How to relieve teething pain

Ever since her latest round of teething began, Pumpkin has been really interested in everyone else’s teeth.

She sticks her fingers in my mouth to examine my pearly whites – and apparently does the same thing to Daddy-man.

And she did it to the T-rex at Mini Montessori today too! Before she flipped him over and started chewing on his tail, that is.

I’ve also noticed that when she’s suffering from teething pain, clicking my teeth together a few times and letting her root around in my mouth with her probably-grubby little fingers distracts her – at least for a little while.

(One thing I’ve learned in my short time as a parent: if ANYTHING will distract your baby from pain, even if it’s just for a few moments, you let them do it. Even if that thing is rooting around in my mouth with probably-grubby little fingers.)

Last week, I was invited to an event for National Teething Week with a few other bloggers. It was sponsored by the lovely people over at Camilla and I learned lots about teething. (See my previous post about the signs of teething – I didn’t know there were so many!)

As you would probably expect, a good portion of the morning covered techniques for dealing with teething pain.

We’ve amassed a pretty impressive collection of teething rings. Pumpkin’s favourites are the two on the bottom-left-ish. They both have a silicone piece with a brush-like surface that she really seems to enjoy chewing on.

Advice from a dentist

Dr Philip Wander, a holistic dentist, talked us through some of the many options for relieving teething pain. These include:

• Giving a dummy
• Offering a teething ring (especially one that has been in the fridge)
• Rubbing the gums (accupressure)
• Distraction
• Lots of cuddles
• Homeopathic remedies – like chamomile, rhubarb and poke root (these are the ingredients in Camilia)
• Over-the-counter medicines – Paracetamol and ibuprofen
• Topical treatments

Obviously, these all have their upsides and downsides, and some will work better for some babies than others. The key is to know about all the options and find a combination that works for your baby (and this combination will probably change!)

Mummy and Daddy-man cuddles are still the best. But the bear’s not bad either.

Even at her absolute worst, Pumpkin usually calmed down with a cuddle and a walk outside. I think now that it’s cooling down at night, the fresh and slightly chilly air give her something else to think about.

Dr Wander also told us about his “Three Cs”:

• Considerate – Be aware of what’s going on with your baby and remember that there’s always a chance that what your little one is experiencing may not be teething pain. If you’re at all in doubt, seek out medical advice.
• Careful – Be careful with any medications you give. Be sure to read and follow the instructions carefully and always give the right dose.
• Caring – It can be hard when you’ve missed sleep and your little one has been fussy and irritable for days. But it won’t last forever (normally, it’s only about eight days) and the poor babies don’t understand what’s going on. Give lots of cuddles, be patient and do what you can to get everyone through it comfortably.

Baby-wearing still calms Pumpkin down, even at 9 months old.

We were also reminded NOT to give honey or jam on the dummy. It doesn’t relieve pain, it gives the baby an unnecessary dose of sugar and it’s not good on little teeth. Also, honey can be dangerous for babies under a year old.

Baby massage

We also got a chance to try some baby massage techniques. The lovely Eva from And Chillax gave us a mini masterclass in soothing baby and providing distraction from teething pain.

I tried massage on Pumpkin when she was younger – but she was not a fan.

This time, she was too busy trying to explore her new surroundings to hold still long enough for me to actually practice any of the techniques that Eva showed us.

She’s so wiggly!

But, luckily, we were given some information to take home and when we tried it later, she loved it – especially the foot rubs (apparently, she takes after Daddy-man).

As well as showing us different massage techniques, Eva gave us a few top tips for massaging baby:

• Always tell the baby what you’re going to do – she combines this with a sign (rubbing her hands together)
• Sing along with the massage – this keeps baby entertained and helps to ensure that you give enough attention to each body part. She has a different song for each massage.
• Keep the room nice and warm – you don’t want baby to get cold!
• Sunflower oil – she gave us a bottle of the organic sunflower oil that she recommends – apparently, it’s better for the skin than the olive oil I was previously told to use. It does seem to be lighter and not nearly as greasy.

Look after yourself

One last thing: Dr Wander was keen to point out was the fact that parents need to be taken care of too. A few bad days of teething can take a lot out of Mummy and Daddy, as well as baby, so be sure to do what you can to keep yourself relaxed and rested (being calm yourself can help your baby feel more comfortable too).

The main ingredients in Camilia are great for relaxation, we were reminded, so a cup of chamomile tea or rhubarb tea can be a good way for parents to unwind.

I’d never tried rhubarb tea until recently. But it’s really nice – and nice hot cup of it definitely helped me recover from a difficult day.

Do you have any advice for relieving teething pain? I’d love to hear it! Please share in the comments below.

To find out more about teething, National Teething Week and Camilia, visit http://nationalteethingweek.co.uk/

Disclaimer: I was invited to an event sponsored by Camilia, where they fed me well and gave me a lovely gift bag that included the tea and bear featured above. All opinions are 100% my own.

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