Any parent who has ever gone through it will almost certainly tell you that the hardest part of raising a child is in the period when they are teething. There is undoubtedly a lot of challenging time: childbirth is no picnic, the terrible twos are tough, teenagers are temperamental and think they know everything. But all these stages are easier than when your baby starts to grow teeth. The reason it is so tough is that you know what is happening but there is simply nothing that you can do to make things easier for your little tyke. The pain for the baby is one thing but it is the fact that they are not able to understand or comprehend what is going on that is the real cause for parental trauma. Your little one, sore and frustrated and there is not much that you can do. But there are a few hacks that can make it a little easier. Try these solutions out for size.
Gnaw and chew
One of the best ways to make the discomfort pass is to give the child something to chew on. It needs to be soft and soothing so as not to do any damage. It needs to be solid with no opportunities for choking. It needs to be sufficiently firm so that it can be felt. There are now toys that are designed specifically for the purpose of alleviating teething pain. For instance, you can buy Sophie giraffe, a specially designed teething toy, that has done wonders in easing many little ones through the teething phase. It is a proven winner and something that you should look to buy ahead of the arrival of those first pesky incisors.
Sleep for the win
The only time that the pain and discomfort of teething ever really goes away for a baby is when it is asleep. So, do your best to soothe the child when it is tired and get it to sleep. One of the best ways to do this is by breastfeeding. Many mothers seek to stop breastfeeding their children at the same time that teething starts. For many people the arrival of teeth equates to the migration to solid food, but this is too much change all at once for the baby. Rather keep going with breastfeeding for as long as possible, your baby loves it, and just slowly but surely add solids into the mix at the same time.
Solid foods
There are some solid foods that work well as teething aids. Your baby is almost certainly not fully converted to solid by the time teething starts, but, having said that, by this stage, they are very familiar with putting things in their mouth. Teething food is less about swallowing and eating, it is more about comfort. Look at giving baby things like dried fruit, dried beef or carrots. They taste good, are not choking hazards and will soothe inflamed gums nicely.