Lions and Tigers and TEETH Oh My

It's been about 2 months now since Aiden started teething. You know the signs. Whining, fussing, drooling, chewing everything in sight.  All of the extra drooling is causing him to cough and he keeps getting an annoying rash on his chin no matter how often I wipe it off.  He constantly rubs his cheeks and pulls at his ears and despite what the Doctors go back and forth arguing about, he has had some diarrhea. Now in the U.S. some Doctors will say that's a sign of teething, others say it's not but in Australia, physicians say that's the number one symptom of teething and believe it's caused by all of the extra saliva being produced by baby chewing everything.  He has also had a low-grade fever on and off, again....I know Doctors debate if fevers are caused by teething or not but with no other symptoms and the fever coming and going, I almost HAVE to link it to the teeth. Runny nose, sleepless nights. All 3 of my other kids had the same symptoms while teething so I guess I can almost be called and expert too, right?!  And the worst part is that there are NO teeth to show for all of this pain yet. BOO! 

Through the pain, however, I am finding that my bloggy friends give good AWESOME advice on safe, helpful remedies to help that little toothless grin stay smiling so I wanted to share all of that advice with you as well as what has really helped us. Just remember, however, every baby is different. What works for us might not work for your little guy or gal but it's worth a shot, right?!

Tylenol Orajel

Not really sure about the affects of these 2.  I see no improvement at all while using these products.  I received a lot of this stuff from baby showers so I figured I might as well try and use it but honestly, I don't think either one help much. I do have the Baby Orajel in the Q-tip dispensers though so they are really convenient so if we are out and I don't have anything else to try, I will use them. They just don't help enough for me to justify using them on a regular basis. I numb him up and he still fusses and drools even more! *lol*

Teething Tablets

One day at the grocery, I came across some Teething Tablets.  I purchased them because so many Mom's rave about them.  I used them once and couldn't really tell if they helped or not.  After purchasing them, I have done some research and I found a lot of articles like THIS where babies have had severe reactions to them due to the Belladona in them. Now, I can't imagine them being on the market if they were dangerous but it does make me want to look more into them now that I have read those things. lol You know, a Mom can never be too safe. Ok, maybe we can be. lol But I am still researching these. What's your experience with them? Positive? Negative?
Chilled Teething Rings

Definitely one of the best remedies yet!  We have purchased about a dozen teething toys now and we pop them along with some binkies in the freezer and he just loves to chew on them. Works like a charm!

Mesh Feeder

One of the greatest pieces of advice I received was to purchase a mesh feeder and use a variety of different things in it for baby to chew. We bought the Munchkin mesh feeder for like $4 and it was money well spent. We have used frozen grapes and frozen breast milk and both worked wonders!!!  Aiden loves chewing in these things and it really seems to help occupy him and keep his mind off teething. When our 8 year old had his  ball tournament last weekend, we packed extra frozen things in the cooler for Aiden and even used ice cubes. Not only does this help with teething but they helped keep him cool too!!  I love it that he can't choke on any of this stuff either because we are using the mesh feeder. Awesomeness! (And you should hear him sucking the juice out of the frozen grapes! lol)

Wet and Frozen Washcloths

Aiden loves chewing cloth. He chews his bibs, his clothes, his Ringley teething toy. You name it and he will soak it in slobber. So one of our favorite things to do is just give him a cold, wet washcloth to chew on. Sometimes we chill it for a few minutes first but either way, it keeps him happy for awhile.

Not recommended but so darn funny

One day I was in the kitchen cooking dinner and Aiden started to fuss in the living room so I sent my 8 year old in to try and occupy him. I couldn't believe after a minute or 2 he was silent so I went to check on him and here is what I found.

Yep. It's no wonder he loves having 2 big brothers and a big sister. They do things that Mommy wouldn't ever do like give him POPSICLES! lololol

Luckily, teething is only temporary. It won't last forever and I guess if a fussy baby is the worst thing that ever happens, I'll be lucky.