This post is sponsored by Baby Orajel™. All opinions are mine alone and should not be considered medical advice.
Teething is one of the scariest times for new and veteran parents — when you don’t know what to do or how to help your little one feel better and get some rest it can be exhausting (emotionally and physically). Everyone has an opinion about what you should do, too, but safety information is updated so frequently that you can’t always do what your friend, aunt, or sister did.
There are a few useful ways to help baby stay cool and calm safely, though, and I’m sharing my favorites! Seriously, we just used these to reduce teething pain while on baby’s first flight and for our ceremony to renew our vows and my little Nora was a cool happy baby the whole time!
1. Babywearing
Teething doesn’t feel great, so your little one may seem more attached to you than normal. Babywearing allows you to still get things done while giving your little that close comfort they need to self-regulate. I’m a big fan of ring slings or wraps for babies under 1 since they allow for that womb-like comfort.
By walking around and holding Nora while I did things on our trip to Turks and Caicos (her first international trip), she got to check everything our around us and felt comfortable enough to rest her head on my chest and pass out.
2. Teether Toys
Using a teether is one of the most commonly known ways to help soothe a teething baby. There are freezable teethers, vibrating teethers, textured teethers, natural rubber teethers, silicone teethers, metal teethers, wooden teethers … the list goes on. Buy several of each different type based on your baby’s age, development, and needs. I typically have about three frozen teethers and a few soft cooling breast pads in the freezer for Nora to chew on at any given time. When we go somewhere, she has a few textured teethers, light up teethers (For night) and frozen teethers. But a teether could even be a wet frozen washcloth, little metal spoon, or the rind of an orange (depending on baby’s age). Be sure to use a safe, fragrance free soap to clean them, too!
3. Teething Jewelry
A teething necklace or bracelet is like a teether on the go that baby can’t throw on the ground — Yay! This is a huge plus if you’re babywearing or even sitting with baby somewhere. These necklaces are typically available in metal, wood, or silicone and are made to fit your personal style.
4. Cooling Gels for Teething
Since a cooling sensation is so great at relieving the discomfort teething babies feel, I’m a big fan of the Baby Orajel™ Non-Medicated Cooling Gels for babies aged 3 months and older. They’re free of sugars, benzocaine, parabens, gluten, dairy, menthol, SLS, belladonna, and artificial colors making the gels safe if swallowed when used as directed on the product! Cooling gels allow parents to apply the gel to a targeted area, and they last longer than a frozen teether that might thaw quickly, be too cold for baby’s hands (if they can hold one yet), or simply not work well at easing baby’s frustration.
Nora was going through two frozen teethers within minutes of car rides then would become very upset before we started using the daytime Baby Orajel™ Non-Medicated Cooling Gels (it comes in a two-pack with daytime and nighttime gel). Now, we have a much happier baby who isn’t frantically throwing teethers in frustration, or gnawing on everyone.
5. Engage Your Little Teether
Give your little your time and attention, and do something that he or she really enjoys to help keep their mind off teething. Something like going outside for a walk, swimming, feeling the sand on the beach, or even looking at the leaves move in a tree can help an upset baby re-center. What you choose depends on your baby’s age and personality, but a change of scenery and sensory experiences (quiet area if you’re somewhere loud or with a lot of devices on) can really help. My kids have always been sensory sensitive and super distracted starting at 6 months or so, making nursing for relief harder so going to a quiet area to feed them or to give them a break from sensory overload has been helpful.
What are some of your favorite teething tips?
Shari Stamps of Navigating Parenthood is a mom to 3, postpartum doula, infant massage instructor, breastfeeding educator, event planner, and photographer. Click here to read this post on Shari’s site.
