It’s official! Gracie’s bottom two teeth have broken through! They are still not all the way up, but getting close for sure. PS- this is the best picture I have of her teeth, and you can’t even really see them. It is near impossible to get a good photo LOL!
The typical signs of teething are:
+drooling
+fussiness
+biting everything in sight
+doesn’t sleep good
+swollen gums
+grabs ears
Gracie let me know she was teething by biting everything and not sleeping good. She does not drool that much and I did not notice her gums getting swollen. She likes to bite on my fingers, and a few weeks ago I felt something sharp! It kind of happened out of no where. But then I thought back to the previous few nights and thought…. “oh…that’s probably why she was up every hour.”
I actually researched what the “teething period” actually is. I was wondering if teething was just when the tooth is cutting through or the time before. It’s actually considered “teething” 4 days before the tooth breaks through, and the 2-3 days after. So teething is pretty much for a week. It’s good to know that teething is not like a month long. Unless of course they get teeth back to back, I guess. Anyways, that week can feel like a month long if your baby is hurting!
I reached out to some of my followers to see what worked for them and their babies, and got some great responses! Here is my list of best teething remedies:
1//Frozen washcloths
This is an easy one. Just wet a washcloth and stick it in the freezer. I also tried this with breastmilk and Gracie seemed to love it! I think I’m going to have a couple in the freezer so they are always ready.
Frozen washcloths did wonders- Brittani F.
Frozen washcloth=amazing- Jen D.
2//Hyland’s teething tablets
These tablets are dissolvable and are supposed to provide fast relief of pain from teething. They are considered all natural + homeopathic. One day Gracie was pretty fussy and I gave her one of these before her nap and she slept great! Who knows if it was a coincidence, but lots of moms agree these work!
I used Hyland’s teething tablets & gel- Veronica M.
Hyland’s homeopathic teething tablets- Shelley W.
3//Amber bead necklace
I first heard about these from a friend who was convinced this worked wonders on her son. The baltic amber beads contain succinic acid. When baby wears it, their body heat causes the amber to release the succinic acid which then is absorbed into the skin. This acid works as a natural pain relief and is also said to reduce inflammation. It’s actually very interesting to me. I put it on Gracie and haven’t noticed a HUGE difference yet. But she’s definitely been happy with it on!
Because it is a necklace, it can potentially be a choking hazard. When Gracie is sleeping, I move it to her foot. Also, I wouldn’t leave Gracie unattended with it on. It’s just not worth the risk!
Amber bead necklace.- Holly E.
We have an amber necklace which has reduced drooling a ton but we still don’t have any teeth over here! – Abby C.
Jeremiah started drooling buckets and was irritable and couldn’t sleep for 3 days. We decided to try the necklace and he was a new baby within 12 hours! We haven’t taken it off him since and he’s been great!! – Dani E.
4//Munchkin mesh feeders
I love these! Putting frozen food in these little mesh feeders seems to relieve teething pain for little Gracie girl! So far I have tried frozen banana, frozen carrots, and frozen breastmilk. To make the breastmilk popsicle, I pumped a little bit of milk, poured it in one of our frozen food containers, and then put it in the mesh feeder. Gracie was so content for about 30 minutes sucking on this! I’m sure it felt great on her gums. Be warned though, these mesh feeders can get super messy.
Mesh thingy with frozen banana Frozen Waffles – Jen D. (I love the frozen waffle idea!!)
Frozen fruit in those little mesh pouches. – Bethany B.
5//Camilia teething drops
This homeopathic medicine comes in single-use doses and you simply squeeze it into baby’s mouth. One of the active ingredients is actually the same as the Hyland’s teething tablets, so it may work similarly. These drops are supposed to temporarily relieve symptoms of teething, including painful gums and irritability. I have not tried these yet with Gracie, but after reading reviews online, I may soon!
We like the Camilia remedy. -Erica A.
6//Teething rings + toys
We have a ton of these little teething rings and toys that we got for Gracie’s baby shower. She honestly didn’t chew on them much until she was truly teething. Now she loves them. I keep a tupperware in the fridge with all of the rings and toys. That way, we always have one cold. Gracie seems to like the Nuby keys toy a lot. I’ve heard that you should always put these toys in the fridge, instead of the freezer.
Yes, we have the famous sophie the giraffe teether. And yes, it is awesome. It’s not Gracie’s all time favorite toy, but she does like to chew on it. If you ask me, it’s a little creepy looking.
This minnie mouse toy from Disney World is actually Gracie’s current favorite teething toy.
7//Chewbeads
Ugh. I so wish I thought of this invention. These necklaces are genius! Unlike the amber beads that BABY wears, these are necklaces for mom to wear. They are actually super cute, too. I wear mine while I’m holding Gracie. She loves chewing on these. We also have the chewbeads bracelet that Gracie can chomp on for a good while. She loves it. I think it’s something about the rubber it is made out of.
I have the chew bead bracelet & Gracie loves to chew on them when she visits. – Gramma
I like the chewbead necklaces that are for moms to wear. They probably don’t really help get the teeth through but my little guy loves chewing on them and they can be helpful while nursing because they give him something to play with without being overly distracted. – Nicole H.
8//Nursing
Sometimes, the only thing that works for Gracie is nursing. Breastfeeding truly does comfort her in a matter of seconds. It’s literally my go-to remedy for everything, including teething. If you aren’t breastfeeding, just try extra snuggles + cuddles.
9//Bagel
Okay this one is pretty genius. Sometimes, teething toys just don’t do it for Gracie. She gets frustrated at them and ends up more fussy than before. Someone told me to just let her chew on a bagel. It’s easy to hold and allows her to chomp down without getting frustrated. A good tip I read is to microwave half a bagel for 30 seconds and then let it cool down. Doing this makes it stale so it will be rock hard. Just don’t leave baby unattended with it, because as baby chews on it, it does get soggy and can bagel pieces can start breaking off. I just kept rotating it for Gracie, and she LOVED it.
10//Infant tylenol
I haven’t given Gracie any traditional medicine yet, but there definitely is a time and place for it! I can imagine when Gracie gets her molars that she may be in a lot of pain, and may need something like tylenol to get through it.
I loved hearing from different people what worked best for their babies. Sometimes, though, what works for one baby, does nothing for another. Each baby is unique and they prefer different remedies. Your baby may not respond well to any of these. In that case, you just have to snuggle hard and get through those tough days! Teething doesn’t last forever!
