Tips to help your teething baby

Teething sucks! We know, we’ve been there twice! And while I’d love to say this blog gives you all the answers for your teething baby, the truth is it doesn’t. Like all things babies, what helps or comforts one, may not another. From day dot, we soon realise they are their own little human and you’ll need to find what works best for your own teething baby. But here’s our hints and tips on soothing those sore teething gums. Naturally.

Chew baby, chew.

Of course, teethers top our list. But why? Baby’s have a natural instinct to chew. Everything. From using their mouth to explore the world around them to soothing sore gums, this instinct helps in more ways than one. In teething, it helps to massage, soothe and comfort while those teeth move around under the gum and can even assist teeth to make their break through!

We use both food-grade silicone and naturally antibacterial beech wood in our teethers as both materials offer distinct advantages for your little teething baby. Silicone is firm but flexible and babies love to chew this silky material to massage and soothe gums. Add a textured surface and that massage effect is heightened, hence all of our designs feature a smooth front and a textured reversed. Check out our bestselling Bunny & Bear silicone teethers with our exclusive dual textured reverse – two textures in the one teether that babies can explore. Babies will love to hold and chew silicone teethers all day, every day and they’re a great staple toy for babies of all ages.

Wood is also renowned as an effective teething surface and we love the antibacterial properties of beech wood. The harder surface is great for serious teethers and allows baby to really chomp down – it gives them the benefit to apply more pressure as they get more resistance from the wood over a silicone teether, which in turn provides greater relief when they really need it. That extra firmness can also assist the final layer of gum to break and release the teeth and you might find your teething baby looks for those harder surfaces when teeth are nearing the gum.

Cool it, baby.

Another great way to help relieve gums naturally is by offering baby chilled items. There’s a few options here, like cooling their favourite teether (silicone teethers work best) or a chilled face washer for them to suck and chew – they’re best chilled in the fridge or the freezer, but only for 20-30mins as you don’t want it frozen, just cooled. If they’re on solids, you could also try chilled, steamed vegies or their favourite fruit purees or even create fruit and vegie iceblocks to serve in a mesh feeder. Anything cool that touches the gum could just work a treat for your teething baby! 

Amber vibes.

Amber teething necklaces are also an option and one we swore by for both of our teethers. I’m not going to preach for or against these other than to say we personally felt they offered a benefit. The baltic amber is claimed to offer a benefit for teething and symptoms like inflammation, but it is commonly reported that there is no scientific evidence to support these claims. As with any product, be sure to use them in strict accordance with instructions and remove the amber teething necklace when your baby is unattended, particularly while sleeping. 

A healthy dose.

When the going gets tough and you’re sure it’s the result of teething and nothing more sinister, a dose of children’s Panadol could be in order.  Having been concerned with the effects of medicine, our doctor assured us early on that children’s paracetamol and ibuprofen products are completely safe and at times necessary for babies. It can be very effective in relieving the pain associated with teething and sometimes, when we just need that pain to go away and nothing else gives your teething baby much needed relief, is a necessary evil. 

Free hugs.

When all else fails, a hug from mum is all you can do – much like many of the challenges of newborns and babies (and children for that matter), sometimes you just have to stop everything, sit down and let your teething baby sleep, rest, cry, whatever they need, comforted in the arms of mum. Or Dad. Or Nanny. Whoever it is, a calming, nurturing hug may be the only thing you can do to help your little teether.

And remember, this, like everything, will pass.