Essentials for a Teething Baby

A Teething Baby will Chew on Just About Anything . . . Watch Your Fingers!

I have only had great experiences interacting with Charlotte's doctor over the past six months. After all, our pediatrician is constantly praising our baby's development, growth and personality—what's not to like about that?

Beyond the bragging, Charlotte's pediatrician has also been great at giving us a timeline of when to expect certain changes in our baby. At our four-month checkup, our doctor shared an observation that Char would likely cut her first tooth before she hit six-months-old. Well, the doc was spot on. I first learned that Charlotte had cut two teeth (bottom front row and center) at my niece's sixth birthday party, while hanging out in the cartoon themed room a local pizza buffet fun center.

Leave it to my sister Lindsey to have her finger fishing around in Charlotte's mouth for something sharp. After her announcement of Char's teeth, there was a parade of immediate family members inspecting her mouth. At the time, I was "shocked" that Charlotte had cut teeth so soon, but looking back, I had been noticing many signs of teething. The most common teething cues include excessive drooling, fussiness, interrupted sleep patterns, clinginess, swollen gums, chewing, etc. 

Teething is inevitable, so familiarize yourself with these essential tools for a teething baby:

Bibs. We had some of the most beautiful, handmade bibs gifted to us at our "Sweet Baby Charlotte" Baby Shower, and for the first five months I was worried these beautiful bibs would never get their well-deserved use. Then teething happened. Suddenly, we didn't have enough bibs. I was digging through hand-me-downs to ensure I had at least two backups no matter where I went, and sometimes that didn't seem to be enough.

Chew Toys. Not only for dogs, a great infant chew toy can make any teething baby a whole lot smilier.  I've tried every teether and frozen gimmick to alleviate little Charlotte's swollen gums, but her favorites so far are the Bright Starts Vibrating Teether and the Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder. Frozen veggies and the soft, vibrating surface each alleviate a lot of her teething pain while keeping her entertained.

Comfort. Once it's 9p.m., past the baby's bedtime, she's fussy and drooling everywhere, and I have had over 12 hours of real work . . . This is my late-night mommy trick. I have a short playlist of my six favorite sleepy time songs. They are by no means baby lullabies. One song is slightly techno, while the rest of the playlist is a relaxing and upbeat mix. It's the perfect motivation to stay positive after a long day of diaper changes and creating new ways to entertain a six-month-old babe. There is nothing better than rocking Charlotte to some of my favorite tunes. I turn them down low, sway in the dark, cuddled to my sweet, while singing and humming along to the playlist that was my mantra to and from work during pregnancy. Even if this trick doesn't lull her to sleep, it definitely calms her down enough to where a little milk wins her over.


What are your favorite mom tricks to help out a teething baby?