oh baby!
How to
Help a Teething Baby
This article is not intended to provide medical advice;
it is based on one person’s experience with a teething
baby
A teething baby is probably also an agitated and
difficult baby. And, this can be very trying for new or
even experienced parents. To help a baby through the
teething process it is important to be aware of it and
identify that a baby is having a ‘teething day/s’.
Often, parents overlook the fact that a baby is teething
and attribute their behavior to other factors such as
tiredness, food irritation or just naughtiness.
The teething process varies widely from baby to baby.
Some
babies
are irritated only for the first tooth and then grow
accustomed to the new sensations in their gums. Others
are irritated for all 20. The teething process may be
overnight or it may start months prior to the eruption
of the tooth. The symptoms of teething are as varied as
the process that each baby goes through. They include
irritability, drooling, gnawing, coughing, chin rash,
diarrhea,
cold like symptoms and disturbed sleep.
There is no set age for a baby to start teething. If a
baby starts before 6 months old and he/she has not
started solids,
breastfeeding
is a great way to help soothe the baby. The sucking
seems to massage the gums while calming the baby.
Another trick to try is a frozen washcloth. Just soak a
washcloth with drinking water and place in the freezer.
Babies love it as it is cold and moulds itself around
their gums. I haven’t mentioned
teething
rings
yet because I have found them to only be effective for
short periods of time. It is cheaper and perhaps more
effective to clean some of the baby’s plastic toys so
that he/she can gnaw on it. Select toys with no sharp
edges and no parts that can be pulled off.
For the older baby, breastfeeding and toys are still
good techniques. In addition, the baby is now able to
have teething rusks. For babies that are already adept
with finger foods, try dry toasts or grissini (bread
sticks). If you are able to get Rambutans, chill them
and hold one to the baby’s mouth to let him/her gnaw on
it. The flesh of the Rambutan will not easily come off
and the cool, soft texture mixed with the sweet taste
will definitely help baby forget about his/her sore
gums.
Finally, while all the suggestions above will help
soothe the baby’s gums don’t forget that these
experiences are new to the baby and he/she may be
feeling overwhelmed by them. Cuddles work wonders for a
teething baby. If you recognize that your baby is have a
teething day/s, spend more time cuddling and being in
physical contact with him/her.
For more insights on how I've been dealing with our
baby, please visit
http://www.the-milk-bar.info
About the Author:
I'm a mom to an extremely high
need toddler. We live as expats in
Palembang, IndonesiaI love blogging and
surfing the internet. However, my real
passion is online stock trading! Visit
my blog for more of our stories:
http://www.the-milk-bar.info
|
