Teething is one of the inevitable challenges of parenthood. Every child will experience it at different times and stages, but rarely (never…?) will a child skip it entirely. One of the babies in my mommy group got all 8 of his teeth in the first few months of his life and another baby I know didn’t have any teeth at the age of 1. All babies are different but at some point that cranky, whinny, I-wanna-bite-chew-and-gnaw-on-everything-in-sight phase will come.
One of the interesting (but tough) things about teething is that the most uncomfortable phase of teething is actually BEFORE the teeth break through the gums. When the teeth are actually visible, the most painful period has likely already passed. This means that when your child is irritable, cranky and waking up from sleep unexpectedly, you won’t be able to immediately diagnose why. Just like many other elements of parenting, you’ll be scratching your head trying to figure out “why”? You may be able to narrow down the source of the fussy child to teething if you also notice excessive drooling, a low-grade fever, changes in eating habits and an incessant need to chew on anything and everything in sight (fingers, toys, books etc.). Alternatively, you may happen to have a child that doesn’t seem to notice teething much at all… lucky you!
Leah endured teething moderately well. She did have some moments of difficulty but like I mentioned, it was often hard to know whether emerging teeth was actually the cause. By the time her teeth came through, I was happy that she was back to her normal self and didn’t concern myself with re-visiting the past. Besides, I usually had something new to tackle by then like Leah biting me during breastfeeding!
To help you with the teething process you can buy a teether, or two! Some are filled with fluid that you can chill to give your child relief, and others are in the shape of a pacifier. There are ring-shaped toy teethers but one of my favourites is the Nuby Softees Super Soft Teether. This PTPA winner is a high quality teether with a really great textures to massage gums in a shape that is easy to hold for babies. As a bonus, it comes with a case so you keep it clean between uses and easily throw it into your diaper bag to take it out with you. Though Leah seemed to like chewing on books just as much as chewing on teethers, she did show a bit more interest in some more than others.
Nuby Softees teethers are designed to soothe and comfort your baby when they start to cut their first teeth. The hard and soft textures massage and assist erupting teeth to bring comfort and relief to your baby. Nuby Softees? super soft 100% silicone teethers are ideal for middle teeth teething. The different textures provide relief for baby’s sore gums. The Softees super soft rattle teethers are ideal for back teeth teething. The different textures massage and soothe in the final stages of teething.
To learn more about this PTPA Winner, click here.
Check out the Nuby website here.