If your once-happy baby suddenly becomes cranky, has trouble sleeping and bites everything he can reach, you may be at a loss to determine the problem. The likely answer, especially if your child is six to eight months old, is that he is teething. Teething occurs when your child's baby teeth work through his gums. It can be painful, but there are steps you can take to lessen your child's discomfort.
Cold Items
Cold items can numb your baby's gums and ease her discomfort. Debra Wood, registered nurse at New York University Langone Medical Center, recommends giving your baby a cool, wet and clean washcloth to chew on while teething. Chilled foods like apples or bananas also may bring relief from pain. To avoid choking, cut the foods into small pieces no larger than 1/2-inch across. Never give your baby any frozen item to chew on for teething relief. Frozen items are too hard and cold for your baby's gums and may cause damage and more pain.
Teething Rings
A wide variety of teething rings are available. Wood advises that you choose a teething ring that is one piece and made of firm rubber. She warns that teething rings filled with liquid may puncture, exposing your baby to the fluid inside.
Do not allow your child to use a keepsake teething ring. These teething rings may not meet safety standards for use. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission previously issued recalls for silver keepsake teething rings because the flux that holds the ring together may irritate your baby's mouth.
Counter Pressure
Another method you can use to ease your baby's teething pain is counter pressure. With a clean finger, rub your baby's gums in the area that is giving her pain. You also can rub her gums with wet gauze or give her hard teething biscuits that she can chew on to provide the counter-pressure himself. If you choose teething biscuits, be sure to watch your baby closely to make sure she does not choke.
Pain Medication
The University of Rochester Medical Center notes that topical numbing medicines generally are not very useful for teething. The increase in saliva in your baby's mouth while he is teething will wash these medicines away before they can have much of an effect.
You may give your baby over-the-counter infant pain medication if his pediatrician approves. However, the National Institutes of Health warns that you should never give a baby aspirin due to the associated risk of Reye's syndrome. This incurable condition affects the brain and liver and may result in permanent brain damage.
