Pearly Whites

Since I have been focusing a lot of my posts on saving money, I decided to take some time to write about issues and topics in parenting. Along with sharing how to save money, I also like to share my experience as a mother. One such joy & trial we have been experiencing lately is the milestone of teeth.

 It seems like my baby was teething for months and month without the sign of pearly whites. Looking back I wonder if the reason for her sleeping pattern changing was due to the fact that she was preparing for teeth. Around 3 to 4 months, my once sleep-through-the-night baby, was waking up multiple times during the night. This has lasted for about 4 months now until last night. For those 3 months, she had every sign of teething possible. Just when I thought, "Maybe she'll get a tooth soon," the symptoms stopped and nothing happened. Until about 1 week and half ago, we spotted her first tooth. It was just barely there and looked painful. Not long, like two days, after her first tooth, she got her second tooth. And somewhere inbetween, she got a third. Now she is working on her fourth one. Which means that she will have went from 0 to 4 in about 2ish weeks!

Teething can be stressful & painful for both parent & child. I found myself getting up more at night & being less patient with all the crying. My daughter is a pretty good baby. She hardly ever cries or fusses, but teething has changed that--but only for a few days. I kept asking myself, "How much medicine should I be giving her?" or "What can I do to help her?" When babies are getting teeth, you truly feel helpless. There are lots of remedies out there for teething, but it's so hard to know which ones are best for your baby. Here is some helpful information about teething and teething products that I have found helpful:

• Children's Tylenol--I only gave to my child right before bedtime or when I could tell nothing else was helping.
• Baby Oragel--Use on baby's gums to numb them. I like this and it worked for a while.
• Cold Teething Rings--old trick but it does work. Place teething toys in the fridge for an hour or two. Then give to baby.
• Something Cold--I have given my baby Italian ice a few times (very, very tiny bites) or ice cream to help soothe her. Even a metal spoon that is cold feels good on their gums. Or try cold baby food-like applesauce.
• Teething pacifier--This I have yet to try, but have had people recommend that it works.
• Cold wash cloth--another old trick, but works well.
• Teething crackers--they now make crackers just for teething. My baby liked these.
• Teething tablets--Most stores carry teething tablets that are homeopathic and 100% natural. I have used these a few times & they seem to work.