Help a Teething Baby

A teething baby is in very real pain but there are a few things you can do to help ease their suffering and bring at least a modicum of comfort.

Tutorial

Any adult who has cut wisdom teeth has at least had a brief taste of the agony a baby can go through when teething. And a parent will go to any lengths to help the baby through this difficult time. While you probably can’t eliminate the pain, there are several things you can try to help your baby through the teething with at least a bit more comfort.

Remember that cold will usually help ease the pain. You have several options for getting this bit of comfort to the baby. You can buy teething toys that are filled with liquid and made to be chilled. Since a teething baby naturally puts things into his mouth, it shouldn’t be difficult to get him to chew on the chilled teething toy. Don’t freeze them because the hard toys will also be painful to the baby’s gums and new teeth.

If you don’t have a teething toy available, you can wet a baby washcloth in cool water or wet the cloth and allow it to chill in the refrigerator. This will provide the same soothing relief though it probably won’t last as long and you’re going to be dealing with a wet washcloth being dragged around the room.

A gum-numbing gel will often give some temporary relief though some children hate the process to much that it becomes a trade-off. At least the child usually gets over the anger of having you smear the gel over his gums fairly quickly and the teething pain is usually put aside for at least a moderate period of time.

Most pediatricians will tell you to give your baby a non-aspirin pain reliever and this will sometimes help the teething child, especially when fever accompanies the teething. Never give you child medicines without first talking to his doctor.