Soothing a teething baby is tough. When they start cutting teeth, they can get downright irritable. I don’t blame them tooth pain can be a b*tch, I still avoid the dentist if I can help it. For some children they start teething as early as 3-4 months. Others may not start till 6-10 months. Some babies handle it better than others, your kid may be champ and barely complain at all… or they could be really upset and fussy. As exciting as it is for us as parents to watch the teeth coming in, it’s still important to try to calm and soothe your baby. So, asking yourself how to soothe a teething baby? Here’s some tips that worked for my babies, best of all they are free or very inexpensive!
- Frozen Washcloths
Take a CLEAN washcloth and wet it down and throw it in the freezer. Once it starts to freeze just give it to your baby to chew on. The slightly hard texture combined with the cold temperature will give them some relief on their sore gums as they chew on the washcloth.
- Teething Rings/Toys
There are a few types of teething toys. For my babies, the ones that gave them relief was the teething rings. We used the ones that are filled with water and can be freeze, this is a great way to comfort a teething baby. For as cheap as they are it’s worth a try, here’s a couple different kinds that we used:
- Pacifier in the Fridge
We’ve already talked about this… the cooler temperature really helps with the pain on your baby’s gums. So, take their pacifier and toss it in the fridge for a little while. Once it gets nice and cold just give it back to them, having the pacifier may help distract them anyways, and since it’s nice and cold it will help soothe the pain of teething.
- Teething Biscuits
You’ve probably seen the teething biscuits at the store, the ones that dissolve while your baby’s eating them. They dissolve easily so there’s next to no risk of choking. Having something to chew on is a great way to soothe a teething baby, chewing will help with the pain in their gums AND it will distract them from the discomfort also. Here’s some from Gerber that our kid’s liked, but honestly there’s a ton of different brands that make them with different flavors, just give them a try:
- Frozen Waffles
I’m probably starting to sound repetitive at this point but chewing on something cold will help to calm down a teething baby. An easy tip to give your baby some relief is to give them a frozen waffle to chew on. Just be sure to keep an eye on them… you don’t want your baby trying to take too big of a bite and choking.
- Mesh Teethers
This is a great, inexpensive way to help your teething baby, and get them some vitamins at the same time. These mesh teethers can be stuffed with about anything but we would usually stuff them with fresh fruit, it will keep your teething baby busy for a while. Even better, take some fresh fruit and pop it in the freezer then stuff the teether with the frozen fruit! Here’s the ones I’m talking about, affordable and worth checking out:
- Tylenol is Your Best Friend
I’m not a huge fan of giving your baby medicine unless you need to… but you’re probably going to need to. All the other tips here are great and will definitely help, but infant Tylenol or Motrin will really help with the discomfort. Be sure to talk to your pediatrician before giving your baby any medicine!
Learning how to soothe a teething baby can be tough. What worked for me may not work for you, but if you haven’t found a way to comfort your kid yet I’d recommend trying these tips out. Seeing your baby uncomfortable and in pain is a pretty tough thing to watch as a parent, give these tips a try and EVERYONE at home will be feeling a little bit better.
-That’s Just Dad Shit
