Ten on Teething

Katie is cutting another two to three teeth so you can very well imagine that teething is something that's been on my mind lately.  So I'm joining in Top Ten on Tuesday with a list of things we're doing and using to help make this latest round of teething more tolerable.

1

Katie's general go to teething toy of choice is this set of fruit keys.  She alternates between chewing on the fruits and the slightly rubbery ring.  This toy has been one of her favorites for months now.

2

One of the newest items in our teething arsenal is a cold wet washcloth.  I discovered that this helps Katie by accident.  She grabbed the wash cloth that I used to wipe her down after lunch and didn't want to let it go.  It's something I would only recommend if you are going to be supervising the baby while he or she is teething on it.

3

Very much along the lines of a wet washcloth are those cloth teething stuffed toys.  Last Christmas Katie got a cute little pink teething elephant.*  It has rubbery feet that she can chew and a trunk that is perfect for teething.  She spent a good while attached to this toy yesterday.

4

I find that distraction can sometimes work to take a baby's mind off of teething.  My parent's gave Katie a neat toy called an O-Balllast week and tossing this soft pliable, chewable ball around has pulled her out of a teething funk more than a few times.  The ball is very easy to squish so it's easy for her to scrunch it down and gnaw on it if the mood strikes her.

5

In the middle of the night when teething pain wakes Katie and has her inconsolable, ibuprofen has been just what she needs to banish the pain so she can rest.

6

Tooth specific teethers intrigue me.  Years ago we were given a Mam teether that had some multi functionality that made it ideal for back and front teeth depending on which part of it was being used.  My older girls were attached to it.  I couldn't find the same teether for Katie, but I did manage to find a similar onethat she likes well enough.  The only drawback to this one is that it is water filled.

This teether is another one from our arsenal that should be helpful with the back teeth.

7

For the most part, none of my girls have been overly impressed with the water filled teethers.  With a few exceptions, nearly every water filled teether we have tried has been rejected by the girls.  They have all tended to prefer the ones that are made of a silicone or rubbery material.

8

Depending on the baby, topical pain killers like Baby Orajelcan either be a raving success or a dismal flop.  Madeline responded well to this stuff, it had no effect on Ellie and  it hasn't done much of anything for Katie.  

9

Teething biscuits can be a yummy [and messy] way to keep you little one's mind off of cutting a tooth.  Just make sure you watch the baby closely and take away the biscuit if it becomes small enough to be a choking hazard.

10

Sometimes there's nothing like a good cuddle from Mom or Dad to ease the discomfort of teething.

* The pink teething elephant is cute, but I don't recommend buying the "pretty in pink" line of toys from Bright Starts because a portion of the sales goes to the Susan G. Komen foundation which supports Planned Parenthood.  I don't think baby products should support a cause that redirects money to another group that destroys innocent unborn children.