Congratulations your baby is growing up, and while it might not feel like it now, he/she is taking the next step necessary to enjoy one of life’s finest things: food! By popular demand, it seems like people want to know what products moms use to help their children (and parents) deal with teething. I’ve come up with a few things that some moms swear by, but like anything else to do with your child none or all of these may work for your baby!

1)Sophie the Giraffe

This is currently the rave right now by my new mommy friends. But most people who’ve spoken of this chewey, really like her. This pricey chew toy ($20.00 CAD at ToysRus) has been around since 1961 and is made in France (French Alps to be precise).  The giraffe is made from natural rubber and non-toxic paint, so in theory is safe to chew on. She looks bigger in photos but is actually quite petite in real life! This chew toy aims at stimulating baby’s five senses:

1. Sight: The dark and contrasting pattern on Sophie’s body provides visual stimulation and makes her easily recognizable to baby. (S)he soon becomes a familiar and reassuring object.
2. Hearing: Her squeaker keeps baby amused, stimulates his hearing and helps him to understand the cause and effect relationship. **Note: for those of you with dogs, this toy sounds like a chew toy, so watch your animals while you play with it at first, hopefully the dog doesn’t charge you!
3. Taste: Sophie the giraffe is very flexible and has lots of parts for baby to chew (ears, horns, legs). She is perfect for soothing baby’s sore gums when teething and is completely safe. Made of 100% natural rubber and food grade paint.
4. Touch: Sophie the giraffe is perfect for baby’s small hands. She is very light and her long neck and slender legs are easy for baby to handle. Just like Mummy’s skin, Sophie’s very soft to touch, which baby will find soothing and comforting. *note: my son has just started to grasp things, but doesn’t yet have the coordination to bring them to his mouth so I don’t know if I’d drop the 20$ just yet.
5. Smell: The singular scent of natural rubber (from the Hevea tree) makes Sophie the giraffe very special and easy for baby to identify amid all his/her toys.

2)Teething Feeder

This item is definitely on the cheaper side ($5.99 at ToysRus) compared to Sophie. It has an interesting concept. It allows you to put age appropriate food in the mesh and allows your child to suck on the mesh (and whatever is inside the mesh–without choking on it). So once your baby is on solids, putting some frozen fruit in there is a great idea to cool their mouths and give your child some nutrients at the same time. The biggest complaint with this one is that the compartment to open up to get the food into is hard to get into. But at 5.99 it’s worth a shot.

3)Winnie the Pooh – Cuddly Teether Blanket -Tigger

This item serves a few purposes besides teething, also available at ToysRus and is still cheaper then Sophie ($11.99 CAD at ToysRus). This teether doubles as a toy and a blanket. Here are Tigger’s features:

1. Textured teether soothes tender gums– the teether is the rubber part on one side of the blanket.
2. Easy-to-grasp plush character makes fun rattle sounds–maybe not such a great idea at bed time, not to mention the “nothing in the crib” but baby warnings.
3. Fun crinkle material for tactile stimulation–again not such a great idea at bed time.
4. Fleece material is soft for comfort and security.
5. Machine-washable and dryer-safe for easy cleaning.

*Note Tigger comes with this Warning: As recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, never place an infant to sleep with soft bedding, blankets, or stuffed toys. Inspect teether frequently for tears or cracks. Discontinue use immediately if tears or cracks develop.

4)Soother’s and teething rings and face cloths or your finger

Soothers are great comfort to babies who enjoy sucking (and what baby doesn’t!) But soother’s are baby specific so any brand that has the nub on the end will work for my next tip (some you can put your finger in, those won’t work for my text tip). If you find your baby is too young to hold on to teethers, try filling the nub with water and freezing the pacifier works wonders. Squeeze the nub while submerged in water and let go so it sucks water in. This allows the baby to suck on something cool and not drop it.

Teething rings I find for the most part to big and clunky to stick in their mouths, let alone for them to hold on to. I’m sure as they get older this problem goes away, but if your baby is smaller, the sheer size of some of these rings is ridiculous. One teether for smaller babies that was given to us as a gift is becoming more popular with our son. At first he didn’t quite know what to make of the cold thing in his mouth but this night has been the night from hell for teething and this Nûby’s Ice-Gel teething ring helped our poor little guy a little bit. This particular teething ring simply states: No more lips that stick to a freezing teething ring! –personally I have yet to have his lips stick to a teether, but that’s certainly not something I want to try out! It’s made with something called “Pûr Ice” (non toxic) this Ice Gel stays cold much longer than water and soothes your baby’s painful gums. This coolbite can be kept in the fridge for any length of time thanks to its very solid covering. While the gums enjoy the coolness, the little baby hands are not bothered by the cold. The keys are easily to grab and look like a rattle.

Facecloth’s This is pretty standard, some babies like them frozen, some like them cool and wet so they can suck on them. Again my little fusspot angel of a baby does not like to suck on facecloth’s just yet, who knows if he ever will. You can get these facecloths’s from any store you please, and they don’t have to be the baby ones. Just remember to wash them (along with all products you first buy) first, and don’t use dryer sheets or fabric softener on these little items as they’re going in your child’s mouth!

Your finger when all else fails, try your good old finger, usually an index or pinkie finger works best, and remember to keep those hands clean and nails trimmed. Sometimes babies just want to chew on us for the sake of it. For the mom’s who are still breastfeeding, teething is an interesting time, and babies will try to bite you. Remember not to pull away (Dr. Sears) reminds us, that by pulling away (not to mention hurting like there’s no tomorrow), and yelping may actually cause your baby to be weary of your breast. Instead he suggests pushing baby into the breast so that baby’s face is covered. Please be very careful when doing this, it is meant to startle the baby to release the nipple, and please take this seriously as it cuts off your baby’s air supply when (s)he is pushed into your breast.

5)Pain relievers such as infant Tylenol,infant Advil, infant Motrin

Acetaminophen-Most doctors that I have spoken to about pain relief has always suggested acetaminophen (AKA Tylenol) so when I went out pre baby to purchase some things for after baby arrived I chose Infant Tylenol. I’m sure the no name brands work just as well but as a first time “paranoid” mom, I wanted a brand name. This can be administered every 4 hours to your infant (following dosage guidelines) and helps ease, fevers, teething pain, immunization pain etc. I have only used it once because it’s hard for our little children’s liver’s to process the pain relievers. I would use this method as a last resort, but when you know your child is screaming in pain and no amount of chewy things or food will comfort your baby, pain relievers as long as you use as directed can help your little one fall asleep for a few hours to give them (and you) a break from the crying.

Tylenol’s Dosing Chart:

*note- It states this “Find right dose on chart below. (If possible, use weight to dose; otherwise, use age.)”

Ibuprofen- I was surprised to learn that my public health nurse swore by using Infant Advil. She said it worked better and longer then infant Tylenol for her child. Infant Advil and Infant Motrin lasts up to 8 hours whereas the Infant Tylenol lasts only 4 hours. The only difference I’ve found on their websites were the age restriction. Dosing on both Motrin’s (my prenatal instructor–also a public health nurse uses infant Motrin) and Advil’s websites stated that children younger than 4 months should consult a physician before using these products for pain relief.

Advil’s Dosing Chart:                                                      Motrin’s Dosing Chart:

*note- it states this “If possible, use weight to dose; otherwise use age”

So basically all of them state what to give your child after 12 lbs, Advil and Motrin just state that at 4 months or under to talk to a Doctor. I also found this warning on the Advil page in regards to ibuprofen:

Warnings