Just when you thought that you can finally sleep for longer stretches at night (three hours is considered long after the newborn stage) and then suddenly you notice that your once amiable baby has turned into a moody and cranky drooling infant. Yes, that’s the teething monster that bit her! and it turned you into a mom seeking for various teething remedies for babies!
Anyway, each of my children reacted differently to teething and i have tried a whole lot of remedies for each child. Some worked for just one, others worked for one but did not worked for the other. It is just unfortunate that the oral teething gels that worked for all my monkeys are not locally available and we had to hoard or ask relatives abroad to buy for us when they go home here.
In any case, there are other remedies that work. And recently i ran out of our teething gel and had to experiment with other brands in the market, and so far it has worked for us.
Anyway, in this post ill be sharing with you some teething remedies that I’ve tried with my children and hopefully i can help you experiment with what will work for your little teething person there.
Teething remedies for babies in the Philippines:
1. Frozen Teethers – Freeze your baby’s BPA Free water filled teethers on your freezer and give it to him to gnaw on. Of course make sure that the teethers are sterilized/cleaned thoroughly prior to freezing. We usually freeze ours on a Ziploc bag or covered container. Make sure to thaw the teethers a bit before giving it to your baby such that some of the water is melted. Why? So that their gums will not get injured.
2. Frozen Washcloth – Get a clean washcloth and pour in some distilled water. Wring off excess water, and then freeze in either a Ziploc bag or covered container. Some babies enjoy teething on this because it is soft and cool and reminds them of a corner of a blankie.
3. Frozen Fruits – Freeze some fruits like papaya, mango, melon, watermelon, or whatever you have in the ref. Put the fruit in a mesh feeder and give it to the baby for him to gnaw on. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A MESH FEEDER, you can always use a clean muslin cloth or gauze lampin, put the fruit in the middle, and tie tightly with a rubber band. Again supervise them when teething on mesh or DIY feeders.
4. Regular Teethers – Your good old classic teethers are very useful at this stage since they gnaw on anything that they see. So just give them their favorite teething toys as toys to play with when they are cutting teeth.
5. Soft Toys that double up as teethers – Soft toys that have attachments that babies could teeth on could also ease the crankiness of your babies so have these available for them to play with.
6. Teething Necklaces or chewblings – Chunky chewellry or silicone necklaces meant for moms to wear and babies to teeth on are best on-the-go teethers for teething babies. Make sure to buy yours from a reputable source because you’d want food grade silicone, and raw materials that are sae for babies to chew on and for you to sanitize, and something of course that will not break and cause choking. (Here is my previous article on where to buy Teething Necklaces in the Philippines)
7. Ice Cold Water – If they do not have cough or colds and they are BEYOND SIX MONTHS, drinking ice cold water can help ease teething pain. Give them super cold distilled water in their favorite cup, sippie or whatnot, for them to sip on. It will help soothe their gums, and playing with water can take their mind off the itching and pain.
8. Breastmilk Popsicles – Breastmilk popsicles help babies through teething while nourishing them! If your infant/toddler is breastfed, pump (or hand express milk), then pour them in a popsicle maker or special breastmilk popsicle maker, pop in the freezer, and serve to your little one as soon as frozen.
9. Essential Oils — If you are into essential oils then make a blend that could relieve teething pain. Usually massaged outside of the cheeks and along the gum line. I have tried melaleuca, orange, clove and copaiba for my children. An alternate blend that I have tried is Balsam fir and Lavender. (Here’s my previous article on where to buy essential oils in the Philippines)
10. Amber Teething Necklaces – Some parents swear by this natural pain relieving stones that are made into necklaces. They are often worn on the neck of the baby to help ease teething discomfort. While some parents would not want their baby to wear any type of necklace, some swear by the healing benefits of AUTHENTIC amber teething necklaces. (Here’s my previous blogpost on where to buy Amber teething necklaces in the Philippines)
11. Baby Toothbrush – The round and sort and spiky, and even the mini toothbrush can be a great soother of your baby’s teething discomfort. It can also help familiarize him with brushing. usually you can buy these in sets.
12. Teething Biscuits or teething rusks – Teething rusks can be very helpful for babies whose gums are getting very itchy. You can buy some at healthy options, or at the imported aisle off major grocery stores. OR you can make your own if you have an oven at home — here is a recipe you may want to try OR CAREFULLY SUPERVISE your child and offer these pig-ear shaped egg crackers (that is if it is okay with the weaning method that you follow). So far so good for us.
13. Teething Gels and wipes – Xylogel is locally available in drugstores. Some moms put it in the refrigerator before applying it on baby’s gums. Unfortunately, this did not work for my children but you may want to give it a try because some moms say it worked for their child.
Spiffies on the other hand is a wipe that helps with teething. Locally, you can buy it over at some Mothercare branches. You can also order online through their Facebook Page.
So far the ones below have worked for us – Baby Orajel and its generic counterpart from Walgreens (Red tube) has worked for my babies. It is not available in local pharmacies though. The other one, Camilia also worked for my children. I discovered It when we ran out of Orajel. It is available in Healthy Options. BE CAREFUL THOUGH ABOUT USING TEETHING GELS THAT HAVE LIDOCAINE OR BENZOCAINE because it can be harmful. Read this warning from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
14. Infant Pain Meds –– If all else fails and if you feel like your baby is too irritable because of his teething, ASK your pediatrician if pain reliever is warranted. AGAIN, NEVER SELF MEDICATE.
So how about you, what is your baby’s favorite thing to teeth on?
Before I end this post, I would like to caution parents to not solely blame teething for sudden fever onset or diarrhea. AGAIN I AM NOT AN EXPERT BUT, we have been warned by our pediatrician about this. They said that yes, teething may cause pain but it does not mean that it can cause fever on babies. Sudden onset of fever (without symptoms like colds or cough) cannot just be blamed on teething according to our pedia because it can be numerous things like UTI or God forbid, Dengue, and we parents should all be vigilant about this. MOREOVER, diarrhea cannot always be blamed on teething and should never be shrugged off because dehydration can be fatal. Our pedia mentioned that some people blame watery stools on teething because swallowing a lot of saliva can soften the bowel, or it could be because when babies go through the teething stage they gnaw on anything and if that “anything” has germs and bacteria, babies can get sick of diarrhea. But NEVER equate LBM on babies to teething and then shrug it off and let the baby go on with loose stools for days without consulting your pediatrician. Seek medical advice, and NEVER self-medicate.
So there you have it. Hope I have been able to help you with your baby’s teething woes. Till next post everyone. If you have the time, hope you could drop by my Facebook page and hit the like button, so you can receive regular updates from Happypinaymommy.com direct on your newsfeed. You may also follow us on our Instagram and Pinterest Accounts!
Thank you so much!
A Happy Homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy.
Here’s a video on how to make breastmilk popsicles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BAV7qTsqDI
