Natural Teething Remedies
August 2002

The mouth is your baby's most developed sensory organ and a great source of pleasure. This pleasure can be discovered through feeding, sucking on a pacifier or fingers and, even though you hate it, sticking everything he comes across into his mouth. Then, these nasty teeth start breaking through the gums and the pleasure his mouth previously provided has been rudely interrupted.

Try to keep your baby as happy as possible by using the following natural remedies:

1. Cold Teether - Give your baby a cold teether. A teether with texture may provide extra satisfaction. Be careful providing a teether to a child with teeth. He could puncture it.

2. Cold Food - You can try a cold baby carrot for a child that doesn't have teeth yet. If your child has teeth, he might choke on pieces of carrot. You can also give your child a frozen banana. As always, with any food you feed your baby, be sure to supervise closely.

3. Something to Chew on - Use teething biscuits in moderation once teeth appear as they can cause tooth decay.

4. Entertain your Child - Sometimes a simple distraction can help your baby forget his pain temporarily.

5. Rub your very clean finger against the gums - Your baby may object at first, but soon the counter pressure may provide some relief.

6. Cool Bottle of Water - This may help numb the soreness of the gums

A note on teething gels: Experts caution against the excessive use of teething gels as they contain benzocaine. There is a risk of allergic reaction. In addition, benzocaine can cause numbing of the throat and could lead to choking. Consult your doctor if you want to help relieve your child's pain with benzocaine.
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