Teething

Recently, Micah pushed out 6 more teeth. Including some molars. Ouch. He ran a fever and was miserable for a more than 48 hours. It made for long days and longer nights.

Teething signs and symptoms:

– Teeth coming through (duh)

– Fevers (baby feels hot, even if you don’t physically check the temperature)

– Fussiness. Lots of sudden fussiness

– Sleepy and cuddly

-Diarrhea (Micah ALWAYS gets diaper rash when he’s teething)

Teething Cures

Nothing really cures teething. Baby has to get those teeth out. There are lots of remedies, but every baby is different so don’t have a mental break down if the first one doesn’t work. I’ve heard of lots:

– Teething necklaces (never tried one)

– Teething toys (cold ones are best, feels good on hot, sore gums)

– Teething tablets or medicine (again, haven’t tried it)

– Teething gel (like numbing medicine, probably works but don’t get bit putting it on!)

– Pain medicine

– Fight fevers (strip off the onsie and go back to skin to skin again!)

– Cuddle and nap

– Pacifiers or other comfort items

Pain Medicine Dosing for Babies and Toddlers

For my little man, I tend to use Ibuprofen (Motrin). It works better on fevers than Tylenol, but Tylenol works well too. For itty bitty babies, Tylenol is safer, but after 11 lbs, ibuprofen is fine.

Tylenol and Ibuprofen Dosage: Safe limits

Ibuprofen: 10mg/kg

Tylenol: 15mg/kg

You probably don’t have any idea how many kilograms (kg) your baby weighs though. Americans don’t weigh that way, and parents with crying fussy babies don’t want to do math. So, look at the chart on the box, or look at a chart like this one. (Really, it’s a great dosing chart from Children’s Hospital)

Do the math

1 kg is 2.2 lbs. So, a 22 lb kid is 10kg. A 10kg baby can have 100mg Ibuprofen (10×10) or 150mg tylenol (10×15)

Don’t stop there, then you have to look at the bottle and see what concentration of medicine is in it so you can give the right amount!

If you are going to estimate, estimate low. Don’t overdose your kiddo. You don’t always need the whole dose to have the desired effect.

I tell all my parents at work: alternate the two. If you are having a hard time getting baby comfy or getting the fever down, give a dose of Ibuprofen, then 3 hours later give Tylenol, 3 hours later back to Ibuprofen and so on.

Still can’t get the fever down?

Do the tylenol, ibuprofen a few days and it’s not working….call your regular doctor. Don’t freak out and run to the ER after two hours of fever, unless it super high or baby has a febrile seizure. Just relax and cuddle. And don’t worry about “masking the fever” by giving medicine before going to the doctor. Just tell the doctor what you gave and when. We (health care people) are trained to believe the parents (mom and dad know baby best) and knowing you gave medicine before coming makes us realize your are a good parent who is trying. If it brought the fever down, you shouldn’t be at the doctor anyway, unless you really think something else is going on, then you need to express that.

Teething can be tough, really tough, but it’s only a few days and then things get better. You can do it!