Teething can be a very stressful time of life for a baby and for the baby’s parents. The process is painful and stressful for the baby. Teething makes for a cranky baby, and therefore cranky parents. Luckily there are some time tested methods, along with some new technologies, that help alleviate these feelings!

What happens during teething?

Teething is the time of a baby’s life when they begin to cut new teeth. This is when the newly developed baby teeth push through the gum line and begin taking up their new homes in the baby’s mouth. This can be a very exciting time in the life of the baby. It marks when the baby moves on from liquid foods to solid foods. For the parents, it is thrilling to watch the new changes in the baby’s appearance and capabilities. However, this is an extremely stressful time as well. The baby’s gums hurt from the teeth pushing through, and the urge to chew is at an all-time high. Providing for the pain and the desire to chew can be somewhat of a challenge for a parent.

How can I help?

One of the oldest methods of handling both the desire to chew and the need to alleviate the pain is also one of the cheapest and the easiest. This method uses a clean wash towel, one that has not been washed using any harsh detergents or anything that may harm the baby. Soak it in water or juice and freeze it. The baby is then allowed to chew on the wash towel in its frozen state. This provides the baby with a solid item to chew on while numbing the gums against the pain of teething. When freezing the wash towel, it is a good idea to twist the towel up and place a knot in it. This helps to keep it in usable shape for the baby.

Several toys have been developed that use the same concept as the wash towel. These toys are made from non-toxic plastic which is filled with water. The toy is then frozen and given to the baby. The baby is then allowed to chew on these toys. The difficulty with these toys is that they are often too smooth for the baby to really chew on. This is why the frozen wash towel has remained so popular.

Another common remedy is to apply a numbing agent to the baby’s gums. This helps to relieve the pain from the teething process when natural methods such as chewing and icing are not an option.  There are many different medications available to the parents to help numb the gums, and it can take a few tries before you find the right remedy for your baby.