3 Simple & Natural Teething Remedies

Popping teeth must be hard work. Those sharp little pegs, slowly pushing through the gums, leaving in its wake; a runny nose, sleepless nights, yucky nappies and often an unhappy baby. But growing teeth is an important part of growing up. We’d look funny without them and eating apples would be pretty difficult.

There are risks and cautions associated with medicated teething gels. But luckily there are plenty of alternative options to help alleviate the discomfort of growing those toothy pegs. So here are 3 natural and easy remedies for soothing gums and new teeth, tried and tested by Harvey.

Frozen Breastmilk

When Harvey was just 5 months old, I went back to work. It was only for 3 hours in an afternoon but because he never took to a bottle, we needed something that would tide him over until I got home. As the weather was also warming up, I started freezing ice cubes of expressed breastmilk. We popped these into a mesh feeder (such as this one from Big W) and he would snack on these until I got home. When he popped his first tooth at nearly 6 months, these frozen breastmilk cubes gave him relief on his swollen gums.

Even without expressing and freezing ice cubes, breast-feeding on it’s own provides pain relief. This has been proven in numerous research studies and it actually works on many levels; even just the smell of a mother’s milk can be enough to provide analgesia. The natural sugars in breastmilk contain some pain relieving properties, but the skin to skin contact and cuddles on their own also help. In studies, breastfeeding has been shown to reduce babies’ heart rate, cortisol (stress hormone) and blood pressure.

Amber Necklaces and Bracelets

Baltic Amber is not a stone or a crystal but actually fossilised tree resin or tree sap, which is over 50 million years old. Baltic Amber has been used for centuries to assist with many ailments, including teething. The beads, when worn against your skin, warm up and supposedly release succinic acid, which has an analgesic effect. I must admit, there are no known peer-reviewed scientific studies on this process. However, I have heard and seen a lot of anecdotal confirmation from parents who say they notice the difference when their child is wearing the beads, compared with when they are not. I have even heard stories of beads that “stop working” so it must have “been a coincidence”, only to find in subsequent days, that the beads actually fell off around the same time as the symptoms returned. It’s the old story that you don’t realise its working, until you stop.

There are definitely safety concerns with wearing the beads. Harvey has worn his since he was about four months old. It’s now just a part of him. He only occasionally touches the necklace and has very rarely put it in his mouth. The recommendation is take it off when you’re not supervising them and when they sleep. We have always co-slept, so we actually haven’t taken it off at all, since putting it on last year. For those who are concerned with babies wearing necklaces, there are bracelet and anklet options as well.

You can purchase Baltic Amber necklaces and all sorts of other cool teething products, including the mesh feeders mentioned above, from Hello Charlie. We will also be restocking Baltic Amber necklaces in the Santosha clinic, so let us know if you would like one put aside for you.

Natural Teething Powders

Thankfully we’ve never had to use teething powders or gels. But if it did come to that, these are the ones I would use first. Check out the reviews on the website.

Do you have any natural teething remedies you’d like to share? Join the conversation below with your suggestions.