Teething woes

I thought Kliven would breeze through his teething phase.  When he turned 6 months, instead of sprouting a pair of milky whites,he instantly had 2 pairs (make that 4 teeth in all) without a whimper,a sniffle or any other teething twinge.  I was so proud and assumed we had a winner. Khym lost a lot of his baby blubber during his teething phase because of  low milk intake and loss of appetite. So pudgy Khym was slimmed down to skinny Khym and he ate less and less the following consecutive years.  We thought Kliven was in a way, different.  For a few months, teeth popped up here and there and he was okay. But when he turned 11months, a month after I weaned him from my breasts, he suddenly stopped eating solids, lived on milk ( and only milk ) each day and slobbered most of the time. All because of-- TEETHING! 

Kliven taking a break from his sour teething mood

So i welcome this teething fuss with a cringe and lots of mommy love and patience.  Now that Kliven is turning 15 months old, we still suffer through that teething hysteria but we are coping.

Teething is sometimes mistaken for other illnesses so be sure to call your pedia in case something really bothers you or baby is showing other symptoms of illness.

Some common signs of teething are:

• red, swollen gums- I saw a bit of blood in Kliven's swollen gum
• extra slobbering
• rashes on cheeks and chin from all that drool
• irritability- Kliven would cry the whole day and would wake up screaming at night
• ear tugging
•  increased nibbling and sucking on toys, fingers and in Kliven's case, biting mommy's arms, shoulders and other body parts (ouch!).
• loss of appetite for milk and/or solid foods
• slight diarrhea
• may have a mild case of sniffles
• or may have low grade fever

Symptoms vary per kid. My kids' pedia said that some mild illnesses are caused by the child's weakened immune system because of teething itself. According to one study, the actual teething period lasts for an average of 8 days per tooth sprout. This might not seem like a long time but when my kids are teething, it felt like they do last forever.  Luckily, teething remedies are so out there. Here are some; just try experimenting on what's best for your baby.

Teething Therapy:

• Try rubbing baby's inflamed gums with your clean finger or a chilled wash cloth. The gentle pressure from all that gum massage soothes baby and brings gum relief.
• Let baby indulge in an all out chew-fest!--with teethers of course. Offer him teethers in different styles, sizes and textures and watch him chomp down these cute thingies.

• Offer baby something cold to gnaw.  Try frozen fruits ( watch out for choking hazards ), fruity Popsicles and even ice cubes. Kliven loved his ice cubes.  I bet it somehow lessens the ache.

• Consider rubbing oral teething gels on baby's sore gums. There are various brands out in the market. With Khym and Kliven, I stocked up on Xylogel. However, they thought it was candy and asked for second helpings. 

• Offer distractions like a walk at the park,a stroll at the mall, a favorite/new toy or even baby's fave music. Think of anything that could somehow alleviate the discomfort.

• Lastly and most importantly,stay calm and be patient. Anxieties rub on little children more than you think.  When you're calm and collected, your baby will eventually follow your lead.

Teething is just a phase. In time, it will be over and done with.  So smile and hang in there.