Teething Help - Westminster, MD

Updated on February 11, 2008
J.L. asks from Westminster, MD
22 answers

my 5 month old is teething, and he is so miserable. he will scream and cry for hours when they hurt. I have tried putting baby orajel on his gums, but that doesnt help him. When he gets like this he doesnt eat like normal, and he wont sleep for more than maybe 30 minutes at a time. is there anything else i can do for him?

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So What Happened?

Well, he finally had one tooth break through. The only thing that seems to help him enough to sleep is tylenol. Thanks for all your help.

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A.F.

answers from Washington DC on

Oralgel can actually make his gums hard to stop the pain and in doing so it makes it harder for the tooth to come in. My ped told me to try a raw carrot in one of the start feeder bags at Babies Rus and morgan loves it its cold and it tastes good! He also loves the organic wheat teething biscuts from eaths best. As for sleeping morgan cried like that to and i would lay him in my bed with me till he was really asleep then move him over and it worked for us. I also on the bad night he stayed with us. i hope this helps.

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A.R.

answers from Scranton on

Try a teether toy that you put in the freezer. Also, we used infant tylenol along w/ the ora-jel and that really seemed to help him.

1 mom found this helpful

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J.S.

answers from Allentown on

When my girls were teething the oragel didn't work for them either.. What I used fo rthem was the teething tablets.. They are homeopathic and they come in a purple box & you can usually get them at Walmart or Kmart.. I'm sorry that I don't remember the exact anme of them..

Hope that helps,
J.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

I feel your pain. My son was like that and is now getting a molar and is the same way again, crying, cranky, just wants to be held, not eating much, biting things and me! :) He always screamed harder at the oragel and the teething tablets made him sleepy which scared me because the first time I gave it to him, he had just woken up from a 2 hour nap and then after 30 min fell asleep for another 2 hours. It says it does not make them sleepy but napping like that is not normal. AND both of those can make their throats numb and then they really don't want to eat. What I found works best is just tylenol. I only give half a dose when I know nothing else is working and half a dose seems to do the trick. Also, frozen things but ONLY when it is right at the surface. Frozen things do nothing otherwise, the tooth is too far down, so you just have to keep trying them. Good luck and it gets easier, I promise (my son is better whether I like to believe it or not, now that he is older).

1 mom found this helpful
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K.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Ok, so by now, you've heard from plenty of advocates for Hylands teathing tablets, so just add me to the list on that one, lol... Another thing that worked really well for my son, as strange as it sounds, is frozen washclothes! I went out and wasted all this money on several "teethers" and my son would reject them every time. So my dr sujested wetting a clean washcloth, wringing it out, freezing it, and then when you take it out, crumple it up a bit so that it is not a hard sheet...and then you have a pliable, but, extremely cold surface for them to chew on. And when one spot gets warm, you just rotate. I would do several of these each night, that way I had them at the ready when I needed them the next day. This, along with the tablets, seemed to do the trick. It made a difference to have something soft that he could chew on or that I could rub on his gums, versus a hard plastic object. Also, I had a dentist tell me once, that the pain children go through when they are teething, is equivelent to what an adult feels, with having an impacted wisdom tooth removed! I'm only mentioning that, because there are alot of people who are anti-medication and will advise you against it, but, there are very few of us adults, who would be able to get a wisdom tooth taken out and not take something for it... A little tylanol every now and then, when the pain is really bad, is not going to hurt him. Hope this helps some! Good luck! If nothing else though, remember that this stage is very temporary. That is my mantra during any difficult stage that Nathan goes through, and it helps to keep that overwhelmed feeling from reaching its full potential.

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C.C.

answers from Dover on

orajel is VERY temporary at best. it is also known to toughen the gums thus making the teething process longer.

i used hyland's teething tablets, they are homeopathic and have no side effects. i also used tylenol. once my son turned 6mos i used motrin. motrin is good because it helps for swelling and pain.

1 mom found this helpful
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N.G.

answers from Washington DC on

Try wet towels that are put in the freezer or frozen bagels. They worked for all three of my girls, well, that plus baby tylenol. (If your son isn't allergic!)

1 mom found this helpful
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K.C.

answers from Dover on

I just read all the other responses and my suggestion was the teething tablets. They work like a charm!!! Good luck

1 mom found this helpful
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S.K.

answers from Allentown on

I give my son infant Tylenol when it gets really bad for him. It certainly makes sense to try other things first (teething tablets, frozen washcloths, etc.), but when my baby is so upset and in such pain, not sleeping, etc., the Tylenol gives him relief and allows him to get some sleep and feel better. Make sure you read the label very carefully and consult your physician for the correct dosage for your baby's weight and age. Someone in an earlier post said to give a teaspoon of medicine. You should never use anything but the dropper that comes along with the concentrated infant drops to administer the medicine. You can overdose your baby on Tylenol (and other drugs) if you don't use the correct dosage (and the correct form of the medicine--concentrated infant drops versus the child formula). Just make sure and check with your doctor.

1 mom found this helpful
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N.R.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Offer a popcicle. It will help with the pain. Tylenol is a great help too. It's rough and he'll have to work through it on his own. Offer teether toys just to try to get that tooth to break through

Good Luck
N.

1 mom found this helpful
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N.L.

answers from Washington DC on

Its a little late - but for the next tooth there's something i use called "Gripe Water" - its all natural (and can be found at an all natural health food store). we put the recommended dosage in the evening bottle of formula and it calms him down - he sleeps great. it can be used for teething, colic, fussiness, whatever...but its great stuff! my son is almost 4 months and his two bottom teeth are coming in together ECH! he doesn't like anything cold and we never did the pacifier so he doesnt do foreign objects. either one of my nipples or a bottle nipple will do!

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J.D.

answers from Washington DC on

I know you already got a ton of advice, but I have one more idea - forgive me if it's a repeat - I haven't read all the responses. My son was 12 months old before he got his first tooth. That one and all the ones thereafter were just as excruciating for him. Two things that helped - he has to be ready for solid food for this: chewing on store bought frozen blueberries (not hard to chew up by the way) or a frozen bagel. The blueberries worked the best and they are healthy. They do get messy though, so watch out or everything will turn purple.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.G.

answers from York on

J.,
It sounds a lot like your son might also be suffering from an upset tummy because of all this. I also highly recommend the Highland's Teething Tablets. I strongly caution against the overuse of pain meds and also suggest trying something called gripe water.

It's also possible that there's more going on than just the teething. Consider any changes in his diet, or yours if you're nursing.

Wishing you a peaceful baby,
Rolinda

1 mom found this helpful
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J.W.

answers from York on

We didn't want to use any medicine with our son, so I put water in a bottle, turned it upside down in the freezer, so the ice was in the nipple. He loved to chew on it. Some nipples work better than others. Good Luck with the rest of his teeth. Our son is working on his first year molars, YUCK!

J.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.V.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi J.....I went through a ROUGH teething time with my daughter BUT was LUCKY enough to catch (while flipping channels) Kelly Rippa mention that she would have went crazy had she not found "Hylands Teething Tablets"!!! I rushed out to the store to get them! They are all natural and seemed to work for my daughter! There are 2 brands in our Walgreens and the one at CVS! I also occasionally made her "juicy cubes" as I called them. I had a small ice cube tray that I filled with Juicy Juice 100% juice and froze! She loved them too! Hope that helps....the molars were the worst but the tablets seemed to at least take the edge off!! AND they didnt cost an "arm and a leg"!!! Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.B.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi, When teething comes Ear Infections - so if you haven't checked with doctor - Then you might want to get Lil Man's ears checked - especially if He is grabing them n rubbin at them, but even if you haven't noticed its still good to check n besafe. Also U can give him a half teaspoon of INFANT TYLONOL PAIN n FEVER REDUCER Medicine right before He's Bound to fall asleep that way it helps to take off the edge n ease him to sleep more comfortable. Also there is TEETHING TABLETS in the Baby aisle @ Wal-mart or Pharmacy near by. I am a mother of 2 & this is what I do....So I hope this helps! GOD BLESS n CONGRATS to MOTHER HOOD, A.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.B.

answers from Harrisburg on

There are teething tablets that you can try. They are homeopathic and made by Hylands. You can find them at Rite Aid, Giant, and I think Weis. They are tiny little pills that dissolve on contact in your mouth. They dont really have a taste, but if your son doesnt like them, you can dissolve them in a little bit of whatever he drinks. My son LOVED them and even though he did not have a hard time w/ teething a little girl in his daycare did. One day I was picking up my son and this little girl was just crying her little head off and the mom said to me, I just dont know what to do for her. I ran out to my car and got her some of my "stash" and w/in 5 mintues her little girl was happy as can be...Give it a try.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.A.

answers from Philadelphia on

Everyone keeps telling me that I need to get Hyland teething tablets. They are homeopathic and they sell them at almost every pharmacy in the baby isle. You put two tablets one at a time under baby's tongue and let them dissolve. Hope this helps
T.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.K.

answers from Washington DC on

Instead of the orajel, try the Hylands Teething products. They work so well and are all natural.

Visit the site. My son did not cry once due to teething, have one sleepless night and he did not do the drool thing either.

They are a miracle product. And all natural.

Visit their site http://www.hylands.com/products/teething.php You can buy them at CVS, Whole Foods, on line stores... lots of places.

Good Luck.

J.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.H.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi J.,

I feel your pain. I was 21 when I had my first (I have two), but I did have extensive time with babies before my girls were born. Anyway...Sugar Free popsicles. I know it sounds strange, but give him a Sugar Free popsicle and he will have the time of his life. It will be messy, but it does soothe the pain in his mouth. At night, give him his jar of food (if you are giving him food)then give him something like Tylenol or Infant Motrin (whichever you feel most comfortable with. After the medicine, give him a long, warm bath with Lavender in it and then give him his bottle. Whatever his nightly routine is (low lights, classical music) while taking his bottle. This should soothe him enough to get him down to sleep.

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D.W.

answers from Charlottesville on

Hi, had this problem with my kids when they were small and teething. Try freezing some orange wedges or whole bananas cut in half(not lengthwise) and when he's fussing give him one of those to "suck" on. They also make some wonderful gel filled teething rings that you can toss in the freezer. The coldness of them helps soothe the aching gums and the frozen fruit gives them both something to suck on and some nutrients that are healthy for him. Just make sure you are with him if you give him the fruit and take them away from him if he starts chewing them up.

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R.P.

answers from Philadelphia on

My daughter's ped suggested alternating infant's tylenol with infants ibuprofen (tylenol then 4 hours later the ibuprofen as ibuprofen is an anti-inflamatory). There is also another brand of teething pellets that always worked with her. I believe it is Pumphrey's (I have found them at Happy Harries and Eckerds) you might want to call around first to make sure they have them, I have had issues finding them in the past. I have friends that have sworn by the frozen washcloths, but we never had to get to that point between the tylenol and ibuprofen and the pellets. Good luck!

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