Teething is always an issue for new mothers and their babies. Children face a lot of problems when their milk teeth are erupting. Dealing with teething problems can be made easy with some simple methods.
Use a water teether
When teething, babies want to chew on to something all the time. You would find them chewing their toys, the mattresses, bedsheets, objects all around them and sometimes even your fingers. This is because they are facing irritation in their gums and the teeth are just about to erupt. However when they chew onto things around them, they tend to acquire an infection and face stomach upsets, loose motions and other health issues. To prevent this you can use a water teether. This is a small toy like thing which can be held in the hand and is filled with water. You get these readily in the market and in various shapes, sizes and colors to attract the baby. The benefit is that it is made of silicon and is soft, as it is filled with water. The baby can keep chewing on it whenever it faces irritation in the gums. You can clean and sterilize it when the baby sleeps to prevent any bacteria from growing on it. This is one of the best methods one can implement.
Using a wet wash cloth
A simple home remedy for teething is by using a wet wash cloth. A cloth which is new can be washed thoroughly and sterilized by putting in hot water. Squeeze out all the water and fold the cloth. Now let the baby chew on this cloth until it gets tired. This will reduce the pain in the gums and teeth and prevent him from chewing on unhygienic objects. You can wash the cloth and sterilize it again for reuse. Washed clothes are soft and would not hurt the child’s gums and teeth. It would act as a pacifier and hence divert the baby’s attention from his gum irritation. Also this is one of the best and simplest methods when teething starts. Make sure you keep the cloth clean and sterilized.
Use frozen foods
When teething, the irritation in the gums can be reduced with the help of frozen foods. You can freeze a banana or a carrot may be and then give it to the baby to chew on. Carrots can be given just like that without freezing. The baby would chew and chew and eventually all the juices would enter him. In this way you get 2 fold benefits, the baby’s gum irritation is reduced and healthy carrot juice enters his body. Frozen foods would reduce the pain as it would be cold. When the front teeth appear, you have to be careful with foods to chew on as the baby might bite out a piece and get choked. When using frozen foods be careful that the baby does not catch a cold with the icy cold foods. An alternative for this is teethers in the shape of carrots, bananas or other interesting vegetables and fruits. You can freeze the teether and then give it to the baby for chewing.
Simply use your finger
There is nothing like the mother’s hand to pacific the baby. To take this literary, you can use your clean finger to rub the gums of the baby. You could also buy a plastic toothbrush which fits your finger and brush your baby’s gums with it. This reduces the irritation drastically and the baby would feel good with this. Another benefit of using your clean finger would be that you could check which tooth has erupted and which has not. You would make a note of the date the teeth erupted and keep a record to tell the doctor. Always make sure you clean your hands very well before putting them inside your baby’s mouth. Also be careful if some teeth have already erupted as the baby may tend to bite hard on your fingers.
Medication
Teething problems can get worse and simple remedies would not help for some children. In such a case you need to consult a doctor and ask for the right medications to be given to the baby. He would recommend gum gels, or medicines which can be applied or orally given to the baby. These medications would help curb down the side effects of teething and the baby would not face any more issues. Make a note of how many times the medications need to be given and when. Do not overdo the medicines and gum gels. They could be harmful when taken in high doses. If your baby can cope with the pain without medications, try not to give him medications. Go by what the baby wants. If he is creating a fuss over taking the medication, then do not force him. Let him naturally handle the pain. Play with him and try to divert his attention from the teething issues.
