A teething baby

Today, I wanted to talk about teething! It's such an exciting time for us parents, but not so exciting for our babies. I always wonder how much cutting a tooth hurts? When I think about how much it hurts when I have tooth pain, I can't imagine being a baby, not being able to communicate while being in that kind of pain! The best we can do is try to figure out what works best to ease whatever pain our babies are in. These are the things that work for my baby.

Here is a pile of some of the things I use for Ocean's teething pains. In it, we have homemade teething oil, chamomilla homeopathic pills, teething necklace, organic teething toys, & ice cubes!

Teething Oil & Homeopathic Pills

I tend not to use homeopathic pills that have a combination of things in them, such as the Hyland's Teething Tablets (although I have heard from many people that they work great.) So far, I have had great success with straight up chamomilla pills. I only use these if she seems to be in a lot of pain, fussing and crying. The teething oil, on the other hand, can be used often and as needed for pain. I make mostly all my own "medicine", so I made Ocean's teething oil as well. I wanted it to be something that I was completely ok with the list of ingredients. (I would also like to add, that my daughter is exclusively breastfed, so this is fine for EBF babies.) The ingredients in this oil are completely safe if made correctly. (As always, with everything, first talk to your naturopath about anything you plan to give your baby and ALWAYS test on yourself first before giving anything to your baby). 

Teething Oil

*Note: In the above picture, I have Aura Cacia brand Clove oil. Do NOT use this oil in this recipe or on anything you plan to take internally. I just took a picture with this oil, because I was out of my doTERRA oil. Only use FOOD GRADE essential oils for internal use. The two brands I recommend are doTERRA & Young Living, because both sell food grade oils. You will need:

Unrefined, organic virgin coconut oil

Food grade clove oil

Food grade vegetable glycerin

To purchase my teething oil, visit my Facebook page Siren's Apothecary Shop.

Teething Toys

Under the Nile has a bunch of great organic toys to choose from! Ocean's two favorites were in the wash at the time of this picture which are the organic green bean and organic carrot. She loves those best because they fit best in her little hands and mouth. 

Teething Necklaces

My daughter has both the hazel wood teething necklace and the amber teething necklace. How these necklaces work is that they have to be in constant contact with your babies skin. They were not made to be chewed on! When in contact with the skin, the oils from the wood and amber tree resin can soak in. Amber necklaces have naturally occurring succinic acid which reduces inflammation in teething babies.  Hazel wood, on the other hand, is naturally alkaline. This works in neutralizing your child's acidity, thus relieving teething discomfort. I like to alternate these two necklaces. 

Breastfeeding 

Although difficult at first, breastfeeding usually helps soothe a teething baby. You just have to teach them from the beginning that biting hurts mommy. My daughter only bit me a handful of times before figuring out it wasn't ok. I simply said OW, which startled her, and stuck my pinky in her mouth to detach her from the breast. I don'y agree with hurting a child in any way, so I would not take the advice of those who say to flick the nose, pinch, etc. Baby is just trying to eat, be gentle :)

Ice & Ice Teethers

Most babies love ice while teething, but usually straight up ice is too cold. I sometimes wrap a piece of ice in Ocean's organic swaddling blanket while at restaurants or on long car rides and this seems to do the trick. One of her favorite toys that I found is the Natulo ice teether. The ring is maple wood and the cloth part is organic cotton that you can stuff ice cubes inside. She LOVES this thing. It's a little expensive, but I definitely recommend it. When I am at home, I use alkaline RO Ice cubes. Another thing, which would be even better, is giving your baby breast milk ice cubes. I've never used a pump yet, otherwise I would have tried this already.

I hope this post helped someone! Happy almost Autumn Equinox everyone!