Two Teething Tots

So big brother is teething.  His back molars are finally coming in, as all the books and Internet sites predicted they would around age two.  And now little brother has decided to cut a few teeth, too, at almost 4 months.  He's been drooling pretty crazily for about two months, however, so we believe his gums were bothering him far before now.  He regularly drenches at least 5 or 10 bibs a day, depending on how much he throws up after eating.  Sounds glamorous?  Totally is.

Big brother teethes at night, but chews on things during the day.  When he chews, we know he's feeling something unpleasant in his mouth, and he's trying to relieve that discomfort.  He gets tons of sympathy, as long as he doesn't turn into the Terrible Two Tot.  That gets very little sympathy from either of us.

However, at night, he's been waking up crying, usually looking for his pacifier.  (Yes, we still give him a pacifier at night.  He uses it to sleep, and we are unapologetic about it.  Without the pacifier, life would suck and suck hard.)

It's the crying at night that kills me. We have considered ourselves lucky with the baby, because his five hour stretches at night usually give us enough time to recharge our batteries.  But big brother waking at any given moment during his sleep has been killing us.  It's interrupting important REM sleep, and this old body is not having it.  In fact, it regularly tells me how displeased it is with me by giving me various bouts of illness, gastrointestinal issues, and a variety of unpleasant symptoms that are brought on by exhaustion.  That and my hair falling out in clumps due to the post-pregnancy "fall" is making me one hot MILF.

Oh, Lord, please give me some sleep.  Or hair.

Teething Pains...For Everyone

The teething has begun...I think.  Actually, it's hard to tell what is teething and what is just baby being baby.  He hits the 6 month mark in a short while, which is supposed to also usher in another growth spurt.  This could also be causing the sleepless nights.

Once the kid started eating solids at four months (suggested by our pediatrician) we did notice a significant change in his sleep at night.  He would pass out and sleep like a rock for solid stretches at a time.  This new feeding regimen added to the sleep training my husband implemented around four months meant 7-9 hours of sweet, sweet sleep.  It was pure heaven.  Sleep is goooood.

However, around five months he started fussing again.  It was cruel, like someone ripped a carpet from underneath our feet.  Again, we were exhausted and sleep deprived.  He was waking every hour to 90 minutes to soothe.  We assumed it was teething, since we could see the little ridges outlining those front chompers on his gums.

To the local Walgreen's we went!  We stocked up on teething rings, organic teething gel and tablets, drops, baby Motrin, baby Tylenol...basically, lack of sleep made us desperate.  Camilla drops seemed harmless enough, so we bought that, too.

But the six month growth spurt looms overhead like the Hindenburg, ready to crash into without warning. We're not sure what we will do if the two events collide.

Teething + growth spurt = nose dive off the nearest bridge.

Teething Hell

Here are the things we bought the other day...

Boiron Camilia Drops

Hyland Teething Tablets

Hyland Teething Gel

Baby Motrin

Baby Tylenol

Vibrating Teething Toy

Raz-a-Dazzle Silicone Toothbrush

Finger Toothbrush

The other tricks people suggested, such as a frozen bagel, we did not try because I was afraid of the baby chewing a chunk of bread and choking on the pieces.  I did freeze a wet washcloth, but the baby took one lick and rejected it outright.

The Vibrating Teething Toy is awesome and flat out works.  Although to say something "works" with an infant is really saying "it works for five to ten minutes, and then he throws it across the room."  Be warned, though.  The toy does not come with replaceable batteries.  Therefore, when it's done, it's done...although you can still use it as a toy.  It's squishy and fun to chew on for baby.

The Raz-a-Dazzle baby toothbrush works well for baby because he can hold it on his own and chew on it without choking.  It has a barrier that prevents him from stabbing himself in the back of the neck.

The Finger Toothbrush is simple, cheap, and works well.  Also, you don't get a finger full of drool after massaging his gums.

The Boiron Camilia Drops combined with a squirt of Tylenol or Motrin seems to work, however.  He went from sleeping in spurts of an hour to 90 minutes to sleeping in chunks of 3-4 hours.

We are careful to alternate Tylenol and Motrin, however, so he doesn't overdose on one or the other.  Also, we don't give him medicine throughout the day.  One squirt at night is our general routine, and only if it seems like he is in serious discomfort.  Also, Motrin is only supposed to be given to babies six months and older.  Tylenol can be given earlier.  However, our baby is well within a healthy weight and size range to take Motrin at 5 1/2 months of age.

The Hyland products give me pause, only because they use Belladonna in their teething tablets.  I found the following on a general website:

"Hyland's reports that there are no side effects associated with the use of their teething tablets, nor is there a risk of overdosing or encountering a drug interaction if taken in conjunction with another pain medication.

However, one of the ingredients found in Hyland's teething tablets, Belladonna alkaloids, is known to cause dry mouth, blurred vision and urinary retention when taken in larger quantities. Hyland's states that one teething tablet contains approximately 0.0002 mg of Belladonna alkaloids, and it would take at least 0.2 to 5 mg of Belladonna alkaloids to cause side effects.

Belladonna alkaloids produce a variety of effects in the body, including reduced muscle spasms in the urinary and digestive tracts, and a reduction in fluid secretions from certain organs and glands. Belladonna alkaloids are often used in conjunction with phenobarbital to treat irritable bowel syndrome and ulcers in the intestine.

Belladonna has the potential to be dangerous, but only if taken in large quantities and if you are taking another medication that Belladonna might interact with. Cold, allergy and pain medications are medications that Belladonna could interact with, causing increased sleepiness. When taken with alcohol, Belladonna can cause drowsiness and dizziness. Because Belladonna reduces fluid secretions, perspiration may decrease, which increases the risk of heat stroke."


I'm not usually an alarmist, so I will probably try the tablets, if pushed to inhuman limits of sleep deprivation.

But if there's a better product out there, I will surely find it.  I am, after all, the Google queen.  But the best teething toy so far by a landslide?  It's cheap, easy, and readily available.  And yes, I'm talking about my finger.