Teething is a stage that all babies go through as they grow. When they are about the age of 3, they should already have a full set of teeth. Babies usually start teething around 4-7 months old, but it is different for each baby. Do not worry if their teeth do not start growing!

Teething can be uncomfortable for babies. They may become fussier. During the day, it may be easier to distract your little one with activities, but nighttime is when the pain and discomfort become more noticeable. This brings the challenge of comforting your baby to a whole new level.

You could always get a certified baby sleep consultant like myself to help you if you see the need. But before you run off to hire a sleep consultant just yet, why not assess the situation and try to troubleshoot the problems yourself first?

Teething Signs

You will start noticing signs like:-

Increased irritability
Increased fussiness
swollen and tender gums
increase biting/chewing
excessive drooling
Reduced appetite

What You Can Do to Help Your Teething Baby Sleep

While you might not be able to get rid of the discomfort entirely for your baby, there are some things that you can do to help ease some of it.

1. Apply a little pressure on their gums

Dip your finger in cold water and gently rub along your baby’s gums. The slight pressure helps to alleviate some pain from the swelling, and the cold water helps to soothe the gums too. You can do this before feeding. When your child is full, he or she won’t wake up so easily from hunger and be in so much discomfort.

2. Use teething rings

Silicone teething rings give babies something to chew, strengthening their jaw while also relieving some pain and soreness. Do make sure the teething ring you get is safe for babies and not something that they can bite through easily.

3. Use cold items

Cold items provide a cooling effect on the gums and soothes babies in their discomfort. It may come as a surprise, but a common, popular item used is a wet cloth. All you need to do is keep the cloth in the freezer for about 30 minutes to get it cold enough but not frozen, and give it to your baby to chew. You can do this before bedtime. Or if your baby has started the weaning process, you can opt for frozen fruit or cold applesauce.

4. Maintain bedtime routine

No matter what the issue is, always maintain a bedtime routine with your baby. Don’t allow teething to disrupt the routine. This helps them cope better as their body responds to it and helps them rest well through the night. In fact, not following a routine may make it even harder on them.

5. Consider medicine

If you have exhausted all means, you could consider getting medicine, like paracetamol, for your teething child. But only if the discomfort is too much for your baby to bear, and always, always refer to a doctor first. Make sure the pain reliever is approved by a doctor, and not simply any medicine from over-the-counter or those randomly found online as it may be to the detriment of the child if not provided the right medicine.

Conclusion

We know how teething can be a sore spot (literally). The goal is to get your baby as comfortable as possible when he or she is in the inevitable prolonged stage of tenderness or discomfort that comes with the development of teeth. As parents, we do as much as we can to help with that, but sometimes, there is just nothing else we can do while our babies are teething.

When it all comes down to that, searching for a baby sleep trainer near me could be your next step. Baby sleep consultations price could be a deciding factor in whether or not you do hire a sleep consultant. But do not worry about that just yet. Instead, you can contact me here to get a FREE 20-minute discovery call before you make any further decisions. I’m happy to provide you the information you need that is personalised to your child.