Every parent looks forward to seeing their baby’s first tooth come in, but are you ready for those teething wake up calls, right after your baby just begins to sleep through the night?
Many of us parents expect their little bundle of joy to start cutting their first tooth around 4-6 months. According to Dr. Lasky, research has proven a baby can actually cut their first tooth as early as 3 months, or even as late as 14 months. “It doesn’t have anything to do with baby’s health or development — it all comes down to family history,” says Lasky.
Sleepless nights can be very draining for baby and parent, not to mention the agonizing pain your little one may be in. Here are some ways to help you and baby sleep during this exciting, but sometimes painful time!
# 1 Use a Teething Toy
I am sure almost everyone knows what these are! If you do not, you will learn this is will be your best friend for the next many months to come! A cool chewy teething toy is great to give your baby when they wake up at night crying. They can bite down on it and chew away, this helps the tooth break through faster and keeps their gums cool and numb which eliminates some of the pain. Other things you can use if you do not have a teething toy yet:
- Frozen washcloths– allow the baby to chew on these right after they come out of the freezer
- Frozen Fruits or Veggies– make sure you put in a mesh or silicone teether for smaller babies
- Natural teething biscuits– These are really easy to make, and best of all they do not contain any artificial or unknown ingredients.
#2 Herbal Remedies
As we walk further into the future, we are looking for more natural ways to heal our aches and pains, rather than running to the pharmacy to buy something over the counter. When it comes to our children we find ourselves doing this more and more every day. Here are just a few options when it comes to baby’s teeth and sleeping!
- Chamomile- Many cultures have used Chamomile as a natural remedy for thousands of years. You can freeze chamomile tea into a mesh teether (Just remember when taking things out of the freezer do not give them directly to your child, the ice could stick to their gums. Allow the mesh bag or frozen teether to De thaw a little. I would run my daughters underwater for a few minutes.), offer a few cool sips on a spoon or rub a chamomile tea-dipped finger on your baby’s gums. Remember to never use tea made from plants, grown from a garden due to the risk of botulism.
- Clove– Used as a natural anesthetic. It has been shown to help pain management just as much as benzocaine. There was a case study performed showing that cloves could replace a benzocaine as a topical anesthetic.
- Catnip– This has been said to calm baby’sirritability andd help them rest easier. By adding this to the Chamomile tea you and baby can rest easy. It is also a fever reducer, which a lot of babies get while teething.
# 3 Cold Food Before Bed
Stop it before it starts! Who doesn’t like a bedtime snack? I know I do, why should your baby not get one as well! Before bedtime try a chilled bedtime snack, a few bites of some very soft cold food (refrigerated food). This will help numb the gums for a little while, which will help the pain as your baby falls asleep. Some bedtime snacks you could use for example:- Applesauce
- Carrots
- sweet potatoes
- bananas
#4 Massaging The Gums
You see baby’s chewing on their fingers while teething because it feels good! This little bundle of joys has their teeth cutting through and they are only helping it along faster by biting down. Take your finger and gently massage your little one’s gums. Rub your finger across their gums until you hear it squeak. This will relieve their pain temporarily, and the squeaking of your finger rubbing the gum may even take their attention off of the pain. If your baby bites down on your finger, let them chew just a little. This may be a good indication that he or she needs a cool teether!
#5 Relieve Their Stress
A lot of times baby’s get stressed from the pain and can be a lot worse than the actual pain its self. Try playing some soothing music, massage their feet, rock them, or even sing to them (well if you have the voice!). Baby’s are just like us, pain makes us stressed. If we are stressed from no sleep, they are too! As I stated above try giving some chamomile tea, shoot drink some for you too! You both will need it!
As I have learned not everything works the same with every baby teething. You will learn quickly what works, and what does not! I would love to hear others great ways to help your baby sleep while teething. Please do not forget to comment your favorites! Until next time my friends!
Yours Truly,
Heather D. Gantt