Teething Trick!

My little man is getting his first tooth as I type. Even though he has been a tough guy through most of it, he still has his moments where he gets very fussy because of the pain. I had heard about those teething tablets that are supposed to help relieve some of the pain, so I picked some up a little over a month ago in anticipation of his teething mood swings. Unless I got a bad batch of these tablets, they are crap. They're supposed to dissolve immediately under your baby's tongue. Nope. It says you can dissolve the tablet in a little bit of water if you don't want to give your baby the pill. I tried that and ended up mashing the tablet with a spoon and it was just little chunks in the water. It didn't dissolve at all. I popped one in my own mouth and it didn't dissolve. I had to chew the tablet, which defeats the purpose when your child has NO TEETH! HELLO!

So I got a great tip from a woman who always has handy little tricks to try - Mom! I had read about a version of this trick somewhere, but when my mom suggested it with a twist, I was all about it.

Dip one of the baby washcloths in a little bit of apple juice and let him suck and chew on it. I keep the apple juice really cold, so there's a little bit of soothing in the coldness too. If you have the forethought to do it, stick the soaked washcloth in the freezer. I don't always have one in the fridge, but he seems to get the same amount of relief whether it's from the freezer or fridge. WEB likes the teething rings too, but I don't know if they just get too cold or what, but he doesn't seem to hold onto them as long as he does the washcloth. I have been sitting him in his high chair and give him the apple-y washcloth and he just hangs out there while I make dinner. Works like a charm! I guess there's some kind of enzyme or something in the apple juice that is also a natural pain killer for them, not to mention it's just a different sweet taste he's not used to, so it keeps his attention.

Happy Teething!