Many parents aren’t comfortable giving their little teething babies teething gel, especially when they hear about the rare, but serious side effects that can occur. Back before teething gels were invented, many parents used natural methods to calm their teething babies. Fortunately, for those parents that don’t want to give their teething babies drugs, there are many natural teething remedies to choose from. The teething baby boy pictured to the left would be a great little spokesman for the natural teething baby association as he happily soothes his aching gums with a carrot. While I do list some natural teething remedies below, it’s pretty likely that I passed over some good ones. If you know of a good, natural teething remedy that I didn’t mention, please write about it in the comments section below.
Eight Natural Teething Remedies to Help Your Teething Baby
1 – Teething Biscuits. Many parents love using teething biscuits to calm their teething babies. Be sure to choose a teething biscuit that is healthy for your little one. When used in moderation, teething biscuits shouldn’t adversely affect your little one’s oral health.
Want to learn more about teething biscuits? Read Teething Biscuits: A Natural Way to Calm Your Teething Baby.
2 – Frozen Teething Rings. Cold items such as teething rings can alleviate the pain that a teething baby experiences.
3 -Frozen Carrots & Bananas. Frozen bananas are a sweet treat that can ease your baby’s sore gums. If your baby chews on a frozen carrot, only small bits of carrot come off at a time. Some parents don’t want to give their children frozen objects because they don’t want to inadvertently freeze their baby’s gums by giving them something so cold. If you want to play it safe, just go with a cold carrot, as pictured above.
Important – Any time you give your baby something to eat, you must stay with them at all times to help prevent choking.
4 – A small, cold metal spoon. You can either keep some spoons in the refrigerator, or put a small metal spoon in a glass of ice water. Your teething baby can then hold the spoon and bite down on it to help soothe their irritated gums.
5 – A cold, damp washcloth. Some parents have found that their baby enjoys chewing on a frozen damp washcloth or a cold, wet washcloth.
6 – Dried Fruit. Many parents advocate the use of dried apples to help ease teething troubles. Any dried fruit that allows the child to chew can help alleviate teething problems. Keep in mind that you should use dried fruit in moderation, as it can cause tooth decay.
Want to know which of the six kinds of fruit are bad for your child’s teeth? Read Is Fruit Good or Bad For Your Teeth? It Depends.
7 – Ice chips in a clean baby sock. Some parents have found that by putting small ice chips in a baby sock, and then tying off the sock, they can give their baby something cold without the risk of their baby’s gums getting too cold.
8 – Gently rub your baby’s gums with your finger. I’ve tried this with my children and it seemed to help them, although my daughter has bit me before! It didn’t hurt too much however due to the lack of teeth. Holding your baby and massaging their gums with your finger can also provide comfort to your teething baby during this hard time.
Beware of Possibly Dangerous Natural Teething Remedies
The internet is an interesting place. Almost anybody can say anything about any topic under the sun. It is important to know that although teething does cause some irritation in your child, it’s probably a good idea to not use any unproven homeopathic remedies. Dr. Steven Pray, a professor at the College of Pharmacy at Southwestern Oklahoma State University has said, “Parents or caregivers should be cautioned against use of unproven and potentially dangerous teething remedies such as homeopathic teething tablets containing belladonna, coffee, magnets, tea tree oil, anise seed, clove oil, and cantharides.” Use your common sense when dealing with your teething baby. Many parents simply look for a quick fix to their baby’s teething troubles, possibly putting their precious baby at risk.
What Do You Do to Help Your Teething Baby?
Do you have any other suggestions to help the parents that are reading this post be able to more effectively calm their teething baby? Do you have any questions, comments, or concerns? I’d love to hear what you have to say in the comments section below – Thanks for reading!
I recomend Amber Teething Necklaces. They release oils that help sooth teething pain. They have been used for generations as a natural remedy for soothing teething pain.
WeeRascals have a gorgeous range of amber necklaces. Check out http://www.wildsheep.co.uk & http://www.weerascals.eu
Hi Luci – Thanks for your recommendation. Some people may find these to help.
The reason I didn’t include them on the list above is because we still don’t have very good evidence as to their effectiveness. This article from the journal Pediatrics provides a good summary of various homeopathic teething remedies. It states the following regarding amber necklaces:
“Although homeopathic and natural remedies are widely used and reported to aid in relieving teething discomfort, sufficient evidence does not exist to recommend their use. It is important, however, for clinicians who care for children to be aware of the types of products that are available and used by parents.
Amber is a traditional European remedy for teething and is worn by the child as a necklace, bracelet, or anklet. Amber is believed to be a natural analgesic, and when worn, small amounts of oil are released onto the skin, which is believed to relieve the discomfort of teething. Amber is not an oral remedy, and the beads are not to be sucked or chewed.
Other natural or homeopathic remedies include application of oils and herbs to the gums, including diluted clove oil, natural licorice sticks (not candy), fennel, green onion, olive oil, ginger root, and vanilla. Many over-the-counter homeopathic remedies contain chamomile. Chamomile is purported to be especially helpful if the child is suffering from diarrhea, irritability, or red cheeks.”
Hopefully that article provides some good information for people looking into homeopathic remedies for teething.
Thanks for your comment, Luci! Let me know if you have any questions.
My baby is 15 1/2 months. She already has 4 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth. Now it looks like she is growing out more and her gum is inflamed. The weird thing is that it is inflamed where the teeth has already grown. Is that normal? It is so inflamed that her front lip looks like she has a fat lip. She was never drool with her previous teeth but this case she drooling so much that she has rash on her chin with puss. We tried cleaning every time but still hasn’t got better. Last night there was a little blood on her front tooth. She also has a very foul breath smell. Any feedback will be great. First time parent!
Hi Hien – It’s not normal to see a lot of inflammation where the teeth have already come into the mouth. It’s tough to say what it is online. Your best bet would be to see a pediatric dentist. They will be able to do some diagnostic tests to understand what’s going on.
I hope that helps, Hien. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment!
Hi Tom,
I see that on a different post you said Melissa recommends Hylands teething tablets. I use them for my daughter too but they do contain belladonna, although you mentioned above that it is not recommended to use homeopathic medicine containing that ingredient. I have spoken to naturopaths about homeopathic medicine and they say it is completely safe because the actual belladonna isn’t present in the medicine just the ‘memory’ of it. So my question is do you recommend those tablets or you think all homeopathic medicine is unsafe?
BTW I love your site and recommend it to many moms 🙂
Thanks!
Joanna
http://www.latvianamberstore.com/publ
Lot of information about Baltic amber
http://www.latvianamberstore.com/publ
I’ve used an amber teething necklace with my youngest daughter and I think they do wonders! they have saved me lots of money as Camilia is not cheap. When looking at the different options it was important to me that I choose the safest, most natural products.
A European friend suggested it to me because my daughter was having alot of teething distress. Apparently in Europe they are such a common remedy that they are sold in drug stores.
I bought mine from a Latvian online store called Latvian Amber Store
I’ve found that the little dishes they put sides in at restaraunts help my daughter alot. theyre rounded and large,but she can hold it easily and loves to chew on it…
I also would like to suggest the Baltic Amber Jewelry. The poeple over at http://www.bouncybabyboutique.com/ have the cheapest prices online for genuine amber that I have been able to find and I bought my son a anklet and it helped him alot. They also have some useful info about how the amber works and how to care for it. With the prices they have over at Bouncy Baby Boutique theres no reason to not give it a shot for you. All the poeple that say it doesnt work where most likely sold fake amber. Dont let that happen to you.
Wonderful Tips! In addition, I would suggest that you must distract your child using various things such as toys, songs, etc. Sometimes, distraction helps to annoy teething pain. Otherwise, all the above remedies are sufficient to deal with your child’s teething.