My wife and I had our fair share of experiences with teething when our daughter was an infant, but it did not prepare us for the grueling experience of dealing with it as a toddler. These past two weeks, our daughter's remaining teeth have all decided to come through at the same time. We were anything but prepared. This post today will hopefully provide you with some guidance on how to keep your sanity when dealing with your own teething toddler. Here are 5 tips on how to soothe a teething toddler:
5 Tips for Soothing Teething Toddlers
1. Distraction
I am starting with distraction because, without this key step, the rest of the tips will fail. If your child is screaming because of the pain and you don't calm them down they will not let you do any of the following ideas. I mentioned some of my tips in an earlier post, but in case you missed them here are some of my distraction methods:
Peek-a-Boo: Put a blanket over your head and play peek-a-boo. This helped me calm my daughter down long enough for her escalated crying to begin to subside. Even covering your face with your hair, if it is long enough, could work.
Singing their favorite song: My daughter loves "5 Little Monkeys" so while she was still crying I started singing and doing the hand gestures for the song. I stopped during different parts of the song to let her fill in the words. After a few repeats, she had fully calmed down and was singing with me. I highly recommend pausing to let them fill in the words (if they are able) it encourages their engagement and participation in the song and distracts them from their pain.
Watching Videos of Themselves I don't know how common this distraction method is, but this has always worked for us. Find any video of your toddler on your phone and show them. You might have to show them a couple videos, but I have found that this distracts my daughter and pulls her right out of her crying spells.
Like I said, I don't know if these methods will work for your child, but you know your child best. But if you haven't tried them yet, what do you have to lose?
2. Teething Toys
Once you have calmed your child enough that they aren't swatting at you or saying no to everything, try to offer safe teething toys or chilled teething rings to help soothe your child's sore gums. Even if your child has not experienced teething pain in a couple of months, make sure you have something ready to go in your freezer when the day ultimately comes again. We did not have teethers ready when our poor girl was asking for them and we lived to regret it. We have found that the teethers with long thin parts provide more relief for the back of the mouth when those molars are coming in and even if they aren't chilled teething rings we still put most teethers in the freezer.
3. Over-the-Counter Pain Relief
It wasn't until my daughter calmed down that we were able to give her Tylenol or Motrin to help ease her sore mouth. In some instances, if she refuses to take it from a syringe, we will hide it in her drinks, or foods, or we will try putting it on a "fun spoon" to encourage her to take it. We will use spoons that are different shapes or colors that will intrigue her enough to take the medicine. Make sure you consult with your pediatrician about using acetaminophen and ibuprofen for pain relief to ensure proper dosage and use.
4. Comfort Foods
Cold foods like yogurt, purees, or chilled fruits can be soothing for your teething toddler. We like to put yogurt in the freezer for our daughter to suck on. Avoid giving crunchy or hard foods that could make the pain worse.
5. Cold Compresses
Cold compresses are an excellent way to soothe your toddler's sore gums. This can be in the form of a frozen or cold wash cloth or a teething toy. This can help reduce inflammation and numb the area, providing comfort and relief.
Conclusion
There is no one size fits all solution for handling a teething toddler. It is going to be a difficult time and it requires a lot of patience and understanding. Try to remember your toddler is not trying to give you a hard time, they are just uncomfortable and in pain. Do you remember how painful it was when your wisdom teeth were coming in? Just imagine that, but you don't know how to help yourself and have limited ability to communicate. I hope some of these tips are helpful and if you have more to add feel free to comment! We are always looking for more advice.
Thanks for reading!
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