Natural Pain Remedies for Teething Toddler

Little one is teething again! She is biting anything and everything she can get her hands on. She has her two bottom teeth already but it’s taken her forever to get her third tooth. It looks like one of her top teeth are coming out. She’s been cranky, irritable and very needy. She doesn’t sleep well at night and it makes me sad to see her so upset. Her pediatrician recommends Tylenol, but I am a mom who likes to try natural remedies first before I turn to over the counter medicines.

Here is what we’ve tried already…

1. We’ve given her some cut up frozen fruits and veggies and put them in one of the safe baby feeders that have a small mesh bag attached. She likes those, and they are safe for baby that they won’t allow large pieces of food to pass through to their mouths.
2. We’ve tried freezing new washcloths for her to chew on. This was something that was suggested by a friend. I have read that some soak the cloth in chamomile tea first before freezing, although we did not do that. She seemed ok chewing on it for a little while, but mostly made faces and eventually tossed it aside.
3. We’ve tried the old fashion teething rings but she doesn’t particularly like those. She doesn’t chew on them like she’s supposed to, just sorta flings them about like toys so I’m assuming they don’t feel great to her when she bites on them.
4. We’ve given her some popsicles and she does love those. We purchased some store bought ones because we were just trying to find something that she likes, but eventually I want to make some homemade ones out of fruit juices to try to cut down on the sugars.

What we have yet to try…

One thing we haven’t tried are teething necklaces. I had heard about them before I had a baby, and I know they have been pretty popular for many years, but not something we ever looked into getting. These are not meant to be chewed on but worn. Some are made from material like amber or hazelwood. Now that little one is teething, I’ve become more and more interested in trying them out.

I found some online here and the prices do not seem unreasonable. The teething necklaces come in several colors and are actually really pretty. I found a few interesting facts about them on their blog. The necklaces are made to be worn in a very short length so baby cannot chew on them or try to pull them off. They also are designed to break if pulled too tight to prevent choking. Baby isn’t recommended to wear them at night, but an alternative is to wrap it around their ankles with a sock to keep it warm against the skin to allow the oils to release.

The idea is that the warmth of the skin releases the amber oil which contains a natural pain reliever and inflammation reducer called Succinic acid, which is then absorbed and goes into the bloodstream. Since Succinic acid is a naturally made substance by the body there’s no harmful side effects. I am always open to trying natural remedies first for my little one so I’m thinking I will try them out.

One thing I do know is that I’m taking lots of pictures of her mostly gummy smile right now. Soon all her teeth will be out and then we will have to worry about the new aches and pains that come with losing teeth. Things to look forward to!

How have you soothed your teething baby? Do you have any other remedies that you’ve tried that worked?