I didn't even know her tooth was breaking through until I was feeding her a frozen sweet potato cube and I put my finger in her mouth to have her eat some of the melted stuff off my finger! I was so excited to feel that sharp little tooth, all of these milestones are really happening!
From what I had gathered from friends and their little ones teething experiences I figured L might run a fever. She hadn't felt warm since Wednesday, and she had received some shots at her doctor's appointment Tuesday, so I figured her raised temp was from that. I have mommy-friends who have seen everything from bad diaper rash to perpetual ear infections when their baby is cutting a tooth, so I had no idea what to expect! Laurel didn't seem too fussy through the morning, but once the afternoon hit she was tired and you could tell she was feeling some pain. I made sure she had every teething toy we own at her disposal, but it seemed like all she really wanted was her pacifier.
I froze some washcloths because someone had written that they did that for their little one, and then I headed to FB to solicit some advice. My friends gave me a whole bunch of ideas, and I was open to trying them all, since different things work for different kids.
On Monday you could clearly see the tooth emerging from her gums. I give an hour music lesson on Mondays and my in-laws watch L, they said she slept a bit, cried a bit, and wasn't interested in a frozen washcloth or a bottle. They reported that her pacifier was still her go-to comfort item. And I began my quest to find out what would help to soothe my sweetie, here are the things I tried:
- frozen wash cloth - L didn't seem into these until they thawed a little, making them pliable and probably more comfortable to hold. In the future I might try a smaller size, and try scrunching them up instead of freezing them flat.
- Ice cube in a wet wash cloth - I don't think Laurel knew what to do with this, she wouldn't suck on it, or even hold it very long.
- frozen breast milk ice cubes - she LOVED these! It melts almost instantly though, so I gave them to her in one of those mesh feeding things, and that worked well.
I didn't get to any pain relievers (children's tylenol, or orajel) because she seemed to do well with her pacifier, the frozen wash cloths, and the B-milk ice cubes. We also have several teething toys made for the fridge and freezer which I gave her when she seemed to get bored with her paci.
All in all, the teething wasn't as bad as I thought it might be! And now her second tooth is coming through, right next to the other one! (And man, are they sharp!)
