meant we felt the risk was low enough to be outweighed by the observable benefits.

The biggest pro for me was that beads have no drugs in them - so if they turned out to be a dud, at least baby has no chemicals in his system. :-)

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

Thank you so much Shay!! Xx

Layes Landing said...

I love the picture of Ollie and his mangoes!!!! So cute!!

britmouth said...

Looks like I need to go shopping for a mesh paci and some chamomile tea!! Great tips, thanks!!