Baby Teething Relief

Some babies' first teeth will erupt at the 3 or 4-month mark, while others won't get their first tooth until their first birthday. Generally around six months though, infants are either exhibiting symptoms of teething or in full-on teething mode. If your little one is biting everything and fussy or refuses to eat and is drooling everywhere, chances are the teething process has begun.

Drooling is often one of the most notable first symptoms of teething and when your baby is drooling incessantly it can be frustrating dealing with soggy shirts. Gloria, a mom of two, says she swore by double-bibbing her babies when they went through the drooly stage.

"There are two kinds of bibs — the cloth ones and then the ones with plastic backing. When my babies were teething I always put a plastic bib on first and then covered that with a cloth bib," Gloria told Mom.com. "This way the cloth bib absorbs the saliva and the plastic bib keeps it from absorbing into the baby's shirt. I'd keep a stash of small terry cloth bibs in my diaper bag and one or two plastic ones and just add the drooled-on ones to the wet bag throughout the day."

So how do you provide teething pain relief to your little one? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns against the use of benzocaine, an ingredient in many over-the-counter teething solutions that can cause a potentially fatal blood disorder. Ohio pediatrician Dr. Ei Ye Mon, MD, explained the concerns around the use of benzocaine and herbal supplements.

“No studies have proven the long-term benefit of these products,” Dr. Ye Mon cautioned on the Cleveland Clinic website. “Plus, the effects last for such a short period. Meanwhile, your baby is swallowing it and getting high levels of the medication into the bloodstream.”

In terms of herbal products like teething tablets, Dr. Ye Mon advised avoiding these as well. "There haven’t been enough studies about the effectiveness of herbal remedies for teething," he said. "Herbs are medications. They are still metabolized by your liver and kidneys. We don’t know the long-term side effects, so there is a risk.”

Another of the side effects of teething might be a teething rash that develops on your baby's chin as a result of the acids in the saliva. Create a barrier on the baby's skin with a small amount of Aquafor or Eucarin. Similarly, if you have given your baby a product like Orajel to reduce teething symptoms, they may experience diaper rash after ingesting the medication. Products like Boudreaux's Butt Paste work well to remedy diaper rash symptoms.

If your baby is over two months old, your pediatrician may suggest infant acetaminophen. Be sure to check with your child's pediatrician before administering any over-the-counter medication for teething pain relief and follow dosing instructions carefully.

The pressure of biting helps relieve some of the discomfort your baby is experiencing, so teething toys are a safer bet than over-the-counter numbing products.

Choose a hard, rubber teething ring rather than a liquid-filled type that could be punctured. Refrigerating a teething ring might bring your baby extra relief. Your little chewer — as long as they're over six months of age — might also enjoy nibbling on a teething blanket or on a mesh feeder filled with crushed ice or large chunks of frozen fruit. They'll get the relief of pressure on their gums without the choking risk.

Start with soft, cold foods such as applesauce, or offer teething biscuits and wafers. Pieces of plain toast will be satisfying for your baby to chew as well. Don't give a baby any large foods to chew on, however. A whole frozen banana might help with pain relief, but it's a choking hazard, so it's best to put frozen bananas in a mesh chewer.

The simplest home teething remedies might be your baby's favorite. When you're rocking your restless, teething baby, slip a clean finger in their mouth and rub the gums in a rhythmic motion. And finally, rest assured, as, with everything challenging, this too shall pass. It won't be long before your sweet little one will be losing teeth left and right and giving the Tooth Fairy a run for her money.