Mama & Babe Teething Survival Guide

For the last few days my happy baby has been fussier than usual, unable to play on his own, needing to be held and sleeping through the night has been interrupted. Cue rosey cheeks and buckets of drool and I knew the culprit..TEETH! Connors first few teeth came in quietly  almost overnight. These next two teeth are coming in with a vengeance. In addition to the teething he has a little cold too. Im guessing putting everything and anything in his mouth to relieve pain gave him the cold. So needless to say it has been a rough couple of days for us. Right when you have a routine and you think you are getting the hang of mommyhood-life throws you a curve ball whether its teething, illness a sleep regression we have to adapt and help our little ones and ourselves through these things by whatever means possible... Including a glass of wine after bed time :).

 Its so hard when your little one can't tell you what and where it hurts and all you can do is guess. We have been fumbling our way through the week and trying different things. I wanted to re visit teething/cold remedies and what is helping us,especially since teething is an ongoing process that we all go through.

1) Ice Cubes served in a mesh feeder or any other kind of frozen fruit-This week I made some chamomile tea and froze it. Chamomile is an ingredient found in alot of the natural teething products you can buy so I thought I would give it a try.

2) Teething Necklace- Some people swear by these. Whether they work or not I say why not try it! Nothing to lose. We have the hazel wood version.

3) Plenty of chew friendly toys & objects- Connor has taken to chewing on my fingers whenever he can get ahold of them. With his many teeth he has quite the strong bite, so I try to keep new and different things he can put in his mouth to spare my fingers :). The pressure of biting is a great distraction and natural pain reliever. 

4) Connor also has a mild cold-mainly a really runny nose and congestion which can be frustrating at night or whenever he is laid down. I have been using baby vicks at night on his chest and feet. I elevated where his head rests by putting a blanket under the sheet so it was not loose.

 The other product I have used in the past are Coryzalia Drops. They are made by Boiron a homeopathic company that makes a line of baby products. They are to help with runny nose,sneezing & congestion. I find it helps and am comfortable using it as I have used other products they make.

5) Tylenol and Advil- I try to use natural pain relief as much as possible. This week I have been using Tylenol & Advil because Connor was still unhappy after trying everything else. I find that if I alternate Tylenol and Advil throughout the day he is happier and his pain is managed better before it gets out of control. Than by night he is able to fall asleep instead of being in crazy amounts of pain. It's all about what your comfortable with.

6)Baby Orajel Naturals - I just bought some more of this and find it helps, especially at night. Again  it contains Chamomile and is free of additives that are harmful to baby that were in other teething products previously sold.

7) Time. All things will come to an end teething included... Until the next round. Connor has become more like himself these last two days which is so nice to see. Even though some of the hours in a day took forever to pass I try to remember how fast days go by and just spoil him with love and try to distract him.

8) Try to keep your normal daily routine. They are already going through so much,at least with routine they have something they can expect. In saying that,realize that your little one might need to sleep earlier and longer than usual. Bath time might move to an earlier time like it has in our house. It was a great distraction and kept Connor happy for at least ten minutes :)

9) Be patient and if your little one is up at night be kind to yourself during the day. No task needs to get done- everything else can wait. Sleep. Eat. Shower when you can and have a glass of wine or watch a favorite show after bedtime.. Whatever helps you relax and unwind. Treat yourself and hope that your little one returns to there sweet self soon.

10) I have no magic potion or answer to give you. I'm ten months in and learning everyday. I asked my parents if they remember us teething and they don't .. It's funny how the rough days kinda just melt away over the years. I hope our little survival guide helps you or at least provides comfort in knowing your not alone in your experiences.

Happy Friday!