Dealing with teething tots

Last Updated on 26 September 2019 by Colette

I remember in the early days of motherhood being absolutely terrified by horror stories of teething babies; of little ones inconsolable with pain and the endless sleepless nights which came with them.

Fast forward to Ben at 8 months who dribbled like a trouper and was often rosy cheeked but he never really seemed to suffer.  At least not to the extent I had been imagining!  We had the odd grouchy afternoon which was soon sorted with a dose of Nelsons Teetha and I found ibuprofen was best for bedtimes as it helps to reduce the inflammation as well as the pain.  It was Aunty Custard who spotted Ben’s first tooth when we were out shopping one day, it just seemed to appear out of nowhere.  I remember he cut a further three teeth over the following ten days!  This patterned continued for Ben, spitting out teeth in clusters, until he had a full set.  A full set of teeth which now, at 5 and a half, are getting wobbly and starting to fall out!!

Much like Ben, Chloe also got through her teething with little fuss.  She rarely dribbled and certainly never had the tell tale rosy cheeks of her big brother.  I kept the trusty sachets of Nelsons Teetha in my bag but hardly ever had to use them.  Chloe was more steady with her teething – one at a time.

And now Amy, at 17 months has a cheeky face all but full of teeth.  Amy hasn’t really been one for rosy cheeks either though there has been plenty of dribble on occasion.  I can’t even say there have been lots of sleepless nights.  What there has been plenty of though is puke.  It took me quite a while to make the link but for some reason when our little Bo is teething she does tend to show this through the medium of projectile vomit!  I’d rather she had rosy cheeks any day!

So really we’ve struck lucky to have three “easy” teethers but our top tips are:

* Don’t be stingy with the pain relief – if you think they’re suffering give them some pain killers paracetamol & ibuprofen are you friends (as I mentioned before we saved the ibuprofen for just before bedtime when the teething pain does seem to be at its worst

* Keep a ready supply of bibs for the dribble – no baby wants a sore chin to go with their sore gums

* Nelsons Teetha is fabulous stuff – convenient, ready-dosed sachets to keep in your bag.  Easy to pour into baby’s mouth and super fast acting to sooth and calm symptoms of teething

* Be aware that teething can cause a sore bum – keep the nappy rash remedies to hand

* Be patient, there may be grumpy days and sleepless nights but it’s short lived in the scheme of things. This too will pass! 

I’d love to know your top tips for dealing with teething?

Ben – Photo by http://www.sharoncurran.co.uk