7 Month Old Teething

I would find a teething toy that isn't just a ring but has different projections on it. Some have safely enclosed liquids to freeze in the frig. Maybe Sassy has some fancy ones. I think they have a better appeal than the old standards. The binki isn't made for chewing and can present a choking hazard. I don't know much about the weening thing as my son is a thumb sucker and I can't quite 'remove' that, ha ha....
Good luck....

i wouldn't worry as long as he is not actually causing the binki to split or small pieces to break apart. he is probably just trying out his new tooth and the binki is fun to practice with. i don't think weaning will be any harder.

I found with my children as well as our neices and nephews, that once they started teething and chewing on things such as their binkies and bottle nipples, that when we gave them cold wet wash rags to chew on instead of teething devices, they gave up on chewing on all they were not suppose too. Hopefully this helps.

It may just be time to get rid of the pacifier. If he chews on it enough it can break it and pieces can come off. I would start with taking it away at naptime. Then bedtime a few weeks later. Right now is an awesome time to break him of it as it will get alot harder after 12 mos. Give him other type teethers if he has the need to bite that are made for biting. Both of my kids loved those stuffed animals they have that have teethers for the hands and feet, soft enough to let them be in their crib but not unsafe.

Well I know all kids are different but my son only used a pasifier when he was teething. He didn't like teething rings though I offered them to him all the time. What he liked were the silicone pasifiers that he could chew on the rim. When his gums felt better he always put it back down to play with other toys. I think you might want to worry if he goes from chewing on it to sucking and then back, basically never puts it down. You could always get a type that he doesn't like to suck on just for chewing this might keep him from becoming to attached.

A Little about me:
Mother of two beautiful children 2yo son and 1yo daughter.

The sooner you can get your child off the binky the better. I am a huge binky pusher on my babies and never had a problem until my third son who did exactly as you described, chewed on it all the time and also used it for sleeping. Now he is FIVE and still has it. It is because I just can't get him to give it up. I know some people think I am a horrible mother because I will buy him a new one (although he is on his last one now, I swore I won't buy another one!), if I could do it all over again I would have started weaning him off of it around 12 months. My son likes to chew on everything still, his shirt, fingers, etc, I just wish I had taken the binky away before he got so attached to it. A teething ring sounds like a great idea, if I were you I'd start introducing that. It is just way too hard to wean them once they only know how to go to sleep unless they have it in their mouth (or are chewing on it). I am learning the really hard way... :)
Good luck!

C.

My son (now 2) did the same thing with his binki. I tried to get him to use teething toys (both room temp and cold) and didn't have alot of success with it. He was a really early teether (1st tooth at 4 months, next 11 by 1 year). I, too, was worried that I would have a hard time weening him from it, but he seemed to know when it was time to let go. One day he just didn't look for it and I didn't encourage it....it became a non-issue. We did have problems with him chewing through them at times. I just had to be really diligent about checking them before I gave them to him. One thing I did find that he liked when he seemed to need something more was frozen waffles. You have to watch that they don't bite off any big chunks, but they seem to really help. As long as you don't mind the dissolving, gooey mess they sometimes become they're a big help.

Good Luck!

I went through the same thing- however I let my son use the binki and really didn't have a problem weening him from it. I just made it a fun thing. He is two and loves to find a binki hidden, as all I have to say is may I have it and he hands it to me.

He loved his binki very much, but easily gave it up.... Nothing is wrong with a binki, I just wouldn't force it one way or the other. If he will use a teething ring great, my oldest son actually liked to chew on a moist wash cloth more then a binki or a ring.

What will you and your baby be happy with?

Hi lindsey! It's been my experience (with 7 kids) that they throw away their binkys when they are ready. he's just looking for a way to work that new tooth. my only worry would be that the binky may not be strong enough to take it, in which case it could become detached and pose a choking hazard. Teething toys are made with that in mind, and are a lot sturdier. Have fun!

Hi L.,
My daughter is turning 7 months and has the same problem no teeth yet though.....I wake up during the night because she cries when it falls out at least 5-7 times. It has been a very long road and she also has acid reflux so at this point I figured if it helps her fall back to sleep what is a few more months. Although I heard of people cutting the nipple just a little, enough for them to not want it. Not sure if it will help but try putting water in the nipple and freezing them my daughter loves it and it helps soothes her gums. Good luck! I know how you feel.....

Hi L.,
My little girl is now 5 so I am a little out of that loop, but the one thing that I do remember is that it seems twice as hard to break them of anything; bottle, binki, finger sucking, sleeping with you or in the same room, etc. after 9mths. I would do what ever you feel is best for your child and what you are willing to take the risk of enduring or not willing to endure.

I do know that frozen or cold toys seems to help sooth gums. Maybe you should give the little guy a couple of things and see if he chooses. Change them up a few times and see if he always goes back to the same one. Experiment!

My little girl never "used" a binki, only played with it, until she had a few abrupt changes at about 18mts. At that point she quickly became addicted, on account of compfort. Then she added a thumb. The type of binki she had did affect her teeth, but not too badly. And even now, if she had a binki she would take it. She wouldn't care who was lookin! And she sucks her thumb. She would even do that all of the time if we would let her.

My friends little girl is the same age and sucks her thumb when ever she wants. She doesn't seem to want to do it at school so she chews up her shirt sleeves instead! Arg!...And who said parenting was easy anyway?!?! Good luck.

Happy Parenting!
T.

I totally agree about the washcloth. my daughter is also 7 months old and hasnt cut teeth but is chewing on her binkie. i started giving her a warm washcloth durring her solid feedings. not only does it help clean up the mess but she loves chewing on it! so when she is bored with her other toys i will give her a washcloth then too. (you know like when kids like the wraping more that the gift) :)
also i found one of those chew things that you put soft fruit in at wal-mart for under 5 dollars. my daughter also loves that! my personal opinion about taking that binkie away is not to. but that is only because i think they are the greates invention ever! honestly binkies save my day!! i hope this helps!!

I have a lot of friends with this problem. =) I would say take it away. He should not learn that the binki is a chew toy. It will make it hard to ween! Beleive me I went through the major binki atatchment issues! Teething rings were pretty worthless to me, my daughter just lost them a lot. I would give him a popsicle, it will feel good on his gums! You could also give him one of those food chewers (target or babies r us) and then he could chew without choking. they just need pressure on there gums to feel better! Hope you got some help! =)

Getting him something else to chew on is a really good idea. He is trying to find something that he enjoys to chew on and there are some good teething toys that will give him what he wants.

That's probably a good idea, mostly because you don't want him chewing a hole in it. As far as weening him off it, that won't make any difference. The rule with that is the sooner you do it, the easier it is. Altho, my daughter is 20 months and still has one at bed and naptime. I haven't even tried taking it away yet. So it's really up to you when you want him to get rid of it. My son got rid of his fairly easily at about 14 months. Some doctors say it doesn't cause any mouth damage until after age 4. I cringe at 4 year olds who still have one, tho. How attached is he to it right now? I would start just giving it to him when he sleeps and when he's awake, give him teething toys to chew on.

In our family the binki fairy visited at the appropriate time and collected the binki's, worked great. Only need to do this on the oldest boy. The youngest never aquired a taste for a binky or thumb. Thumb sucking is the road you don't want to travel, harder habit to break and can cause some complex dental issues later. Check out www.smilesforalifetime.net it is a DVD made by a mommy dentist that not only answers this question but many, many, many others. From pacifiers to braces!

Lindsy, I went through the same exact thing with my daughter and she too only used her pacifier for naps and bedtime. She really didn't like the teething rings but what I found worked great and provided her with some fruit was to use the Mesh Feeder (a couple dollars at Walmart, Target, etc) and put apples, pears, cantelope, etc in it. That was a great trick I learned and especially with the apple as it was the hardest and yet still yummy for her! I was able to keep her from using the pacifier at all during her awake time! Good Luck!