Teething usually starts in babies from the age of 6 months old. Signs and symptoms of teething include red and swollen gums, flushed cheeks, heavy drooling, biting and rubbing of gums, pulling ears, disturbed sleeps, not feeding as normal as well as being irritable and unsettled. Sounds fun right?

Lets focus on the good things! Extra snuggles!!!!

So, what other ways can you help soothe your babies and toddlers pain to help easy this painful and unsettling time? Keep reading!

Placing some pressure on your gums and teeth can help soothe the pain of teething coming through.

Pressure on your baby's teeth from chewing may relieve her pain. This can be done with your finger, teething toys and also wet cold rags (pop them in the fridge!!). Silicone rings are great options (and also don’t have the risk of leaking!), refrigerating these also can help soothe the gums. Dummy’s can also be an option, but be prepared to buy new ones as they will get holes in them.

Certain foods are also good for teething if you child is eating solids. Things like cucumber sticks are good for inflammation and celery sticks are known for their numbing properties.

Cold foods are also nice of sore gums. Cold yogurt or fruit purees are easy to offer. Other ideas include yogurt that is in a ice cube tray with a dummy frozen inside (like a mini ice block!). Dried fruit is also great because it doesn’t break down as fast a rusks or crackers. Dried bananas and mangos are a good go-to quick item for teething, also handbag friendly.

Also good to know, is that you should start cleaning your child’s teeth around this age. The healthy WA website recommends you should “start cleaning gums before the teeth appear. At first, use a clean damp cloth to wipe the gums, and when a few teeth are present use a small, soft toothbrush with no toothpaste. When your child is 18 months, you can use a small pea-sized amount of low strength fluoride toothpaste. If your child is 6 years or over, use a small amount of standard strength fluoride toothpaste and encourage your child to spit out, not swallow and not rinse after brushing.”

(https://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/S_T/Teething-and-your-baby)