Baby Orajel Naturals?

[jezebelle]

Has anyone tried this?  It is new, according to the box.  Active ingredient is eugenol (from clove), and it is "benzocaine free, alcohol free, dye free."  The only additional ingredients are flavor, glycerin, polyethylene glycol, sorbic acid (a preservative), sorbitol (a sugar alcohol used for sweetening), sucralose (Splenda), and water.  Seems safe, right?

[dejagerw]

I wouldn't want to give my baby artificial sweeteners like sorbitol and Sucralose , The word "natural" isn't regulated well. Just because a product has it in its label, it doesn't mean it's necessarily natural.

[LittleBirdy]

Depends on what is important to you.  For me personally, I'm with PP and would not give DS anything with artificial sweetners.  That's the dealbreaker for me.  And just a heads up if you decide to proceed - sorbitol can cause gas!

We focus on giving DS toys to teeth on and when it gets really bad I give him baby Motrin (usually only at night).

[jezebelle]

Artificial sweeteners seem like the lesser evil compared to benzocaine, shown to cause methemoglobinemia, or belladonna, shown to cause seizures.  I am wary of amber beads, a they seem like a blatant choking hazard, and normal chew toys aren't cutting it.

Motrin, a brand name, also has artificial sweeteners, while with infant Tylenol you can choose between sorbitol and high fructose corn syrup.  Perhaps you mispoke when you said you don't approve of artificial sweeteners, but give your baby Motrin--maybe there is an off-brand out there that is all-natural, I don't know.

Anyway, I was asking if it was safe, not if it was natural, and if anyone had used it.  Thanks anyway, but perhaps I should rephrase the question:

Is clove oil safe for infants?

[Amanda_Reyasmom]

I wouldn't hesitate to use clove oil.  Kerry's Herbals has some gummy oil.  We've had pretty good luck so far with our Amber necklace.  Each bead is individually knotted so if it breaks, you only lose 1 bead. 

[yukookoo]

not sure about the gel but for some reason apple cider vinegar on the gums helps ds for a while

[Lemoncello]

I was worried about using benzocaine on my DS, so we are trying the Baby Orajel Naturals. I tasted it (cause I want to know what anything I put in my LO's mouth is like!) and it has a very strong spicy scent and flavor, as I suppose you would expect with the clove oil. It reminded me of a gumdrop or black jellybeans. It did have a slight numbing effect in the spot where I put it on my tongue, but it didn't last long. I have maybe put it on Josiah's gums 4-5 times, and every time he makes a funny face and tries to spit it out. :p But it also calmed him down a bit...whether that is because his gums felt better or because I distracted him with the crazy flavor, I don't know! 

[teraze]

I bought this product just this week.  I've used it on my son for those times when he's just so frustrated and really needs to nurse (and there's no time for motrin to work).  It works well and he hasn't had any side effects that I can see.  I've only had to use it twice in the last 5 or so days.  (Can't wait for his tooth to finally cut!  Poor babe...)  Like a previous poster said, it tastes more like anise or black licorice, then it does clove.  It gets the job done when the edge needs to be taken off *immediately.*  Good luck!

[jezebelle]

Thanks so much!  We have used it a couple of times now.  He definitely hates the taste, but it works like a charm.