can I have your teething suggestions for a 4 mth old?

[suddenlyamama]

Poor dd. She has been through so much in her short life already. When Reflux and Colic finally ended along came teething.

I need suggestions for something that would help. We have some cruddy cheapos but I don't think she likes them very much.

[Blessed1]

We just got a Amber teething necklace and it seems to be working.  My 4month old doesn't tug at her ears nearly as much as she was before the necklace.  And the drooling has slowed down big time! She is also sleeping a little better. 

I also just recently brewed some chamomille tea and soaked a washcloth in it and rung it out.  I then shaped it into a twist and put it in the freezer.  She enjoys sucking on it.  Just put a bib on your LO or she will be soaked.  The chamamille seems to help soothe the gums (google it). 

She is also taking to the Sophie teether okay. She fusses after 5minutes of using it though...so not sure if she likes it or if it irritates her gums more after using it awhile.

I am also looking for some wooden teethers.  I hear some babies prefer wood teethers and some like soft teethers...so we'll see. 

:) 

[momto4plus4]

Ditto the amber teething necklace.  DS also had/has colic and reflux and bad tummy issues. Teething is a struggle. Not much helps. I do ibuprofen/tylenol when it's bad. He likes the mesh feeder with grapes in it. When I'm braver I'll do frozen blueberries in it (messy). Frozen grapes would work in the mesh feeder too. He likes 2 kinds of teethers you can put in the fridge. One is a hand-I bought it in the baby section of Target by the pacifiers. He chews on his fingers a lot and wants to nurse a lot, just for the comfort though I can only tolerate so much of the on/off stuff. I hope you find something that works! Oh, and I still do the Hyland's teething tablets as well as arnica and chamomilla

[TreeRose]

I was going to post a separate thread but maybe you mamas can help me! Did any of you have early teethers? Our sweet LO (11 weeks) has been drooling for weeks and the last 2 days she hasn't been sleeping well at night and has been really fussy during the day. She has taken to "yelling at" us! It's so strange. All we could think is she doesn't feel well or she's teething. She's not tugging her ears but she's still kinda learning about her hands and fingers!

I can't seem to get her to chew on anything except her hands or my fingers... Just want to help her. She's usually such a happy little thing (unless she's tired) and we're so concerned! Could it be teething? And if it is what can I do? I worry about Hylands because of dairy. We're thinking about an amber necklace (for future if this is not teething)... THANKS!

[Blessed1]

My LO started with the crazy, excessive drooling at 3months! She was fussy and really didn't pull her ears much (the ear pulling started when she hit 4months).  At 3months she also only gnawed on her fingers or ours (very hard).  I would sometimes rub her gums with my fingers (not sure if it helped though).  I've yet to give her anything for teething so I am not much help there.  I would order the teething necklace now.  :)

[Knitting Mama]

I think it's really common for the excessive drooling to start around 3 or so months; I know it certainly did for Cecilia. I figured she was teething, too, but she didn't cut her first tooth until about 6.5 months-- and now at 7 months she has 4; they came in really really quickly! We have an amber necklace for her too, and either she is an easy teether or it really works.

If I recall correctly, Cecilia didn't like to chew on anything but me at first as well. However, when I bought her a Sophie giraffe, she loved it and started chewing on that! And as she got more dexterous at holding and lifting things, she chewed on more toys.

[Hannah32]

I kept trying to introduce a silicon teething ring that I keep in the freezer for my son. He's bite it a bit, but didn't seem interested really. Last night, he started chomping on a wooden spoon pretty hard and for a significant length of time. He was definitely fussy, so I'm assuming teeth. It worked for him though. He settled and didn't seem to be in pain. Had a pretty good night actually.

[TreeRose]

Hannah, a pretty good night is a good thing! Definitely!

Aimee, thanks for the tip. My husband has meaning to get an amber necklace. We just really enjoy her "awake times" and it's hard to see her fussing through those. And the drool and need to chew is pretty intense. I know it's early but hopefully we all get through this! Kind of sad that the "baby period" is full of so many challenges involving so much crying!

Thanks Blessed1! We are going to order one! And I appreciate hearing your experience as well so you definitely helped! :)

[TreeRose]

P.S. How does one go about using an amber necklace? They're safe? 24/7? Thanks!

[Knitting Mama]

Yep, Cecilia wears her amber necklace 24/7 (except in the shower). She also sleeps with me, in my arms, so I don't have any concerns about her wearing it overnight. If you do, by all means take it off at night. But there are a couple of good safety features of amber necklaces like the ones you get from Inspired by Finn. One, all of the beads are knotted, so if the strand was to break, they wouldn't go everywhere. And two, the claps is a breakaway clasp, so if the necklace got caught on something and a little bit of pressure was exerted against it, the necklace would just come apart. So it'd be really hard, if not impossible, to strangle on it.

[suddenlyamama]

can you suggest a place for me to get an amber necklace?

thanks mamas

[NicolleLynne]

Hi Mama,

I got my little one's necklace from Amber Artisans - it's great quality and seems to be helping quite a bit. Inspired by Finn also seems to be a popular choice.

http://www.amberartisans.com/amtene.html

http://hyenacart.com/inspiredbyfinn/

Good luck! Hope a necklace helps!

[Knitting Mama]

Ours is from Inspired by Finn. That is the kind I was talking about in my post above.

[TreeRose]

DH just bought one off ebay from seller Happy Daddy UK, the store being Amber Teething Necklaces Workshop. They had 100% positive feedback. We shall see! Thanks for the tips!

[mamaladd]

My guy started drooling like crazy at 3 months as well.  He was so fussy and pulling at his ears so much that we took him to the drs, convinced he had an ear infection.  He was perfectly fine.

We got an amber necklace...also from inspired by finn.  He wears it 24/7, but, like Aimee said, he sleeps with us and is always with someone so i don't worry at all.

If i remember correctly while the drooling and ear pulling started around 3 months, it didn't last long.  Maybe that's because of the amber necklace...but it seems to come in short bursts...if that's any consolation.  He's just over 6 months now and still no teeth, but we still get days here and there where the drooling really picks up. 

[suddenlyamama]

so do they chew on the amber necklace? how do the three month olds figure that out?

thanks for the links!

[momto4plus4]

No, not at all. They just wear them. The baltic amber releases Succinic Acid with is supposed to be a natural pain reliever. It is NOT for them to chew on. I really think it works. I've seen a difference in my son on the days he is wearing it all day vs the days I forget to put it on him. I take it off at night simply because I'm pretty paranoid.
 

Originally Posted by suddenlyamama 

so do they chew on the amber necklace? how do the three month olds figure that out?

thanks for the links!

[matthia]

my 4month old is in the same place right now. After reading this thread I'll have to get him a teething necklace!

The other day when DS was particularly fussy and I wanted to test and see if it was teething, I took a frozen slice of bell pepper out of the freezer and rubbed it on his gums. He loved it.

[sept04mama]

We always just used a wooden spoon with the handle cut shorter (and sanded well)  It was skinny enough for a little baby to hold onto and they love teething on wood!