Gritting my teeth

My little boy is half way through his fifth month and has been teething for a couple of months now. There are no teeth yet though! A little peek into the frustrations of teething that we have experienced.

First comes the drooling. It was subtle at first, just a mouth full of saliva, but now the top of his shirts get soaked quickly if he is sitting down and this leads to rashes and skin irritations on his neck.  Then we are dealing with the pain. He likes to chew just about anything for relief - my fingers, Sophie the giraffe, a frozen teether, any of his toys, his hands and cold nummys. Lately he has gotten a better grip on these items and can hold them to his mouth without help so that's a plus.

I was one of those mommys that didn't want to give my baby a pacifier.....ever. When he began teething I decided to try it to see if it would help. It did and thankfully still does. So I do not regret going against my initial thoughts, and he is not addicted to the little nummy.  When he wakes in the middle of the night we use an ice cold nummy and a little bit of benadryl on his gums to soothe the pain and its working - he goes back to sleep!  This took much trial and error as I was feeding him first not knowing what else to do. I am so happy that we discovered an alternate solution.  

I find myself constantly checking his gums for hints of the whites of the teeth poking through the gums but so far nothing is coming out. It's all apart of growing I know...but it can be a real toothache...

Momma's Musts

• Bibs. Plain and simple - to catch drool and keep him dry - have your baby wear a bib while teething.
• Think cold. Babies like cold things - store spare nummies, teethers and toys in the freezer so they are always ready to go. Sterilize them in a small mesh bag in the top rack of the dishwasher when they get dirty!
• Experiment. Find your tonic for your baby. For us it was Benadryl and a cold nummy for emergencies and if it seems absolutely horrible, some Tylenol helps too. Don't use Orajel products, not Dentist recommended as it may cause some numbing in the baby's throat.
• Patience. It is a process and it will last awhile but it will be worth it for the excitement of seeing the first white caps poke through!

Here's an update : Tell me the Tooth!