Maddie is, quite seriously, one of the toughest people I know. She’s had some insanely painful procedures in her short life, but she still has a smile on her face. It blows our minds how she can have an IV placed but still be happy. I mean really, would anyone blame her if she was a moody, sullen girl? We’d be all, “Maddie, smile!” and she’d point to her chest and say, “Um, HELLO, will you PLEASE look at my CHEST TUBE SCARS and shut up?!” Thank goodness she has a sweet disposition…and can’t talk yet.
So, you can imagine how jarring the adjustment to the new “teething Maddie” has been for us. This morning she woke up screaming. The whimpering has been constant, and the crying, OH the crying. Maddie has this certain sob that, before the last few days, we’d only heard a couple other times. She will weep until she runs out of air, and then she’s just gasping and wheezing like a chain smoker. It would almost be funny it wasn’t, you know, caused by tremendous pain.
We can’t stand to see her like this! We know that the discomfort she feels must be severe to have made our smiley girl vanish. She normally laughs in the face of pain! So, Internets, we are asking you for help. We need teething remedies. We’ve tried Tylenol and Orajel, ice cold formula and frozen bottle nipples. What worked for your babies? If you don’t have kids, call your mom and ask her what she did when YOU were teething. We will try ANYTHING. We just don’t want to see her suffer anymore!
And also, we are so very tired.
Bec says:
Tylenol did nothing for Erin’s teething pain. We use ibuprofen and a teething gel that contains lidocaine/lignocaine in Australia it’s called SM-33.
Erin’s exactly the same as you’ve described Maddie being. She’s always been such a happy girl, until teething. She cries on and off all night, literally will not eat.
~Jess says:
Rub rum on her gums. That’s what my parents did.
Anonymous says:
Rum, ha ha! That’s funny.
ITA that ibuprofen is a million times better than Tylenol for pain. Also, have you tried the frozen washcloth yet? I saw that and two more possibilities here.
Memphislis says:
I let my daughter chew on a washcloth. I discovered that it gave relief one day when my daughter was in the bathtub. She reached for the cloth in my hand and just gnawed it. I didn’t freeze it, but she loved it.
Mom24 says:
I second (third?) the iburprofen. Tylenol is worthless. We gave our kids the mini bagels frozen. They would gnaw on them. They never got much off, but it must have felt good to their gums. Just replace them with a new one once they start to thaw.
Gemini Girl says:
My friend also said rum worked. I guess its an old school remedy.
Like I said- my doc said orajel doesnt work and really nothing can be done. I totally get it though- since neve is the same way. she is the smiley baby, but her teething pain is making her act up.
Shauna says:
I’ve been trying these little homeopathic tabs with Lucy. I like to believe they’re helping a little, but if not, at least she likes taking them. I found them at Walmart. We haven’t been doing much else, since she’s refused every teething toy imaginable. She prefers to gnaw on her own arm.
All Saints says:
ibuprofen works a million times better than Tylenol. We also get some teething tablets (homeopathic remedy) that seemed to somewhat help.
Kristin.... says:
Ask looove about the Ibuprofen though, with her being a preemie. It works wonders, but she may be too young (it’s usually for ages 6 months and up).
My kids all chewed on toys; plastic keys or stacking cups. Or their own fingers. Sometimes just having one of us rub their gums helped too. I was lucky; none of the kids were bothered in the night. Drew chewed the railing of his crib to pieces. That was always pleasant, picking out pieces of wood from his mouth. sigh.
The Tylenol might work if you keep up the 4 hour cycle.
sp says:
A peeled carrot to knaw on also works well until they get that first tooth.
Val says:
Ah, we did the frozen mini bagels also. And they worked like a dream…plus kept them occupied.
As for the pain relief gel…I never had any luck with it.
Stefanie says:
Heather, ME TOO!! But now I don’t need to blog about it because I just got to read all your comments. But, it’s like I’m reliving colic again. And both babies!! What happened with the test?
Danielle says:
Poor sweet girl!
Tylenol never did anything but Motrin worked great for my boys.
Also sometimes I would get a washcloth wet only half way and freeze it. The dry part made it easy (and warm) to hold, and the cold, frozen hard part they liked to chew on and it numbed the gums a bit.
I used Hylands Teething Tablets too. I was never sure if they worked or not because I also used them with Motrin, but I knew some people that swore by them.
Oh- and I let them chew on a baby toothbrush. They gaged themselves sometimes, so I had to sort of just be close, but they like that.
Good luck!!!
Jen B says:
Its already been said several times, but infant Motrin works wonders!! I swear by it!
Bridget says:
Both of my kids had a fave teething toy: my hands. I would use my finger to massage their gums, and then let them finish off by chewing on my knuckles. Another thing that really worked for us(and brought on many funny picture moments at first) was to use dill pickles. The taste is kind of shocking initially, but my kids loooooved gumming them.
Belle says:
We always alternate motrin with tylenol — for everything from teething to broken bones. One note though, since Maddie is in the middle of some bloodwork you may want to ask your pediatrician before giving Motrin. My daughter is getting ready to have surgery and they said not to give motrin due to blood thinning, etc. I don’t think it would make a difference probably but I’m not a doctor! Just a mom!
I found your blog a while back and have been keeping up with everything. I am the mom of a “disabled” child — she has a brittle bone disease so we prefer a chronically ill child I suppose. She certainly isn’t disabled but that’s the term given. I understand what you mean about hospitals. We’re in Chicago right now at a new one.
Keep the faith!
Jody
Jill says:
Hey Heather,
My parents dipped my soother in brandy (seriously crazy). For Abby we use Motrin and a frozen washcloth, although it only takes her out of her foul mood temporarily.
Abby is also going through all the CF testing, just like your Maddie, but has yet to have her first sweat test. The waiting is the worst part.
Hope everything goes okay with Maddie.
london2434 says:
grey goose martini, extra murky, extra olives…for you and mike of course.
Baby B says:
The little boy I babysat for half the summer was also teething for a month. He HATED the teething rings, but would actually give a cold, wet washcloth or a frozen one a second chance.
Just Me says:
Hylands Homeopathic Teething Tablets!! It was like giving our babies drugs, only homeopathic. So we didn’t ever worry about OD’ing. And infant motrin. Tylenol is a waste of money. Frozen peas were also a good one for us — small enough that they wouldn’t choke on them, nice and cold to chew on. Also, try popsicles. Dryers has a great box of them that are all natural (no high fructose corn syrup or gums in them) and they seriously taste good. Our kids loved them when they were teething — still do. The first one is the hardest. I still tell my one yr old son that no one ever died from cutting teeth. Mostly to reassure myself that he’ll get over it! Hang in there — it’s definitely tough on the parents!
Gemini Girl says:
wow 20 comments! youre in the big time now!
Dana says:
Hey, my 9-month-old baby girl just got her first tooth too! These comments have been immensely helpful as she must have number 2 in the works. Gnaws on her fingers when nothing else is available. I have no advice, unfortunately, but will be trying the frozen mini-bagels and baby Motrin! Thank you internet!!
hollibobolli says:
okay, the homeopathic teething tablets were suggested.
yay!!
they actually make tablets for earaches too. I remember going in this store and asking if you stuck them in their ears (you know.. like the teething ones dissolve in the mouth). I was looked at like a freak. Uh.. no, lady – they dissolve under the tongue.
oh.
Steve says:
Great writing, good read I will be back to read more of your stuff