Finally, the promised list of teething remedies - Lil’ Duck is still working on those two year molars, poor thing.

We’ve tried a lot of teething remedies over the eruption of 16 teeth (working on 4 more as we speak!) - as I mentioned before, nothing really “cures” teething, but a few things do seem to calm him down a little:

• Baby Orajel teething swabs - numbs up his gums, I can stick that swab all the way back to where it is needed without getting holes in my fingers from his sharp little teeth. For the first few teeth, the regular baby orajel worked fine, but after that, it’s nearly impossible to avoid being bit. If you have a ton of baby orajel and want to use it up, stick it on the end of a q-tip and stick it in there, has the same effect (just don’t put too much on, a glob can fall off onto their tongue and you’ll hear strange sounds and lots of tongue-grabbing until it wears off ;)).
• Hyland’s teething tablets - work faster than Tylenol to calm him down a little. They also have the gel, but I’m faced with the same problem as the orajel with that, and it doesn’t seem to work as well as the tablets.




• Baby Tylenol - this is only as a last resort, as the actual trying to get the stuff down his throat is usually a nightmare (here’s a list of tricks that might help). Assuming that you consulted with your doctor before giving it and all those good things, you might find Dr. Sears’ dosage calculator helpful.

I got two great teething ideas from the commenters on my first post - JGS suggested freezing regular bagels and letting him gnaw on them, which is a great idea as long as you are going to watch them closely of course - Lil’ Duck is old enough now to handle bagels, but for the little teethers, I’d worry about them getting a piece off and choking.

Nicola suggested a clean flannel kept dry in the fridge can act to cool the face - also works with younger ones to chew against. She also recommended cold fruit to chew, such as melon. Lil’ Duck thinks that fruit is baby poison or something, strange but true, but perhaps your little ones feel differently.

Also, Lil’ Duck has never really taken to teethers in the past, but now he loves them, so it’s worth a try - the bumpy ones now, of all things. He also likes to eat crushed ice (other little ones go for popsicles or sherbet) - especially good if they aren’t drinking enough liquids, just make sure there aren’t any big pieces of ice and still watch them closely of course.

What works for your little one? Any other great ideas to share??

Just as we were enjoying the break from the endless teething (note the photo from last year to the right), the monster arrives again. This means not only no sleep for our whole family, but endless screaming and the crabbiest baby on earth. Not that he isn’t still cute - after a night of fussing about, endless demands and strange sleeping places, I was awoken by a cheerful “Hi, Mama!” and lots of baby kisses and hugs.

Here is the list of teething remedies that help us, but I do have to say while some things seem to help a bit, nothing has allowed us to get any sleep OR to keep us from going deaf as of yet. If you have any miracles, send them our way. *yawns* back to the screaming baby…..