Teething Is Making Me crazy..help!

Hi Jody,
I know exactly what you are going through. I think I asked a few questions about this myself. I am not a first time mom, but my older kids are now 21 and 15. My little guy is 16 months old. The older kids just "got" teeth, no problem. Not my little guy. He cut in multiple teeth. I, like you tried everything. Nothing seemed to help. I couldn't wait for my husband to get home so he could try to work some magic and give me a break. Here are a few suggestions.

The motrin worked fairly well for me. I have heard of the tablets one of the other mom's suggested, but I never tried them. I do hear they work pretty well though. You have tried everything else possible to try.

The best advice I can give you is to not be so hard on yourself. We are mothers, but we are also human. We can't read minds or know exactly what to do all of the time. I have come to realize that sometimes my little guy just wants someone else. It aggravates me that I am with him all day and he is grumpy all day and then is fine when dad gets home. It doesn't make me less of a good mom, but he probably feels my stress and that adds to his stress. So what I am getting at is you are doing fine. Please don't allow yourself (or anyone else) to think you are not a good mom. Would a bad mom have asked for advice? So let dad take over, take a long hot bath (with a glass of white wine) and keep in mind that teething won't last forever.

Trust yourself. You are a good mom! There is nothing wrong with passing your daughter off to your husband. He's the father and your husband. Let him parent too. I didn't let my husband parent enough the first time and it has detrimental long term effects. So, you aren't "passing her off", you are letting him parent too.
You are a good mom. It's hard when they can't talk and tell you what is wrong.
I went to a counselor after I had all of my kids and I remember her telling me that there is a lot of research on being a "good enough parent". Kids need love, a house, dry diaper and food. That's it. All the rest we just do for ourselves. So, sooth her, feed her, love her and that's good enough. She doesn't have to go to baby yoga, baby massage, never cry, do everything right. Just do what is good enough for you and your family and the rest will fall in to place.

What's worked for us (DD is 18 mo.): infant motrin and toothbrush handles. I know, it sounds nuts, but she loves to chew on the handles -- ours have a rubbery "grip" area that she seems to like (well, that and my Birkenstocks, but we're obviously not encouraging THAT!). Godd luck! For us, it has been a couple of months of TERRIBLE teething with a bunch popping through at once, but then it got much better, so just hang in there, mom!

Bless your heart. I'll tell you what our doc told us at the time, "a little white wine." When I asked if he was serious he said, "oh, it's for you because you're going to need it!"

Our first, now 18 and in college, just popped teeth without any difficulty. We'd look at him and comment that there was another tooth!
It was HELL with everyone of our daughter's who is now 14. We too tried everything possible. That's when I finally gave up and talked to our doc, told him we had tried everything and he gave me the white wine comment. I'm sure at the time I wasn't amused but I laugh about it now!

It does get better!!!

Lori K

We're going through the same thing with our son. Try Hyland's Homepathic Teething Tablets and Tylenol. You can get the teething tablets at Walmart or Walgreens. This combo works great for us. It makes our little guy feel much better and helps him relax so he can sleep. Hang in there!

Have you tried teething tablets? I was told to use those rather than Orajel because Orajel toughens up their gums and makes it harder for the teeth to come through. I'm not sure if there's any truth to that but I used teething tablets for my son and my now teething 9 month old. I love them! You just use 2-3 and put them in their mouth kind of under their tounge and the dissolve really fast. I know they have them at Wal-Mart, Babies'R'Us, and I think CVS. Good luck!

Jody...First of all...congratulations on your little girl, what a joy!!!
Poor little thing....4 months is really early to be cutting teeth.
Please do not question your ability as a Mother...I have always said that being a parent is the most important job in the entire universe and we just sort of get tossed out there on our own to do it...no training period at all!!! It sounds like you already have the most important thing well in hand, you love your little girl and want what is best for her. Trust your judgment, don't be afraid to ask others for advice (which you are already doing!!!) and also use the internet for information.
Our oldest daughter has an almost 16 month old little boy and she is a part of a Mothers Network that seems to be really quite helpful to her. If you are interested, message me and I can get the internet information for you.
Keep telling yourself "this too shall pass"...I know right now it seems like this teething business is going to last forever but believe me, it wont. It sounds to me like you are doing a lot of the right things to comfort her, are you putting the teething rings in the freezer so they are cold when she uses them??
Just be there for her when she is unhappy...lots of cuddling and kisses, let her know she can rely on Mom and Dad to comfort her. Don't think that she has to be happy and smiling every moment that she is awake...life isn't like that...even at 4 months of age,so crying doesnt mean you are failing..it is just her only way of communicating to you that something is bothering her!!! And never feel badly about handing her off to your husband...he is part of the team!!!
I wish I had some more really solid advice for you...but I think mainly you just need some reassurance that you are a capable Mom...doing the best job you can do!!
God Bless You,
R. Ann

Hi Jody. I can relate. Our almost 10 month old got 2 teeth at 6 months and has been cutting four middle teeth on the top for the last 2 months. What a bear!!! Motrin has been a godsend. I felt bad giving it to her so much, but my Dr. said every 6 hours. I don't give it to her if I think things have settled down a little. If she's biting on things, pink cheeks, diaper rash, drooling, I dose her with Motin. One caution, it has caused constipation in our daughter so I just make sure she's drinking water in addition to nursing and give her prunes and fruits. She doesn't really care for juice yet. I'm assuming your daughter is 4 months so probably not on solids yet? Ask your dr. to be sure, but I think you'll see a huge relief with Motrin. Good luck and God Bless!

Jody-

My daughter (now 2) also had a very difficult time with teething. The only thing that worked for us was homeopathy. We used hylands teething tabs once she was eating, but when she was younger, we used Camilia by Boiron (can get at whole foods store). It comes in single use tubes, and is liquid, so you can just squirt it in baby's mouth. I also learned from a natural baby care book (www.drfeder.com) how to use homeopathy, and it has been a godsend. I also recommend this to my patients, and it seems to help.

On occasion, I do meet some babies who have a bigger issue. For some, the cranial bones are stuck, which when combined with the inflammation caused by teething leads to pain and tension in other areas, usually ears, but sometimes other places in the head and neck. These kiddos will sometimes pull on the ears or rub their heads when they are fussing. They may also arch their heads back, which can be very frustrating when you are trying to calm them. In these cases, craniosacral therapy and/or chiropractic is indicated to help relieve the tension.

If you have any questions, please PM me.

Yours in health,
Dr. Alyssa

FIRST!! TAKE A DEEP BREATH & RELAX.

Second: have the dr check her! As the other moms said, there could be another cause....ears, hernia, etc.

Third: is she on cereal or fruit/vegies? Hunger will also cause this behavior.

Fourth: is she rolling over or anything else? Transitions are usually fussy times until they ace whatever they're trying to achieve!

Good Luck & please try to relax/have faith!

Hey Jody! Sorry to hear about your trubles with teething. I know the feeling with three that have went through it and one that is currently. I was told that oragel actually hardens the gums and in turn is harder for the teeth to actually poke through. I LOVE teething tablets and they are all natural!If you are not familiar with them you can get them at your grocery store/walgreens and they can be found in the baby isle. It works wanders and can be used with tylenol as well. Hope this helps!

Have you tried taking her to the doctor to make sure she does not have a ear infection? Sometimes with teething comes ear infections. You could also try gripe water. It will calm her and make her feel more relaxed. It is all natural. It does not put them to sleep but it just relaxs. Teething is hard and every mom has times where you wonder if you are a bad mom. Just hang in there and they will break. Then the true fun begins as they have to wear them down to make them less sharp. Prepare for your finger to be bite. Oh and be careful with the teething tablets they have ingredents that can be harmful if taken wrong

You might want her doctor to check her ears. When my son was cutting teeth, he got an ear infection with every tooth, until he was older, and he cut his first one at 3 months. Our pediatrician said that many doctors say it's an old wives' tale that teething can cause ear infections. But he said no one would ever convince him otherwise. He said that when the baby lays down, all that excess saliva that they are producing with the teething, pools back by their ears, and can cause earaches. And, like I said, my son got one with every tooth! He also prescribed an eardrop to use when the baby woke up at night with an earache, to help the pain until I could get him in to the doctor. It was called Tympagesic. Spelling could be (and probably is) wrong. It was pronounced tim-puh-jee-zic. If my little one was that fussy, at her age (beyond the colic age), I'd risk the copay to have the doctor check her ears.
P.S. My son never once pulled at his ears. It was all a guessing game.

try highland teething tabs. they are all natural and they saved us! you can get them at walmart, cvs and walgreens

3 words for you.....hylands teething tablets. They worked wonders with my son. I got them at walgreens in the baby section where you by the orajel stuff. I would give my son tylenol at night and give him a couple of tablets and he would stop crying. They are little tablets that just melt in the mouth.

Hi Jody,

I just want to tell you that this happens A LOT even with us "seasons mothers", lol. But here are some things to try:
*put her teething rings in the refrigerator or freezer to get them nice and cold, you can also try cold wash cloths, also frozeb waffles work good to.
*babies around this age usually live on tylenol and motrin. I would alternate between tylenol and motrin. Starting with tylenol in the morning, motrin through late afternoon and tylenol again around early evening.
*the next one is a life saver, Hylands teething tablets. These are littlr white pills that you put under her and they dissolve or you can give them to her in her bottle as needed. When my daughter was this age I would give her 4 at a time. These are homopathic and act in the same way as orajel but better. You can get them at walgreens, CVS, Walmart, etc. They are about $5.00.

I hope this all helps W. B.

Something too few people consider is that a baby might need to see a chiropractor. When teething, there may be more than sore gums involved. In some children, teething can cause headaches and/or TMJ inflamation and pain. It can also cause discomfort in the ear. Chiropractors who specialize in sacro-occipital technique (SOT) or cranial-sacro technique may be more helpful for you than you might imagine.

If you don't already know a chiro that is great with kids, start calling around to see if any offer programs for children. The chiropractor we see has a once a month program called 'Kids Come First'. On the first Saturday of each month, he offers a wellness check-up for $12 for kids 12 and under. All the kids are wighed, measured, assessed and adjusted by the doc. The atmosphere is perfect for kids. It's almost like a party with all the children there at one time. Children learn to love a visit to see the doctor and so many potential developmental problems are avoided. So, look around and shop wise!

We also tried all those remedies what has worked for us 95% of the time is Motrin. We give it in the am and before bed anytime we see/feel a tooth coming through.
Hopefully this helps!

You already have a lot of good ideas.
You might want to try just changing up your routine to see if a change might help. We would put our son in the stroller and walk around while he was chewing on anything he could get his hands on! It helped me, he seemed to like it, and he could be soothed without me feeling inadequate.
Hope this helps!

hello, I know how you feel, my daughter is almost 19 months and she is getting the back teeth. I give her teething tablets and tylenol and the tablets seem to help even with out tylenol. Also if you have freeze pops just let her chew on that you don't have to open it but the coolness will feel good on her gums also. I hope this helps I have been there so I feel what your going through. Take Care

Hylands teething tablets work phenomenal you can usually find them at any retail store in there pharmacy area. They are not a prescription over the counter all natural homeopathy tablets dissolve in their mouth. and work incredible.

Highlands teething tablets...lifesavers for us. Also my son liked just a wet cool washcloth.

My kids never liked teethers. We would put an ice cube in a washclothe with a rubberband around it to hold in the ice and let them chew on that. They still ask for them when their teeth start moving or I see them chewing on everything.

You are a great Mom or you wouldn't be worried by this. My girls are 9 and 11 now, so it's been a while since we've had teething pain, but one thing that worked for us was frozen bananas. Beware, this is MESSY, and I do mean messy, but it seemed to soothe them. I cut bananas in half (leave the peeling on) and dipped the cut end in either lemon, orange or pineapple juice to keep it from turning brown (I have also heard that 7-up or Sprite will do the same trick), then froze in zip lock freezer bags. After they are frozen, just run them under water and the skin slips right off. Let your little girl hold it, gnaw on it, etc. You may want to have her in the high chair in only a diaper, because it gets everywhere!

Good luck, it will get better!

Two things I tried-
Freeze a wet wash cloth for her to chew on and
With Orajel- it says to use a pea size but only 4 times a day... TRY IT YOURSELF! You will be amazed how well it works so just put a tiny dot each time and you can use it more often.

Hope that helps!
Also, maybe she is experiencing some other pain or problem??? Good luck- those first few months are rough but just wait til she is one!!! So fun and a lot less guess work!

Teething is hard, I've gone through it for all 3 of my kids and my 3rd is now cutting his 'I' teeth which are the worst! Have you tried teething tablets? They worked best for my kids -- in Wal-mart, usually by the vitamins or ask the pharmacy dept. My dr. told me to use ibuprofen but I don't think you can until they are 6 months of age. Good luck!

Sounds like you have gotten some wonderful tips, I am with Cari M about the washrag with and ice cube in it with a rubber band around it. My kids and grandkids, still ask for the ice cube washrag any time they get hurt or are feeling bad, I think they find it comforting, hope all the advice helps you, she will out grow it soon enough, and then on to other challenges, but they are worth it.

Teething as well as parenting in general can be very trying, this is for certain. The only advice I will offer on the teething is that if you feel like you have really tried everything you can think of take her to the Dr. Maybe she has a virus or earache or something and you are beating yourself up over nothing. Remember that just four short months ago you were still pregnant, 4 months isn't that long for your body and your nerves to heal so remember when you are feeling frazzled and at the end of your rope that you are still working on getting yourself back to normal and over time things will get back to normal for you. In the meantime..... I'd recommend a call to your OB just to mention the feelings of insecurity that you are experiencing. It may be that you have a little post-partum depression going on and she can prescribe a little something to "help take the edge off". I did it with my second child and I wish I would have done it with my first but I felt like to be "depressed" you had to be sad, not just have scrambled eggs for brains! But it turns out there are many symptoms of this issue and drugs are available to help and there is no reason in the world not to try something if it might help get you to the next part. :o) Good Luck!

Jody, you're not the first mom to feel the pressures of a newborn. You are NOT the world's worst mom...you are just still trying to figure out what works and doesn't work for your child. It's nothing but a process of elimination. And I hate to tell you...what works on child #1 may not work on child #2...you know the whole "we're all unique?" Yeah, a real pain in the butt sometimes...LOL...;)

Ok, here are somethings I did with my kids...freeze a banana, cut it up into small bit size pieces and let her eat them. Give her small pieces of popsicle. Feed her more cold things (i.e. chill her fruits, formula, etc.). Get some clean wash cloths, wet them, wring them out, fold them in half and roll them, then stick them in individual ziplock bags and freeze - they make great safe teathers for her and will also absorb spit! Let her chew (SUPERVISED ONLY) on frozen waffels or bagels...again, numbing the gums. If Tylenol doesn't work, step it up and give her Motrin. And make sure you are giving her the proper dose based on her weight. Orajel can work...but keep in mind, if you got it on her tongue she probably wasn't happy because then she couldn't feel it either.

On the flip side, what else could possibly be affecting her? Is she gassy? Has she pooped lately? Could she be tired? AND most importantly, if this has been going on awhile, you might want to take her to the Dr...she may have an inner ear infection. I won't kid you and tell you this is an easy job...heck, I look back on some of the stuff I went through by myself (hubby was deployed) with the kiddo and I wonder how I even got through it...but you will and you will start to read her signals much better. It may help you to keep a journal of what you have tried and when you tried it to see if you have some sort of pattern going...note all food intake, dirty diapers, naps, meds, and any types of soothers you've tried...AND, if you really get to the point where you honestly just need a break, call on a friend who has some kids and ask if they could take her for a few hours...maybe just that amount of time away from her will be able to give you a new perspective that you couldn't see because you were with her all the time. Hope you get some relief soon.

Have you thought that maybe the fussiness isn't just because she is teething? It could be something else all together. I hope you find something to help. And don't question yourself as a mother, we've all been there. Good luck and God Bless.