Teething remedies

As I had stated in my previous post, last week was hard. And I mean so hard that I contemplated just sitting in the bathroom and crying for a few hours. But, alas I could not. I had a baby to comfort and soothe like no other. Silas is getting teeth! woo hoo. I'm sad to see his gummy smile go, but happy that this is finally happening. The kid is 11 months so it's been a constant "when is this going to happen" deal. And what's really funny is that it's his top middle two that are coming in, which if you're and expertise in baby teething you know that it's usually the bottom two that come in first. Anyways, onto the methods that I've been using to help my babe feel comfortable. Now, some doctors out there claim that teething really has no impact on a baby. They are full of shit (in my book). My kid is miserable. And I mean M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E. It started a few weeks ago while we were in Michigan and kind of took off from there. The first sign was a constant grab at the mouth that accompanied a very intense whine. Now, imagine this happening for 10 hrs straight. I wanted to run away. Of course, being a new mama I was a frantic basket case because I had no idea what to give him. Tylenol was a big no no for me so I turned to some homeopathic remedies and they really seemed to take the edge off. I've listed them below (with a picture to correlate!) and unfortunately, I included some Tylenol (boo!), but sometimes you just have to do it.

(left to right)

1) A thermometer. Silas had a fever that reached 103 two nights in a row. He was nursing a TON and had normal diapers so I was sure that it was nothing to worry about, however I did call our pediatricians office to talk to a nurse on call just to be sure. If you are ever unsure though, call or take your child in immediately. I am glad that I had this on hand though. I checked his temp about every few hours.

2) Tylenol. Now, I really used this as a last resort. I have been adamant with myself that I would not give him Tylenol unless it was absolutely necessary. I caved and ended up giving it to him twice. Both times were at night and I halved the recommended dose. Also, they now make is DYE free which I found to be an absolute must. Unfortunately, the idiots don't make it flavorless so we had a puke episode due to the disgusting "grape" flavor.

2) Teething tablets. I found that a combination of these and the homeopathic orajel were my savior. Together they did the job. The tablets dissolve quickly and he took them so easily. I usually popped one in and then nursed him.

3) Lavender oil. This is such a soothing scent. I mix it with a bit of coconut oil and give him a nice soothing massage after a bath. I actually do this on the regular, but when he was teething it seemed to calm him some.

4) Orajel. Now, this is homeopathic and not the regular stuff. With babies you want to really stay away from benzocaine which is found in normal and baby orajel. This can be found right next to the regular stuff! A little swipe seemed to be efficient at eliminating some of the pain.

(not pictured)

*Breastfeeding. I can't speak for the bottle thing, but breast feeding was our #1 go to. Silas wanted to nurse almost every hour and I let him. It shot my milk supply up through the roof (and now I have to deal with the side effects; hello leaky boobs!), but it calmed him down and I know it felt good on his gums. And no, he does not bite me.

*Camilia. These little drops can be found at Whole Foods or probably any natural food store. They really helped us out and were so easy for him to take (flavorless!).

*Amber necklace. Unfortunately, we left ours in Michigan. I will vouch for their effectiveness though. I would put it on him as soon as we woke up and it seemed to take the edge off.

* I am not a medical professional and everything you give your baby should be talked about with your doctor.