My son is one. He has been drooling like a maniac the past couple of weeks. He only has two teeth so far, but before those came he definitely drooled really bad. And he sticks his tongue out all the time. (this seems to be his way of coping with the discomfort, other babies chew on everything, he hangs his tongue out and won't let anything in his mouth!)
so the last week, 3 nights he has woken up, he starts crying, then goes back to sleep. then about 10 minutes later, same thing. Then he really starts crying (sounds like a dying cat) and nothing calms him down. We walk him, try to give him water, milk, a snack... etc. For 25-60 minutes he just howls. Then he calms down, has milk and/or a snack and goes back to sleep. He shoves his little fist in his mouth, so I am assuming it's his mouth/teething pain. He's normally a super happy baby and sleeps 10-12 hours straight no problem. He's also had kinda stinky breath lately. Not bad, just a little stinky - not normal. I'm chalking it up to all the extra drool. Also a decreased appetite on the bad days when he seems uncomfortable. We've been given him meds before bed and then when he wakes up like this, which seem to help, I guess - since he goes back to sleep. I just didn't think teething was THIS painful! Is this normal?
Sounds about like what I remember. I agree that ibuprofen was usually more helpful than Tylenol. I know some people have good luck with Orajel for instant relief. We used that a little, but we had trouble getting the gel on the part that hurt. Partly because we weren't always sure where the pain was, but also because our boys didn't always seem to like us putting our fingers in their mouths.
Sounds like what we went through with our kids. We did find, though, that Children's Motrin worked wonders. If you're only trying Tylenol, consider the switch. Motrin is anti-inflammatory and I think that makes a big difference.
Yes, that is normal teething pain. It is different for every baby. For my oldest, teething was not very painful. For my youngest, it is excruciating.
For my youngest I give him Infant Ibuprofen instead of Tylenol, because Ibuprofen is 1) anti-inflammatory & 2) longer-lasting. I only give the Ibuprofen at bedtime, and do Tylenol during the day. (Added: Yes, Orajel works great too, especially at bedtime & naps)
I have been told by a few people that if adults teethed, we'd need a morphine-strength pain reliever to endure it.
During the day, I'd let him suck on popsicles (if you are concerned about choking, put it in one of those mesh food bags that they make for babies).
Also throw a wet baby wash cloth in the freezer for 30 min & let him teeth on it.
It does sound like teething.
You should call your dr. to be sure.
Obviously the meds help as he goes back to sleep.
You could also try rubbing baby Orajel on his gums in between the meds.
The meds help the best & the Orajel would just be an addition when it's not time for the meds. In my opinion, it doesn't work as good as the meds but I liked using it in addition to.
I still think calling the doctor would be good.
Good job in helping your little one, mama!
sometimes it is. Depends if more than one is coming at the same time. Since he is one and only has 2, that is likely the case. I noticed that with my 2 girls when there canines, or eye teeth, came in (generally they are the last to come) They were in SO much pain. More so than with there other teeth. Molars as well can be very painful. Check his gums for any sort of abscess or hard hot spots. Maybe he has a little bit of an infection there that might be hurting him as well. My sister's little one accidently got part of a staple stuck in her palate. No one knew about it and we think it was there for a few days. We thought she was teething.
Have you tried homeopathics for the pain? The growth hormone kicks in in the middle of the night, which is why the teeth hurt at night. Go to Vitamin cottage and get some homeopathic teething drops. There are a couple of different kinds--it depends on the child which ones work best. Look at boiron, hylands, and Natra bio brands.
J.
Poor baby! (And poor mommy!) "Normal" for pain is a pretty wide range. My son was cranky when he cut his teeth. My daughter had a rotten time of it, and everyone within a 2 mile radius knew it. She cut her teeth two at a time, and wailed like a siren for days with each one.
As for what helps to soothe them - I'll second what another mom said - frozen washcloths really seemed to help. Ibuprofen helped some. Nursing helped a lot, although I began to feel like a giant walking pacifier.
I have some friends whose children were helped a lot by Hyland teething tabs (homeopathic, available widely, even at Walmart). These little tablets dissolve quickly under the tongue, and are supposed to be miraculous in helping little teethers sleep. Unfortunately, a very few children, including my dear daughter, are allergic to them. If your son is, you'll know immediately, because within two minutes of taking them he'll throw up. (No lasting effects, though.) Still, so many moms I know swear by them, if I were you I'd give it a go.
It's good that none of us remember when we cut our first teeth, isn't it? Hang in there, mom - this too shall pass.
My own experience is that any pain is more noticable and intrusive at night, when I just wish I could be sleeping and don't have other things going on to distract me. And every person has an individual pain tolerance, which actually can vary for different kinds of pain.
There could be more than one source of pain happening at once for your little guy. When my husband's normally-sweet breath is a little off, I immediately know he's either got a touch of indigestion or a sore throat.
I'm glad you find pain relievers help your son sleep better.
Teething is different with each child. We never knew our daughter was teething until she had new teeth! It was a many-months-long process with our sons. With #3, we discovered baltic amber teething necklaces. This dramatically cut our son's teething pain and discomfort. Our neighbor said the necklace made her son quit drooling! We got ours from inspiredbyfinn.com and I really like the site because of all the information. You can check it out for details, but basically, the baltic amber contains a natural analgesic (painkiller) that is released into the body when it comes into contact with warm skin. The necklace is not for chewing, just for wearing.
Ibuprofen is great, and definitely has it's place, but when teething is a months-long process for your child you just can't keep him constantly drugged. My husband even says these necklaces work, and he is a total skeptic as far as nonconventional approaches to, well, anything!
We've worn ours out by clogging the pores with lotion and stuff, but it still looks super cute on our two year old!
Good luck with teething!
Yes! They feel like little needles in there. The more he grinds which is what he needs to do.. the more it hurts and then his gums get sore.
Remember they are not used to any type of pain and so all of this is new to him.
Some people are also just more sensitive to pain so as babies, they really do not feel well. Poor baby.. Frozen wash cloths will help a lot. I used to keep a ton in the freezer.
