We are in teething hell over here. And by hell I mean Satan himself has arrived and lit a flame in Olivers mouth. I’m showing you the best ways to manage your fussy toddler during this tough transition.
When Oliver was six months old his first tooth showed up right on Thanksgiving morning. We waited for those suckers to pop thanks to the drool falling from his mouth for about 8 weeks. I was changing his shirt 5 times a day and he was gnawing on anything he could find. Now I regret ever wishing for more teeth to show up. Hello, Molars. Those babies are a whole different ball game.
I can always tell when Oliver starts teething because his internal clock is set back by about 2 hours. He’s a pretty standard 8pm-8am guy, with two naps during the day. So a few weeks ago when he was waking up at a wee 5:45 in the morning, I knew something was up. Low and behold, I checked out his mouth and his top molar was right there. Now fast forward to this weekend, his bottom molars are raising hell.
With a few help from some girlfriends, we have come up with the ultimate list of how to survive teething with your toddler.
Sophie la Girafe – Buy her. Buy her now. I don’t care what stories you hear about the mold growing inside of her (I checked, it’s not true and Oliver was KING of drool). Your baby will love Sophie because she’s flexible and can fit in that little mouth of theirs so they can go to town.
Baby Banana Toothbrush – I bought this as a Christmas stocking stuffer and Oliver has loved it. Not only is it a toothbrush, but he loves the bristles to get way back in his mouth. The toothbrush and Sophie are great for car rides too!
Caffeine – Your little babe has probably been doing good chunks of sleep at night, but that’s going away. Buy all the caffeine. Oliver loves his sleep, but when he is teething the kid averages 9 hours a day of sleep. Spoil yourself with that extra Starbucks to get through the afternoon.
Crib Rail Covers – Sweet little babe of yours will be a full-grown beaver when she starts getting those teeth. I discovered Oliver chewing on his crib (yes, that thing we spend a shit ton of money on) when I heard a strange noise through the baby monitor. I walk in to find him with his mouth chomped on to the crib rail. We all know crib bumpers are not safe, but more and more brands are starting to catch on to the crib rail covers. They’re great because they can tie on and they’re decorative.
Stay Busy – The best thing for us to do is find activities to fill our day. We don’t enjoy sitting around the house anyways, but it works best if we manage a few outings between naps. Oliver is extremely irritable when he is teething, staying busy so he doesn’t pay attention to the pain, is a must for us.
Wine – Need I say more? This phase for baby is tough, imagine the pain, pushing and pulling they feel in their little mouth. But the best way to deal with the tough nights and long days is cracking open that beautiful bottle of Cabernet sitting on your counter. No judgement here for how many bottles you crack open, been there and I have no shame. Stock up Mama.
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Do you have any other remedies? Would love to hear ways you cope through the teething hell!
You have nailed it! Sophie the Giraffe is the best invention ever! We once lost her and I made my hubby go out in the middle of the night to track down another! Also, caffeine. Preferably on a constant drip. Followed by a big glass of wine. I froze my breast milk in popsicles molds and gave them to my daughter and called them boobsicles. They worked wonders!
We didn’t have Sophie the Giraffe, but Mommy’s Bliss Gripe Water did wonders. I still use that gripe water for hiccups!
My son is teething now. He will be 4 months old next week. The kicker, it’s the BACK of his mouth that is swollen. Thanks for being different, kid.
Yes! I second everything here!! Teething is HELL! My kids totally did the same thing with waking up before the sun. I loathe teething, but so glad it’s just a short season!