Teething Sucks
Sorry for the lack of unoriginality of the title but really, there’s no beating around the pun in this case, we are in survival mode in the Woolf-(husband’s last name here) household for fair Fable is teething her ass off.
It’s amazing how much you forget in the three-plus years of parenthood. I don’t remember ANYTHING I feel like. And if I hadn’t recorded Archer’s entire babyhood on my blogs? I’d be completely in the dark so I don’t know how you blogless people do it — remembering how to deal with teething and sleep issues and everything else.
I’ve been hesitating The Great Teethe but only because so many people have been asking if she’s “teething yet.”
“Oh, shit!” I thought, “No. Does that mean… Is it soon? Will she be teething soon?”
“Any day,” said so many people. “Any day.”
And then Wednesday night, in the middle of Passover Seder at my grandparent’s house, Fable’s teeth decided to be a bunch of assholes and push through. So I spent the entire three hour ceremony with my boobs in Fable’s mouth, which sucked because I love dipping the Parsley in the tears of the chosen people.
Fable takes a break from boob and bites a spoon
So there she was, screaming out in pain and me feeling like I was going to have a panic attack because there is nothing worse than a crying baby when there is nothing you can do to make her feel better. Sad face.
Of course, every night since, Fable has been fussing and biting and chewing and gnawing and sucking and, well, crying, which is heartbreaking to hear because until now Fable has seldom cried at all. It paralyzes me, her sadness. It makes me want to punch some lights out.
Thankfully, I have found several objects that seem to be helping Fable’s teething somewhat (not including my boobs and cold spoons, as pictured above). Breast pads, it turns out, are awesome for biting on and so are wash-cloths, burp cloths and bottle nipples.
Things that aren’t helping Fable’s teething? Teething rings.
Go figure.
***
What worked for our baby was frozen bagel slices and frozen steamed apple slices. The cold numbed her gums and the food just got mushy so there was very little chance of choking and gagging. Teething sucks for everyone around the babe. I hope the teeth poke through soon and Fable’s suffering can stop.
Oh, I feel for you. We like, JUST got through my son’s 8th tooth popping through, and it was by far the worst one. He just wanted to be held a lot, and thankfully teething rings did work for us, wooden ones or the kind with the water in them cooled in the fridge.
My daughter just got two molars this week. She also likes to teethe on metal or cloth. She is old enough to find and chew her own sleeves. After she has soaked them in drool she seems most happy. I feel for you after having such a happy baby it is hard to have a sad baby you can do nothing for.
Oh, I can SO relate, as we are spending this week with teething with a child who refuses to take any type of pain medication no matter how i disguise it. Best teething toy I’ve found is the little finger toothbrush, the side of the play and pak, and ice packs that would normally go to keep someone’s lunch cold. Teething toys are definitely not a good answer.
ouch! poor fable. damp washcloths left in the freezer for an hour or so might help too. i believe that’s what i used to chew/drool on.
Hyland’s Teething Tablets and Gel are the best and safest product I have found. My son got all of his teeth in a 4 month period and Hyland’s was the only thing that worked.
He also enjoyed chunks of mashed up frozen fruit in one of those mesh feeding thingys.
i always threw some frozen mango or strawberry into one of these http://kidsstuff.stores.yahoo.net/t174.html
worked wonders. even if they were still in pain, they had delicious fruit to suck on without choking risk
Try the raz-berry teether. You can get it at Right Start in Pasadena. Seriously rocks and it is only about $6.
My sympathies as I am the human teething ring for my three month old.
Good luck.
Me too, Jaimee. I have hickeys on my chin.
Yes, I have also heard good things about Hyland’s teething gel and tablets. Very safe, I hear, unlike some of the other stuff out there. Sometimes we also gave our little teether a dose of liquid baby tylenol, which he didn’t mind taking. Hope things start feeling better soon, for everyone.
Aww, man…rough. I feel for you. My little one is only 3 months old but she’s already got me on the edge of my seat and my knuckles white with the constant drooling and the vivacious sucking on anything that wanders passed her mouth.
Have you heard of amber teething necklaces? They’re becoming really common over here in New Zealand. And no, it’s not some crazy crystal hoo-ha or anything about “energy”. The resin that Baltic Amber is sourced from has a natural analgesic and acts as an anti-inflammatory. The amber beads are threaded onto knotted silk thread and bubba wears them round her neck….the heat from her skin warms the oils in the beads, the oils melt into their skin and into their bloodstream.
I’ve met so many mums who swear by these necklaces and say they were an absolute life saver.
Hey, it can’t hurt to try right?
Just google baltic amber teething necklace. You shouldn’t have to pay more than $20.
I just did a little search and you can find well priced, good quality teething necklaces on etsy.
My daughter would look at me like I was an idiot when I offered a teething ring. She also preferred to chew on me or a washcloth. I remember teething as a long road with lots of peaks and valleys. I hope she gets some relief soon! Poor girl. They’re so sad, aren’t they?
Poor little Fable. My son is going through the same thing. He is working on the top two teeth and we have been to the doctor 3 times because I keep feeling sure that something is wrong he screams so much. Oh well, who needs sleep anyway?
CARROTS! A big cold carrot to chew on worked wonders for the Beef’s gums, with the added benefit of getting to fling them at the dog when he was done drooling all over them. That dog really loves her veggies.
I am so there with you! Actually, Nola’s two front teeth have pushed through. But the sleep issues remain.
Get the wash cloth wet and put it in the freezer for a little while. That will feel extra awesome on her poor widdle teefers!
Frozen baguette (or bagel, like commenter 1). Soaks up drool, turns to mush, feels good. If you have a dog, there’s no clean up.
Oh, and baby Motrin. Ibuprofen reduces swelling. I threw teething tabs in, too, but am not convinced they did anything.
Good luck!
hey, i’m not sure how “hippie dippie” you are
but have you ever thought of using Amber Teething Necklaces?
http://www.google.com/products?q=amber+teething+necklace&sourceid=navclient-ff&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-18,GGGL:en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=DNHgSaeNPMfflQeby4ngDg&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title
the babes don’t chew on them, but rather they wear them (under your supervision of course) and their body heat warms the amber which releases calming oils. i’ve yet to try them since my babe is just a few weeks old….but i thought it sounded interesting. and hey, they’re pretty (i’ll find any excuse to buy amber – my namesake
I gave my daughter pork rind chips to gnaw on.
Hyland’s tablets also helped and frozen grapes in a mesh feeder were also good and not nearly as white-trashy.
I haven’t tried it, but I’m told that nutmeg as aromatherapy helps–put some in water on the stove and boil it. Can’t hurt, at least, and it smells nice. Gentle Naturals teething drops are a slightly different combo of homeopathics than Hylands, so if they don’t work try the drops (I find them a bit easier to administer, too–they’re naturally a wee bit sweet, so once my son figured out what was going on he stopped crying and sucked it down). Rescue Remedy can help calm her, too, though it won’t touch the pain.
And speaking of pain: I feel yours. My baby cut his first tooth at three weeks; we didn’t know which end was up for days.
Our family secret (offered by a doctor and passed teething child to teething child) dip a tooth pick in Brandy and rub it on her gums. Its not enough booze to do anything and it calms the gums.
…aaaand by toothpick I mean Q-tip.
ack. teething really does suck. one of our twins has been teething since he was four months old. not fun. we use the hyland teething tablets to dull the day pain, but when it is bad i do not hesitate with the baby motrin. sorry, mama….hope those teeth come through and give ya’ll a break soon.
Holy hell! I hear ya! My little one started teething two weeks ago and it has been rough. Nothing soothes her. No teething rings, no cold towels, no bottles, nothing. It has been torture, though maybe I will try a cold spoon next
The boob is all Ivy wants, too. Her third tooth poked through on the bottom during a recent plane ride. That was fun. She does love the wooden teether rattles from wee organics, however. But they also hurt when she hits her head with them, so…
Steph
My almost-10 month old LOVES an ice cube in one of those Munchkin baby feeders (http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Fresh-Food-Feeder-Pack/dp/B000GK5XY2) She loves it so much, in fact, that when I so much as TOUCH one of them, she gets excited and wants an ice cube in it.
Of course, that works until the screaming starts again, but at least the reprieve gives you enough time to make a martini.
Aww, poor Fable. Poor Mommy. Teething is one big ball of suck. No getting around it.
We’ve had some luck with chamomille–both in tea and “teething relief drops” form.
Have you looked into Amber teething necklaces? They relieve teething pain from having oil from the Amber beads absorb into the skin.
I live in Holland and all the babes are wearing them. It was not until I gave birth to my own wee one that I realized that babies here are accessorized with a purpose. I just thought they were all wee hippies because it’s Amsterdam. But, seriously, people here swear by it, totally worth checking out.
I used frozen freezies. The short ones in the clear
plastic wrapper. They were small and easy to hold and
stayed cold for a very long time. If their little nub
of a tooth punctures the plastic then they get a yummy
fruity taste too.
If that fails, Tylenol and a frozen washcloth.
DUDES!!!!! Amber teething necklaces! I’m on it!!!! Yay!
And also thank you guys!!! So much! I forgot all about the amber necklace! Going to get one tomorrow at the local holistic store.
This sweet little giraffe worked wonders for us. She was my daughter’s constant companion for months. Imagine my horror when my husband left her on a plane!
http://www.amazon.com/Calisson-Sophie-La-Girafe/dp/B000IDSLOG?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games
yeah! so excited to hear you’re trying the amber necklace. Can’t wait to see this new generation of babies all over the world all rocking out with their amber necklaces, beautiful! How cool to see how many people recommended them in this thread.
This is my tiny wahine modeling hers:
http://babylightbeam.blogspot.com/2009/04/babys-first-bling.html
Although I read somewhere recently that the lighter more milky beads have more of that wonderful succinic acid so we may be upgrading.
Cold carrots worked well for us, too- and Vitamin T (tylenol). I was super cautious about Tylenol until a lecture from the pedi on why oh why do parents let their kids suffer, thinking they can do nothing, when Tylenol according to proper dosage is very safe and can be given days on end? And really helps? I recommend at least giving her some pharmaceutical relief at night, when it always seems worst.
“Fable’s teeth decided to be a bunch of assholes and push through.” Best line I will read on a blog all day. GUARANTEED.
pesach seder f**ked up because of the non-sleeping baby here, too =(
I’m sorry I took so long to see this, but MiniMe’s fav toy at this point was a jigger. You know, those stainless steel things that bartenders use to measure out shots? She LOVED them. They are cold, also roll on the floor well, & easy to sanitize. Buy like 3.
Oh, I am NOT looking forward to this phase at all. I have a sad face just thinking about it. I hope you don’t run out of cold spoons any time soon!