How to Treat Teething

August 4, 2014Articles

How to Help a Teething Infant

Any parent who has walked the floor with a teething infant knows the feeling of desperation when nothing seems to comfort their baby. Teething and its associated pain are inevitable, but there are some tried-and-true ideas that can help make the experience less traumatic for everyone.

• Freeze a clean washcloth after soaking it in a cup of chamomile tea. The combination of cold, texture and tea are comforting.
• Offer hard foods such as a frozen banana or even a frozen, plain bagel. Watch carefully that your baby doesn’t bite off a piece and choke on it.
• Offer your baby your clean index finger.
• Offer a teething ring. The gnawing can alleviate discomfort.
• Offer water in a baby bottle. Sometimes the comfort of sucking distracts the infant from the discomfort of teething.
• Ask your pediatrician if you can give your baby age-appropriate doses of Tylenol or Ibuprofen.

If the above steps don’t help your baby’s teething pain, schedule an appointment with our NYC pediatric dentist, who is specifically trained about the unique needs of little ones.