They say every child teethes at a different pace ... Luckily Ivan got his teeth relatively fast and was not as miserable as I have heard some can be. Throughout the process we experienced all the typical symptoms: mouthing & biting EVERYTHING, irritability, red cheeks, diarrhea, sleeplessness, fever, drooling & chin rash. The age old tricks for relief include: freezing a damp wash cloth or other items that can be frozen and safe for a baby to hold and bite and other medications. Not wanting to constantly drug my child, I discovered Hyland's Teething Tablets made of homeopathic medicines: Calcarea Phosphorica (for teething, dentition); Coffea Cruda (for sleeplessness); Chamomilla (for teething pain) and Belladonna (redness & teething). They also make gel you can apply directly on the gums with the same ingredients. The other homeopathic product that worked well was Borion's Camilia which comes in single dose liquid capsules you can just squeeze in your little one's mouth. Camilia worked especially well for us when Ivan had a bit of diarrhea due to it's ingredients: Chamomilla (for teething pain); Phytolacca decandra (for painful gum relief); Rheum officinale (diarrhea).
Homeopathic medicines are made from highly diluted natural substances (plants, animals & minerals) and have been used for over 200 years ... I have been told when presented the proper remedy or combination of remedies for a symptom a person is feeling, they don't even necessarily need to ingest it to feel relief, but by just holding the container, the energy can heal. Ivan seemed to know what the Hyland's Teething Tablet container was and while in pain, was always eager to open his mouth for a few tablets. (I gave him 3 tablets at once. If I didn't notice a difference in his behavior or symptom he was experiencing in 15-20 minutes, I gave him 3 more. He was usually noticeably experiencing relief after the first dose of 3 tablets). Both Hyland's and Borion's products were easy for me to find at the regular neighborhood stores (Kroger, Giant Eagle, Wholefoods, CVS, Drug Mart & Walgreens).
Getting his one-year old molars ... found him sleeping with a lion over his head. Fitting for his irritability ... RooaAAR!
Even though we were able to get through Ivan's first 16 teeth avoiding the medicated route, there were a few times Motrin was necessary ... Holy Molars!
