Other Articles from Samoina Wangui
4 Remedies to Soothe your Teething Baby
Teething can be a distressing phase for most parents. It comes with discomfort, pain and general fussiness in the little one. Some babies will also experience fever and diarrhoea, although studies are yet to show what the correlation between the two is (perhaps a result of the discomfort and inflammation).
Your child will typically develop the first two lower teeth before the others grow in succession. For most babies, the onset of teething begins anywhere between 4 months and 9 months, and continues for about a year as the other teeth develop. Some of the symptoms associated with teething include sore gums, swelling at the point where the teeth will emerge as well as reddening of the cheeks. One of the most obvious symptoms is persistent drooling which most parents are able to mark as the onset of the teething phase.
Below are some of the easy remedies to use to address teething (and give you a good night’s sleep).
1. Cold pacifier
Wash and disinfect your baby’s pacifier before refrigerating it. The idea here is to numb the swollen gum using the low temperatures in order to provide relief from the teething process. If you do not/ prefer not to use a pacifier, a cold teaspoon can also work the magic for you.
Read More: Ask A Mum: How Do I Help My Teething Baby?
2. Teething rings
Teething rings are yet another viable option for parents who need to manage teething discomfort. These rings are made from rubber, and when your little champ chomps on the ring, it does put a smile on their face. Take caution and ensure that your choice brand of teething ring does not have detachable parts as
this could pose a choking hazard to the baby.
3. Just do it yourself!
One of the age-old remedies momma passed down to me when my son was teething was to simply clean my finger and allow him to soothe his gum with it – works like a charm, and is much better than baby soothing their gum on the breast while nursing! Beauty of this remedy is that you can use it on the go, or when you have forgotten baby’s teething ring.
4. A little distraction did not harm anyone.
Sometimes, all baby needs is some extra cuddling minutes to forget their discomfort, albeit temporarily. So, whether you want to belt out their favourite tunes, play or watch cartoons, it is up to you to determine what works best for your baby.
Read More: Ask a Mum: How Do I pull out my child’s teeth?
