The Trouble With Teeth My kids have both been pretty good sleepers. I’m a big fan of routine, especially at night time, and both my one year old and three year old are asleep by 7pm. Well... usually. The one thing that throws a good night’s sleep out of the window is teething. And oh boy do my kids have trouble getting those chompers to come through.Both of my kids have been late teethers, and didn’t cut their first tooth until close to one. At 18mths now my son has his eight front teeth (four top and four bottom) and is in the process of cutting his molars. Ugh. The dribble is always the first giveaway that new teeth are on the way. Drool on his shirts, great slobbery patches on the cot sheets, and a dribble rash on his chin. Even his teddy smells like slobber!
Molars are massive teeth for little mouths, aren’t they? His poor little gums are so swollen around them and he’ll chomp on anything he can find to get relief. Furniture, toys, his sister... you know. The worst part is that they can go up and down for weeks. One day I catch a tiny glimpse of gleaming white tooth, and the next day it has disappeared. Poor kid. I want to ease his discomfort but there’s only so much teething gel and infant paracetamol I can give him! We have had a few nights this week when he has woken around 9pm and been unable to resettle. After trying every trick in the book I have resigned myself to cuddling him on the couch with the lights turned down and the tv on quietly. It’s not ideal, but the change of scenery, some mummy-love and a little distraction is sometimes enough. And hey – we do what we have to do, right?! Parenting isn’t a smooth ride. There are tricky bits to navigate through and I’m sure I’m not the only one to “wing it” at times. I have to admit that I get frustrated by night after night of tooth-induced waking though. The evenings are my time for catching up on emails, writing articles and posting to my blog. I grumble easily when that time is interrupted. And at 2am I do not ooze sympathy. I need sleep! Of course, once I stop feeling sorry for myself I remember that my child is actually the one in pain and just get on with being the mummy he needs. Eventually we’ll come out of the other side of this phase. He’ll have a full mouth of teeth and be able to chomp all kinds of previously challenging crunchy foods. Just in time to start losing his baby teeth so we can do it all over again! Got any great tips for dealing with grizzly teething toddlers? Leave a comment below... ___________________________________ Catherine Oehlman is a SAHM currently being raised by a terrific toddler and a curious crawler. Her background in primary education, love of the mothering journey and compulsion for writing collide on her SquiggleMum blog. Cath encourages other parents from all walks of life to maximise the time they spend with their children. 5 CommentsFeedAdd Comment |
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Tuesday, 06 April 2010
Tuesday, 06 April 2010
I know that this is not practicle at 2am but frozen grapes, frozen watermelon, pineapple etc are great to teeth on. They make a nice healthy snack and sooth gums. a wet face cloth is also handy to chew on. My kids didnt like the hard teething rings, but the one shaped like a fish with the gel tail was a hit with both of them.
Nurofen was my best friend. but I did need to up the prunes as nurofen causes constipation.
Both my kids were tummy sleepers making it worse on the gums at night. 18 month olds are going to sleep however they like anyway but a soft pillow might help.
You are right though. It does come to an end.
Thursday, 08 April 2010
http://www.senseabilities.com.au/index.cgi?tid=5&range=11
I would put them in the freezer for an hour or two and really cool them down.
T shaped chewy tubes are also awesome
http://www.senseabilities.com.au/index.cgi?tid=5&range=31
Friday, 09 April 2010
Tuesday, 07 June 2011
http://www.wildaboutsmiles4kids.com