Teething

Teething is a part of a baby’s development. It can be a hard time for both the child and the parents. Teething can cause the child to be more irritable and onery, drooling, and soreness or tender gums due to the teeth trying to break through the gums. This is a time in life when you want to find ways to sooth the baby’s pain, so that everyone can be happy.
Here are some helpful suggestions from the Mayo Clinic:

• Rub your baby's gums. Use a clean finger, moistened gauze pad or damp washcloth to massage your baby's gums. The pressure can ease your baby's discomfort.

• Offer a teething ring. Try one made of firm rubber. The liquid-filled variety might break under the pressure of your baby's chewing. If a bottle seems to do the trick, fill it with water. Prolonged contact with sugar from formula, milk or juice contributes to tooth decay.

• Keep it cool. A cold washcloth or chilled teething ring can be soothing on a baby's gums. Don't give your baby a frozen teething ring, however. Contact with extreme cold can be harmful.

• Try hard foods. If your baby is eating solid foods, you might offer something edible for gnawing — such as a peeled and chilled cucumber or carrot. Frozen pineapple rings also help. They have a natural enzyme (bromelain) that help numb the pain. Keep a close eye on your baby, however. Any pieces that break off might pose a choking hazard.

• Dry the drool. Excessive drooling is part of the teething process. To prevent skin irritation, keep a clean cloth handy to dry your baby's chin.

• Try an over-the-counter remedy. If your baby is especially cranky, acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) might help. Be cautious about teething medications that contain benzocaine. Benzocaine products have been associated with methemoglobinemia — a rare but serious condition that reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood.

Parents claim that teething can cause symptoms such as diarrhea and fever, but researchers claim that this is not true.Symptoms of teething only affect the area of the mouth – no other area. As a parent, I have not found this to be true, but that is my own opinion.