Teething and Baby Sleep
Teething- UGH! The very word causes parents everywhere to cringe and have visions of drooling, fussy babies. We’ll go over symptoms How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething of teething, symptoms that are often confused with teething, ways to soothe inflamed gums, common teething toys, things How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething to avoid with teething babies, Tylenol vs. Motrin usage, and tips to help your teething baby to sleep.
Read More: Sleep Help You Love Your Baby
How long does teething last
Teething lasts from approximately 5-30 months of age, but the actual PAIN associated with teething only lasts for about 24-72 hours How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething prior to the tooth eruption. Once the tooth is through the gum, most of the pain is gone.
What are the signs of teething
Text version of table
Here’s the research!
How can I help
- Try teething toys.
- Give baby cold washcloths to gnaw.
- Massage the gums.
- Offer comfort (hold, babywear, rock, nurse/feed, etc.).
- Avoid amber necklaces and teething gels.
- Talk to your doctor before trying anything homeopathic.
- Administer pain relievers if needed.
- Watch this for more!
(Teething pain is inflammation of the gums. That’s why Motrin is typically a more effective pain reliever for teething. However, baby How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething must be 6 months of age or older to use How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething Motrin. Use Tylenol instead for babies younger than 6 months.)
What about sleep during teething
Remember, every baby is different. However How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething, those with a strong sleep foundation How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething tend to handle nights and naps better during teething.
The first and best advice about teething and baby sleep
Lay a strong sleep foundation in the first few months of your baby’s life. My no-cry newborn sleep class gives you the tools to help create How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething a good little sleeper from the start. Having How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething a strong foundation in place PRIOR to teething is so helpful!
If your baby is 5–24 months, there’s still hope.
The ABCs of Sleep will give you a plan to achieve 10-12 hour nights of independent sleep in the crib. This will be a plan to follow through regressions, teething, illnesses, and setbacks too. Many of our families report that their little ones simply wake well-rested in the morning with a new tooth!
But let’s say you have a great little sleeper who is suddenly strugglin
First, let’s make sure it really is only teething. Remember, intense crying is typically NOT teething. You could be seeing signs of an illness or How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething something that requires further How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething investigation.
If it is teething
First, understand that consistency is still so How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething important. Maintain your normal routine, bedtime How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething, and approach to night wakings.
If your little one is struggling with pain, do what needs to be done to help soothe him. It’s always okay to comfort your baby while he’s in pain How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething. A few nights won’t derail a great little sleeper. Once that tooth pops through, go right back to your night wakings approach, and sleep How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething will return to normal quickly.
Teething can seem intimidating at first, but with the How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething right tools and understanding: You’ve How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething got this!
How to Help a Teething Baby Get Some Sleep
Every parent knows how exhausting it is to deal How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething with a cranky, teething baby. Unfortunately, the irritability usually gets worse around naptime and bedtime because babies don’t have anything to distract them while they fall asleep. The good news is that there are several How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething ways you can comfort your little one and help them get some much-needed sleep. Read on as a pediatric dentist in McKinney shares a few expert-approved tips!
Numb the Gums
If you have a teething baby, try numbing their gums with cold items! It can help reduce inflammation and alleviate some of their discomfort. Get a clean washcloth, soak it with water, and stick it in the freezer for about 30 minutes to How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething an hour so it can get cold. Then, allow your child to chew on it for a few minutes to soothe How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething their gums. You can also give your baby cold foods and drinks (i.e., applesauce or frozen fruit).
Offer Teething Rings
A cold teething ring may be just what your baby needs to ease their pain! However, you’ll need to keep an eye on them while they gnaw on the How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething ring. You want to make sure they don’t v accidentally puncture it and ingest the liquid that’s inside.
Apply Pressure on Gums
Even something as simple as applying light pressure to your baby’s gums can soothe their pain. All you have to do is rub a clean finger along their gums as they’re winding down for bedtime. The counter sensation of the pressur How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teethinge will certainly help relax them!
Give Over-the-Counter Medication
Before giving any medication, ask your pediatrician or dentist if it’s alright to offer your child an appropriate dose of infant acetaminophen or infant ibuprofen. Do not give your little one aspirin, as it’s associated with a rare but serious condition called Reye’s syndrome.
Wipe Away Excess Drool
Excess drool can sometimes cause uncomfortable rashes on your baby’s face. Make sure you wipe it away regularly to protect your baby against How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething this issue. If needed, you can change your infant’s clothes and moisturize their skin with baby-safe products as well.
Continue Bedtime Routine
Do not let your baby’s fussiness from teething get in the way of their usual bedtime routine! It can actually disrupt their sleep even more. The familiarity of their usual routine will create a better environment for self-coping.
Dealing with a teething baby can be frustrating, but don’t worry – it’s only a phase! It’ll be over before you know it. In the meantime, follow the tips outlined above to help your little one catch some z’s at night!
About the Practice
At Sprout Dentistry for Kids, we offer exceptional, state-of-the-art dental services for children of all ages. Our team is passionate about helping growing smiles stay strong and beautiful throughout every stage of life. For more tips on soothing your teething baby, visit our website or call (469) 813-7127.
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9 Ways to Help a Teething Baby Sleep
Teething is an inevitable part of your baby’s development — and it can be a nerve-wracking time for parents as their little ones struggle through cutting those first few teeth.
No matter the time of day, a fussy baby who’s teething can be hard to calm. But at least during the day, you expect to be awake. So, what can you do to soothe your little one and get them back to dreamland at night, so the both of you can enjoy some shut-eye? Here are some tips.
When teething starts
Generally speaking, most babies begin teething somewhere between 4 and 7 months of age. But some children may begin teething earlier or later than this window.
How to tell if it’s teething pain causing nighttime trouble
Typically, you’ll know if your baby’s nighttime restlessness is due to teething because they’ll be exhibiting other common teething symptoms. Along with difficulty sleeping, these symptoms usually include:
- irritability/fussiness
- excessive drooling
- chewing
But if your baby is experiencing a rash (other than a drool rash), fever, or diarrhea, something other than teething may be the cause of their discomfort. In that scenario, you should speak with your child’s pediatrician.
1. Give a gum massage
Your baby’s gums are irritated and sore, which can explain the nighttime fussiness. So when they wake up crying, try offering them a cooling gum massage with a durable teething ring. (Check out these top picks!)
With teething toys, make sure that they’re solid plastic rather than gel-filled, and store them in your fridge or freezer. Inspect the teething ring after every use to ensure that there aren’t any broken pieces that could pose a choking hazard.
Also, avoid teething jewelry such as necklaces and bracelets made from amber, marble, silicone, or even wood. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns against them because they pose a choking risk.
2. Offer a cooling treat
Sore gums can really benefit from a cooling sensation. This trick is easy to use and doesn’t require any special equipment — just the foresight to keep a few washcloths prepped in the freezer so you’re not scrambling at 2 a.m.
Take a clean washcloth, soak it in water, and then place it in the freezer for at least 30 to 60 minutes. While you should make sure that there aren’t any rips or strings, these washcloths can serve a dual purpose. Along with instantly cooling your baby’s sore gums, your little one can also gnaw on them as long as they like.
3. Become your baby’s chew toy
Depending on whether this is their first tooth or not, you might let your baby gum at your fingers. Just make sure that your fingers are clean before you let them have fun. For added comfort, dip your fingers in cool water to help calm their gums.
4. Apply some pressure
This is similar but involves a little more effort — and therefore, wakefulness — on your part.
Make sure your hands are clean before you stick them in your baby’s mouth, but use your fingers to apply gentle pressure on your baby’s gums. Sometimes simply rubbing the gums will be enough to give your baby sweet relief from teething pain.
Read More: How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething
5. Wipe and repeat
While most people don’t associate drool with being uncomfortable, letting your baby sit around with a wet face all day can contribute to rashes, which adds to the discomfort at night.
Even though you can’t catch every dribble, make sure your little teether is as dry as possible during the day so they go into the night more comfortable. This would be a great time to invest in durable bibs that don’t let drool soak through to the clothes beneath them.
6. Try a little white noise
Sometimes all you need is a bit of distraction to help redirect your baby’s attention elsewhere. While this might not work for every baby, adding a white noise machine to your baby’s nursery can help them drift off to la-la land despite discomfort.
Some white noise machines also serve as night-lights or can be controlled remotely.
7. Consider medicine
This tip should be more of a last resort as opposed to your first soothing technique. But sometimes, if your baby is struggling to sleep, some over-the-counter medicine might be the trick you need.
Talk with your baby’s pediatrician first before you give it to your baby so you can confirm the proper dosage. But baby acetaminophen (Tylenol) given roughly 30 minutes before bedtime can help to block mouth pain and help your little one drift off to sleep.
However, avoid teething tablets and topical numbing medications designed to be used on a baby’s gums.
Often, numbing gels don’t provide sustaining relief because your baby is drooling so much that the medication is washed away. Teething tablets contain belladonnaTrusted Source and numbing gels contain benzocaineTrusted Source, both of which have been linked with dangerous side effects in babies, says the FDA.
8. Maintain baby’s regular bedtime routine
This might sound like a tall order, but teething — much like many other periods in your baby’s life — is a temporary situation. No matter how tempting it might be to let teething disrupt your baby’s regular bedtime routine, don’t do it.
As much as possible, stick to the routine you’ve already established and try to keep your little one as comfortable as possible so that they can fall asleep.
9. Stay calm and carry on
Rest assured, you’re not the first parent to deal with this. And no matter how stressful it might seem, you’ll get through it! Try to maintain perspective, keep your little one comfortable, and give them extra cuddles.
The takeaway
Teething is one of those baby milestones that most parents have a love-hate relationship with. On the one hand, it’s exciting to see your little one grow and develop. But on the flip side, those first few teeth are usually when teething symptoms are at their worst and nighttime sleep is most disrupted.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to ease the discomfort and make sleep possible for both you and baby. And if you notice a fever or rash, call your pediatrician — there may be something else going on.
