Teething Tips

A large variety of teething biscuits are sold, and yes, they do help. My son enjoyed them, but they made quite a mess. Be sure to watch that young teethers don’t break off or dissolve small pieces of biscuit that they’re too young to handle—they could become a choking hazard. Here’s another trick from Dr. Sears: Chill the biscuits first.

A coworker of mine swears by frozen peas to get her toddler through the tough times. Just roll them onto your child’s high chair tray and let him or her enjoy the relief. (Helps get those veggies down, too!)

Some companies sell teething “necklaces,” often made of amber beads. The concept is apparently based on an old European belief that wearing amber close to the skin eases the pain of teething. It would seem like something like this couldn’t hurt, but I’d watch Baby closely with these; the beads could come loose and pose a choking hazard.

In an article titled “Nothing But the Tooth: Dispelling Myths About Teething Pain,” Jane E. Anderson, MD recounts many past beliefs about teething including: “In the sixth century, Aetios of Amida suggested that, in addition to hare’s brain, having the infant wear bracelets and amulets would ease teething pain.”

Another idea I read about recently is freezing bags full of flax. Make a little “bean bag” using fabric and flax, put it in the freezer, and let baby chew on it, well-supervised. Some are sold pre-made under the name “Flax Sax.”

If your baby has started solids, you might have one of those mesh feeders in your house. Try filling that with something nice and cool and give it to Baby to gnaw on.

As your baby gets older, distraction is often the best solution to teething pain. A well-timed game, book or puzzle can get Baby’s mind off of the trouble. Good news! By the time your little teether is a toddler, well before all the teeth are in, he or she may weather the fattest of teeth barely flinching.