Teething can be a painful and uncomfortable time for your baby. Sometimes, this pain can cause disruptions to your baby’s sleeping patterns which may result in periods of wakefulness during the night. The good news is that symptoms of teething usually only last for a few days before and after the tooth erupts.

But how do you ensure your baby still gets enough sleep when an emerging tooth is causing discomfort and how can you provide comfort during the night when you just want to go back to sleep?

Here are some helpful hints:

1. Create a soothing environment

Your baby is more likely to stay calm when surrounded by a soothing environment. This means low light, soft music, and a relaxed mum and dad. Try to keep the home quiet and peaceful until the teething stage is over.

2. Foods that may help

Hard foods like Bellamy’s Organic Milk Rusks can provide temporary relief by placing some counter pressure on the gums. Chilled food can also help too, try storing some fruit puree in the fridge to quickly grab during the night (yoghurt also works too). The cold can help to relieve some of the irritation they may be experiencing.

3. Recognise the cry

There’s a difference between a cry for attention and a cry of pain and recognising these will help you determine how you soothe. While it’s important to comfort your baby during the teething stage you don’t want to undo all your hard work of establishing good nightly routines, so be careful not to offer too much attention. Only pick up your baby if they’re in real anguish and try settling back to sleep with gentle patting or rocking.

4. Soothe painful gums

Chilling a washcloth or teething ring in the refrigerator and giving to your baby to chew on, can help to soothe sore gums. If you don’t have any of these on hand, simply rubbing a clean finger over baby’s gums will help just as well.

5. Offer an extra feed during times of distress

If you baby is clearly in distress and you breastfeed, breast milk could be your secret weapon. The skin-to-skin contact helps to comfort baby which can help to distract them from the pain. If you’re worried that your baby may decide to use your nipple as a teething toy, you can rub their gums before and after each feed to help prevent this.
Remember, teething symptoms only last for a few days before and after the tooth erupts. So, if your baby is experiencing sleep problems and there is no sign of a tooth or they are experiencing sleeping difficulties after the tooth has erupted, it’s important to speak to your healthcare professional.

References

• Markman L. Teething: Facts and fiction. Pediatr Rev. 2009 Aug;30(8):59-63.
• Machnin ML, Piedmonte M, Jacobs J, Skibinski C. Symptoms associated with infant teething: A prospective study. Pediatr. 2000 Apr 4;105(4):747-752.
• Meer Z, Meer A. Teething trouble and its management in children. Int J Clin Dent. 2011 Apr;3(2):75-77.
• Memarpour M, Soltanimehr E, Eskandarian T. Signs and symptoms associated with primary tooth eruption: a clinical trial of nonpharmacological remedies. BMC Oral Health. 2015 Jul 28;15:1-7.
• Terrible teething soothing your teething tot [Internet]. New South Wales: Australian Dental Association; c2016 [cited 2020 Sep 7]. Available from: https://www.ada.org.au/getattachment/Your-Dental-Health/Resources-for-Professionals/Resources-for-Children-0-11/Terrible-teething-soothing-your-teething-tot/Terrible-teething,-soothing-your-teething-tot.pdf.aspx
• Breastfeeding information – biting [Internet]. South Melbourne: Australian Breastfeeding Association [revised 2017 Mar; cited 2020 Sep 7]. Available from: https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bf-info/common-concerns%E2%80%93baby/biting