Teething Troubles?

Thankfully we are almost finished with teething. Mark is currently working on the last of his two year molars and hopefully they will pop through soon. We've been pretty lucky though as he hasn't really had too many issues with teething pain.

We've managed to keep it pretty much under control thanks to three main methods: Hylands Teething Tablets, a Baltic Amber Necklace and Teething Bling. In fact, Mark was almost eighteen months old before we broke open the Baby Motrin, and he's never had Tylenol in any form. The teething tablets and necklace seem to work pretty well for him. At one point during Hurricane Ike he had four teeth come in at once. You wouldn't have known it as he wasn't out of sorts in any way.




Hylands Teething Tablets are great. We liken them to magic because all we have to do is give Mark a few and his temperament changes. It takes away the pain he is feeling, and is especially useful at night. I always carry a bottle in my purse for quick and easy access. As Mark got older he's started to ask for them when he needed them. They are non-addictive, homeopathic, and contain no chemicals. They dissolve quickly and easily in the mouth without a bitter or bad taste.

Hylands Teething Tablets are fairly inexpensive and can be found at CVS, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, Babies R Us, Kroger and many other grocery and drug stores. And even better, they are a FSA eligible item.




I have to admit, I was a bit skeptic when I first heard about Baltic amber teething necklaces. But you know what? They have worked wonders for Mark. He is on his third right now and wears it just about every day. Currently he has one similar to the one pictured above. And he's so used to it that he will tell us if he isn't wearing it and ask for it.

Baltic Amber is supposed to be a natural pain reliever and anti-inflammatory, with the warmth of the skin releasing trace healing oils. It's supposed to help with teething and other discomforts- in fact it's also supposed to be good for headaches and arthritis. I don't know. I do know that on the days Mark didn't wear it you could tell.

We did catch some flak, especially from my brother, and for a while there Mark had the nickname of "hippie", but I have to say- it was worth it because teething was pretty much painless around here. Even my husband, who also doesn't believe in Baltic amber admits that it seemed to make a difference.

I used to sell them in my online boutique (now closed) and got them from Inspired By Finn. A friend of mine is opening her shop, Frog Loves Monkey and will be selling them now. I don't think she has them listed, but you can contact her and she can hook you up. It is well worth it.





As any parent of a teething infant or toddler can tell you, the little one LOVES to stick stuff in their mouth. The folks over at Smart Mom Jewelry came up with Teething Bling for those little hands who were tugging on Mom's jewelry and sticking it in their mouths.

Teething Bling products are made from a food-safe, phthalate-free, federally-approved silicone. That is the same stuff that many teething toys are made of. These products are non-toxic, phthalate, BPA, PVC and lead free and all pendants come with a breakaway clasp. They are also cute and stylish (as costume jewelry goes).

We used the necklace, bracelet and key chain. The necklace was great- in fact I had several of them. It saved us a couple times when we were in church or out to dinner and Mark was fussy. He simply chewed on it and was fine. We had several different colors. We were not as fond of the bracelets. The are ok, and compliment the necklace. But you have to take it off for your child to chew on it, and it can be a hassle trying to slip it over your wrist while juggling a toddler. We typically just handed him the bracelet to chew and included it in with his teething toys as opposed to actual jewelry. The key chain was great. Most babies love to play with keys, and to have a key chain they can chew on safely was great. Eventually I just put an unused key and some realistic looking toddler keys on the key chain and it became "Mark's keys". He loved that he carried around his keys, and it was great that he could stick the key chain in his mouth as a teether. Overall we were satisfied. I shut down the online boutique that was carrying them, but you can purchase them at Smart Mom Jewelry or any of their online partners or retail partner locations.