Remedies for Teething Babies

It's no secret that one of the most difficult times in a baby's life is the teething stage. Aside from the constant drooling and irritated skin, gum pain many times leads to fussiness, fever and even difficulty eating. Fortunately for baby, the pain subsides when the tooth erupts through the skin. Fortunately for mommy and daddy, there are plenty of remedies that may help ease the pain in the meantime. Since each baby is different, both in their development and in the soothing methods that work for them, try a variety of remedies to see which your baby prefers.

Teething Toys: Babies like to bite when they're teething. If gnawing on your finger is out of the question, there are many good teething products on the market that will fit the bill. Look for hard plastic or soft rubber ones with raised textures, such as bumps and ridges that will massage your baby's gums when baby bites down. There are some that are filled with water, so you can just toss them in the fridge or freezer. The cold may help numb swollen gums, and the biting may help the teeth break through faster.

Cold Facts: It seems to be the consensus with most babies that cold does help with teething pain. However, you don't necessarily have to buy special teething toys for this. You can often get the same results from items you may already have. This may be as simple as tying an ice cube in a cloth and letting your baby go to town with it. Instead of ice, try freezing breast milk, applesauce or other baby food and letting your baby suck on it through a cloth. You may want to help him or her get started by wetting the cloth first.

Pacifier: If your baby doesn't take a pacifier on a regular basis, offering one during teething may help. The pacifier is built to fit nicely in a baby's mouth, so baby can get a good grip on it while biting down. A soft, plastic pacifier that is all one piece seemed to work the best with my daughter, since she could comfortably bite down on any part of it. Put it in the fridge if cold helps your baby. Just be sure to take the pacifier when the tooth erupts if you don't want your baby to become too attached and begin using it as a soothing mechanism.

Nursing: Honestly, the most helpful thing I found with each of my children was just good old-fashioned nursing. Many babies increase their need for nursing during teething anyway, since this is their source of physical and emotional comfort. Allowing your baby to nurse on demand during the teething stage often calms baby's fussiness, and it also keeps baby hydrated if he or she is having difficulty eating otherwise. Just be careful of the biting if your baby has more than the bottom two teeth!