10 Ways to Help your Teething Baby

It’s 10am, you’re on your 3rd cup of coffee of the day already, your normally happy little baby hasn’t eaten any breakfast and has turned into a drooling and very cranky bundle of very little joy. If this sounds like your life right now, then chances are your baby is teething – I hear your pain Momma!

I recently saw a diagram showing how far those baby teeth have to move down, before they are pushed through their gums. It really is no wonder that your baby has gone off food and is an irritable little mess. Oscar had a terrible time when it came to teeth. I always knew they were coming because;

1. His appetite for solids would decrease.
2. His appetite for breastmilk would increase.
3. He wanted to be constantly in my arms.
4. His little bum would have a rash.
5. He would wake up every few hours screaming 🙁 (that really was the worst one).

I actually did a happy dance around his bedroom with him in my arms when he cut his 20th tooth! So how did we get through it? I was asked by the lovely people at Teetha to write a post with my top tips for teething and so I’ve put together my top 10 tips that will hopefully help you and your baby get through this!

Teething Pops

Ice is a natural pain reliever so I always had pops on hand along with some chilled teethers. Great for little gums and give immediate relief to your little one. For the ice-pops I always try to get as much goodness into them as usually my little guy had gone totally off food. These are my favourite ideas:

Milk-Pops

Perfect for babies under 6 months. I could always get my baby to eat one of these. Just pump some breastmilk and freeze into an ice-pop mould. If you’re not breastfeeding, you can also use formula.

‘Mommy & Baby’ Avocado & Spinach Smoothie (Frozen Into Pops)

If your baby is on solids and you’re looking for a super nourishing pop then this one is for you and your baby. Super easy to make and then freeze into little ice-pops. I love avocado because it just contains so much goodness and is a little meal in every bite. When mixed with a little banana, spinach and yogurt these pops are just so nutritious. I added a teaspoon of maple syrup because I wanted my baby to eat them (he hadn’t eaten anything but drank breastmilk for days). This recipe should make 12 mini pops so it is only 1 1/12th of a teaspoon of free sugar which is a very tiny amount anyway.

Find the recipe here: ‘Mommy & Baby’ Avocado and Spinach Smoothie

Banana And Turmeric Lassi (Frozen Into Pops)

I love these because they are sweet, they contain lots of goodness but most importantly the secret ingredient is turmeric, a natural inflammatory. Babies just love these pops and they are a great way of cooling little gums down and getting some nutrients into them at the same time.

Find the recipe here: Banana and Turmeric Lassi

Peanut Butter And Sweet Potato Chocolate Mousse (Frozen Into Pops)

These pops are one of my favourite things EVER! They taste like a healthy magnum, are full of goodness and they are so nutritious. The best thing is that they contain sweet potato, and not just a little sweet potato! 12 pops contain one of those large sweet potatoes that you look at thinking ‘what on earth do I do with this?’.

Find the recipe here: Peanut Butter & Sweet Potato Chocolate Mousse

Melon And Mint Zingy Teething Pops

Sometimes the simplest ingredients make the best things. Take these pops for example – 3 simple ingredients watermelon, mint and lime juice blended up together and frozen. Oscar LOVED these! So easy to make and they will have those little gums laughing away in no time.

Find the recipe here: Melon and Mint Zingy Teething Ice Pops

Good Teething Foods (besides pops).

1. Soup – I know soup is a contradiction from frozen but soup is soft, easy on the gums and if you add lots of goodness it is a great way to get your little one eating something. I left soup go cold as Oscar when teething preferred it that way. Load a spoon, soak some soft bread or just half fill a beaker up with soup and let them help themselves. You may have to make the beaker holes a little bigger for the soup to come out. Oscar liked chewing the top of the beaker as the hardness seemed to help his gums and a little soup would come out with every chew. Double win!
2. Muffins & Pancakes – If you search for muffins and pancakes on Baby Led Feeding you will find a huge range of healthy muffins – find the listing here: all my muffins and all my pancakes. The great thing about these is they are all super nutritious and soft on little gums. Top tip before giving your little one a muffin is to give them some Teetha granules about 20 minutes beforehand. They will be more inclined to eat them if their gums are feeling calmer.
3. Cooled Fruit – Bananas are great! Just peel one, then stick your finger through the top and it turns into 3 spears! Stick them in the freezer and take out about 10 minutes before giving to your baby. It will have started to go soft again but will be cool enough on your babies gums. Chilled ready-to-eat mango spears are also really great as are spears of chilled avocado.

Homemade Teething Biscuits

My lovely pal Stacey over at My Kids Lick the Bowl had this lovely recipe for sweet potato teething biscuits which are really good!

Find the recipe here: My Kids Lick the Bowl

Pressure

1. Frozen Washcloth – I always had a wet washcloth in my freezer for those really bad days. Take out of the freezer a few minutes before, shake to release any ice particles and so that it won’t freezer burn your little ones gums. Then just let your baby chew on it to get some relief.
2. Washed clean finger – If you have ever wondered ‘are my baby’s gums o.k to chew food’ then this tip will really help relieve that worry. Just clean your hands well and gently massage your little one’s gums to ease the pain. This is great if you are using cooling Teetha Teething Gel as it is natural and really helps alleviate pain.

Teethers

1. Cooled Teething Rings – Cooled teething rings are great for little gums. Just make sure you read the instructions and never place in the freezer as this can damage your baby’s gums if frozen. I used really natural ones that were PBA-Free.
2. Rubber Spatula – I know this sounds like a crazy one but Oscar loved the spatula when he was cutting teeth

Natural Pain Relief

Camomile Granules or Gel

I have been using camomile granules since my daughter Jade (who is now 15) was a baby and I have since used it on my two boys as well. I loved it because it is made using only natural ingredients including chamomile which really helped to calm them down and it can be given to babies from 3 months+ so great if your little one has started cutting teeth early.

I found it especially great before mealtimes especially for Oscar. I just poured the granules into his mouth and within 10/15 minutes he was calmer and more inclined to eat his food. It was also great during the night when his gums seemed to hurt him more than usual. It must have been sore to latch on and I knew he wanted milk so I gave him Teetha and walked around with him for a few minutes until it took effect. Then he seemed to feed much better and would go back to sleep. Some relief for Mommas too!

Like the granules the camomile teething gel is made using natural ingredients with the main one being chamomile. It relieves the symptoms of sore gums, flushed cheeks and dribbling so quickly. I stored it in the fridge so it was cold, then using a clean finger applied about a pea-sized amount onto Oscar gums and massaged it in. Massaging their gums with the gel really, really was so effective. I found this method great before breastfeeding as it was like an instant relief for him.