Oh, we had a dreadful teether in our house. I remember the Christmas that my daughter was one and a half. She was getting eight teeth at the same time. On Christmas Eve, I was up all night because she absolutely could not sleep, not even with a dose of pain medication and all of the alternative treatments I could muster. The only thing that I could do was to bounce her on my back to a rock CD and bake Christmas cookies at 2 am, because the moment I put her down, she would shriek in pain.
If your family doesn’t like to use pain medication, or if you’ve tried it and need more help, what are some other therapies to try for teething pain?
• I found that soaking a wet rag and placing it in the freezer, then giving to my daughter as a chewy was quite effective. I didn’t really want her chewing on plastic, nor did I want her tongue to get sore from chewing on metal, so a clean rag soaked in water did the trick. This won’t help your child sleep through the pain, but it is an excellent distraction during the day time.
• When my daughter was proficient at eating solids, I gave her foods that she could gum. Sometimes, it helps to have something that is a little tough to chew on when you’re teething – something like a soft pear.
• We tried an amber teething necklace. These necklaces are said to take away the pain of teething, since amber has healing properties. It looked cute, got lost easily, and I’m not sure if it worked. However, I do know some people who swear by these necklaces.
• We tried homeopathic teething remedies. These little white tablets dissolve in your child’s mouth. They seemed to moderate the pain somewhat.
• We nursed a lot, since this is both comforting and soothing to sore gums. Teething pain can sometimes lead to a nursing strike, so it’s helpful to nurse consistently through this period.
When all else failed, we bounced and we rocked and we held our daughter. When you’re in pain, it’s good to know that someone cares. Have you had success with alternative teething remedies? What has worked for you?