Teething Troubles

We have been getting quite educated on the world of teething babies lately, as Ryleigh's teething has been getting more severe.  She's drooling a lot and will usually have a meltdown by 6pm if she doesn't get a small dose of Tylenol by then.  It makes me so sad to see the pain in her face as she chews on her fingers and teethers.  I've been looking into everything to make my baby feel better and ease pain, since she's got a long road ahead for a whole mouth of teeth...

Here is a breakdown of the things we've tried and a word of caution against a product that you can find everywhere but it can be very dangerous!

Let's start off by talking about Hyland's teething tablets.  Many people use them.  They can be found at Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Buy Buy Baby, etc.  We tried them and they did seem to help ease Ryleigh's teething pain.  However, I've learned some scary things about them over the past few days.  They are 100% natural, so many people think they are fine to use and do not question the ingredients.  The important thing to remember is that just because something comes from nature does not mean that it can't hurt you.  Ever heard of poison berries?  Well Belladonna, an ingredient in Hyland's teething tablets, is a poison berry plant that is toxic in adults and children.  Hyland's has a mild warning on their label to not use more than directed and not to use for more than 7 days in a row--which should keep your child's levels safe. However, the FDA has been warning people against Hyland's tablets for over 3 years because they have been found to have differing levels of belladonna in each tablet therefore causing health issues in some children even when their parents use as directed.  Read more about that here.  To a protective momma, that's like playing Russian roulette!  This is what the box looks like for reference:

So now, let's talk about what we actually like:

 1.  Boon Pulp Silicone Feeder- I haven't actually done this yet, but since I love all Boon products I know this will be great for making breastmilk popsicles and putting some frozen baby food in.  I'm going to try the breastmilk this week so I'll update on how that goes!

2. Vulli Sophie the Giraffe So'Pure Vanilla Teether-  We really like this teether.  It's the smaller version of the more popular Sophie the Giraffe teether and the two things that we like about this smaller version are (1) price and (2) the hoops coming off of it.  This is half the price of the bigger version and the hoops make me feel more comfortable to have a younger baby putting into her/his mouth because they can't poke the back of their throat.  I've also noticed how it's helping Ryleigh develop her motor skills, gripping and bringing this to her mouth, which is a little bonus :)

3.  Bright Starts Chill & Teethe set- Found this one day while perusing the aisles of Walmart and it was a fantastic $2.99 purchase.  The shape of these is great for younger babies with smaller mouths.  Because these are frozen and cold, Ryleigh will not hold it herself so we have to hold them up to her mouth...

4.  Wubbanub- We have the elephant and also have this yellow duck.  Ryleigh loves them both.  I highly recommend a Wubbanub, or two, for your little one!


And lastly, we are trying a Baltic Amber teething necklace.  I ordered one from Hazelaid after being referred there by a friend with a little girl who seems to be doing better with teething since she started wearing hers.  Once ours arrives and we try it out for a little while I'll let you know what we think!  There's a lot of information to educate you and ease your fears on their site, like the fact that they are made with a safety clasp and they knot each individual bead to the necklace to avoid choking hazards.  I got the Amber-Lemon necklace, which is a 9 out of 10 on their scale for effectiveness [the lighter the bead the stronger it is].