Seeking Advice/ideas for Teething 8Mth Old Waking 2-3X's per Night

Join the club!! This too will pass trust me. My 2nd daughter is 8 mo too and having simialr issues. But being my 2nd daughter, I can tell ya it will pass. Be patient

Diana,
PLEASE DON'T LET YOUR BABY CRY IT OUT--HE IS SUFFERING ALREADY.
Have you tried co-sleeping? Works like a charm. Also, if medicine does not help like it should, he might be suffering from an allergy of some kind. Also, did he have any vaccinations recently? He could be reacting to those. If you are breastfeeding, this could be an allergy to something you have eaten, as well. Dr. William Sears has written many good books about babies.
Good luck
Amy s.

Hi,
I have a three and a half year old who is just cutting his two year old molars. They are so big that his gums bleed due to the pressure. I took him for his first visit with a pediatric dentist and he had explained that nothing was getting rid of his pain. His pediatritian had gone so far as to prescribe codeine, and that did nothing. Well, the dentist told me that dipping a cotton ball in alcohol (ie: whiskey, vodka, rum - stuff like that) and having him bite on it for a minute or so would help. He told me the alcohol acts as an anti-inflammatory when applied directly to the gums and the small amount swallowed would help the pain signals through the central nervous system to reduce pain longer. It is a very small amount and it seems to be the only thing that helps. The dentist is definatley not a drinker or promoting any sort of alcohol use, but when used in this way is a proven antecdote. He told me he recommends it for babies as well. What I do is mix a tiny bit of flavored rum with some white grape juice, or whatever I have in the house, and dip a small portion of the cotton ball in it and have my son bite it for thirty seconds to a minute. It helps with the alcohol taste because he definatley won't do it with straight alochol. Also, he said to raise the head of the bed by putting a phone book under the mattress to alleviate the pressure throughout the night. If my son needs relief during the day, I usually give him advil and some orajel (but that only lasts for a second, so it's kind of pointless). I have also heard that biting on a wet washcloth, eating popsicles or bagels help - though, those options won't do much for nighttime sleeping :) Good Luck!

Try Hyland's Teething Tablets. My son got 2-4 teeth in at a time and the teething tablets worked wonders! I usually give 6 at a time. They dissolve almost immediately. Find them either in the natural food section or the baby aisle in the grocery store. Good Luck!!

C.

A.:

sorry that you are having such a tough time... often children wake for so many different reasons.... i suggest to make nights easier that you could bring him to bed with you.. it may be that he is waking and finding himself alone starting to cry... when husbands are gone at night it can be very difficult for the whole family.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
800 LACTATE

boy does this sound familiar. At about 7 months my son Drew was going thru the same thing. My doc recommended some teething tabs (there are two brands both at Walgreens, etc Hylands and the other I can't remember the name but in a pink and blue box) they take three tabs after dinner and three more before bed and they worked like a charm for Drew, back to sleeping thru the night. They are herbal so he can still take Motrin or Tylenol if it is really bad. Hope this helps. Hang in there, the teeth come in eventually. Drew is almost 14 months old now, and he is teething again. :)

HELLO, I FEEL YOUR PAIN!
YOU'LL PROBABLY GET TONS OF ADVICE, FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE IN THE SAME SITUATION. I WAS A FIRST TIME MOM AT 35 AND NOT IN THE GREATEST SHAPE WHEN MY SON CAME ALONG. MY RECOVERY WAS LONG & PAINFUL! IN REGARDS TO SLEEP ISSUES, I ALWAYS ADVISE PEOPLE TO TRY THE "BABY WHISPERER" METHOD OF PICK UP/PUT DOWN. IT'S NOT A QUICK FIX, BUT IS A PROCESS THAT EASES THE CHILD BACK INTO A NIGHTIME ROUTINE TO SLEEP ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE NIGHT. OUR SON USED TO WAKE UP A LOT, ESPECIALLY WHEN TEETHING. I STARTED READING THESE BOOKS WHEN HE WAS AROUND 5 MONTHS OF AGE. I WISH I HAD READ THEM SOONER BECAUSE YOU CAN START YOUR CHILD ON THE "E.A.S.Y." DAILY ROUTINE AS EARLY AS 6-8 WEEKS. THIS IS THE LINK FOR THE WEBSITE: http://www.babywhisperer.com. PLEASE READ THROUGH THE BOARDS AND CHAT ROOMS ON SLEEP TOPICS. YOU CAN ALSO GET THE TRACY HOGG BOOKS AT A LOCAL LIBRARY OR BOOK STORE. I HAVE 3 OF HER BOOKS AND THEY ARE VERY REASSURING WHEN WE STUMBLE INTO "ACCIDENTAL PARENTING" WHERE OUR KIDS PICK UP SLEEPING, EATING, BEHAVIORAL HABITS USUALLY DUE TO SOME REINFORCEMENT BY US AS PARENTS. SHE GIVES VERY SOOTHING, LONG-TERM TECHNIQUES TO GET BACK ON TRACK. AGAIN, IT'S NOT A QUICK FIX, BUT IS THE MOST CARING AND LOVING WAY THAT I FOUND THAT ENCOURAGES INDEPENDENCE AS WELL AS SELF-CONFIDENCE IN YOUR CHILD. I COULDN'T HANDLE OUR SON CRYING FOR HOURS ON END EITHER. GOOD LUCK!
FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR JUST NEED A SYMPATHETIC EAR. I AM A BIG FAN OF TRACY HOGG AND IT REALLY WORKS SO YOU CAN GET SOME SLEEP TOO!

AS A SIDE NOTE, I USE HYLAND BRAND TEETHING TABLETS TOO. THEY ARE ALL NATURAL AND DO NOT INTERFERE WITH PAIN MEDICATION. THEY WORK WELL IF YOU KEEP TO THE SCHEDULE THEY SUGGEST ON THE DIRECTIONS. WE'VE BEEN USING THEM FOR A YEAR AND ESPECIALLY HELPS WITH THE TEETHING CRANKS DURING THE DAY TOO!
JUDY
____@____.com

oralgel really is the only other thing if Tylenol isn't working. The only other thing and I use to hate when people told me this,"it's just a phase and it will end on it's own". Trust me my daughter is now 1 and she is finally sleeping through the night (knock on wood). she had reflux and teething but it all seemed to end fairly quick (1yr). So I know what you mean about NO sleep. Just hang in there, there is light at the end of the tunnel and it does get better.

A nurse suggested Baby Ambesol or Baby Orajel for my son, and it worked wonders. Good luck, and I hope this passes quickly for you both!

Maybe try Benadryl a little at night? Can be given with Tylenol and Oragel, will give him much-needed sleep through the pain, and sleep for yourself as well.

Do you have a bumper on the crib railings? I did, but my son just shoved it out of his way during most of his exploring.

My son cut his first tooth at just under 4 months and they came in very quickly after that. You mentioned "pain reliever" but not which one. I used to reach for Tylenol out of habit... but then tried Advil and Motrin. I have no idea why, but Motrin seems to work better. The over the counter pain meds can usually be given every 4-6 hours. I used to give the Motrin to my son about an hour or two before he went to bed. Since I went to bed much later, I could give him another dose 4-5 hrs later before I went to bed -- in his sleep. Not every baby can take medication in their sleep. With my son, I'd squirt a little bit of the right dosage in his mouth at a time and give him a chance to swallow, then squirt more until the had taken the whole dose.

Some parents are against it, but I left small toys in my sons crib when he started exploring. I also had one of those busy boxes -- they strap to the side of the crib and have all sorts of things including a mirror on them. Since I usually went to bed later than my son, I'd also drop a frozen teething ring in the crib before I went to bed. He had a fisher price bear that made soothing sounds... I think it sounded like crickets. Whenever it was touched (or if the mattress was bounced enough), the bear would start making the sounds, for about two minutes. Something like that might not work now for helping your son get back to sleep (my son had his since birth), but you would put something like that in the corner of the crib so when he finds it... it will surprise him. It lights up, too. the fabric isn't fuzzy, the bera is lightweight, and the stuffing firm. I think Fisher price also made the toy in a rabbit and one other animal too (it's been a few years!)

Though you mentioned your son is teething, you might want to make sure that is what is causing him to wake up. Does he eat right before bed? He could be waking from hunger (Maybe a growing spurt!). He may also be waking from gas. Of course, he could just be waking up because he has discovered he can move around in his crib and stand up.... he will probably be fascinated with his new abilities for awhile :)

Totally off subject... next time you ask a question, could you please not type in all caps. On the internet, it is the equivelent to yelling, and is difficult to read when it's more than a line or two. I know I would appreciate it, and I'm sure some of the other moms would, too. ( Especially the other moms of young babies who are already bleary-eyed from lack of sleep :) )

When my kids were of teething age, the ped recommended Night Time Baby Oragel. It worked longer than the others. HOW TRUE! Also, you said he is walking around his crib at night, this is a new found discovery that he can do. He wants to stay up all night and revel in his accomplishment mom.lol I think that when he gets through this stage, you will be fine! Cheer up, you will eventually sleep through the night again and so will the baby!

This can be a frustrating time as a parent watching your child in such pain. Supposedly the pain can be so troublesome for some kids that they deflect the pain away by hitting their heads or body parts on their cribs. Our daughter would wake up and rock back and forth in her crib banging her head very hard in her crib each time. The two things we found helped to lessen the pain for her were the teething rings that you put in the fridge and also orajel. there are also natural teething tablets but those didn't seem to do much. Hope that helps and remember this is just a phase and enjoy the time because now your child may start trying more solid foods which is fun.

Hi A., My 2yr old daughter is teething right now and before she goes to bed I give her tylenol, and during the noght when she wakes up i give her orjal...it workd for me also I was told warm milk or a cold wash cloth will work...good luck..

D.
Lowell,IN