3 Natural Teething Remedies That *actually* Work!
I definitely believe that all babies handle teething differently! Some are clearly upset and in pain while others don’t seem to notice at all that they’re getting a new tooth. There’s no rhyme or reason to explain this other than - all babies are different.
Anyways, Ruth is on the very affected by teething side. Especially overnight but during the day she’ll show signs of teething pain too - extra fussy/crying/clingy/wants to nurse nonstop and is put off by solids.
Since she turned about a year or so she’s not interested in teething toys or chewing on things to relieve the pain so I’ve been on the hunt for natural, non toxic alternatives for teething pain. With bigger teeth coming in she’s definitely been even more affected by teething these days so don’t get me wrong- we’ve turned to weight appropriate doses of ibuprofen and acetaminophen a few times, but I try not to make a habit of this. Why? They’re very hard on your gut and liver. So - we opt for natural remedies as much as possible! And the good news is after many months of trial and error, I think we’ve finally found a combo of things that works’s really well together!
Hyland Baby Oral Pain Relief — these homeopathic pills have Arnica which is known to heal irritability, sore & swelling gums, restlessness, and occasional sleeplessness! They’re quick dissolve tablets that take all of 1-2 seconds to start dissolving so there’s no choking risk or pill swallowing involved.
Boiron’s Camilia Teething Relief — we love these, especially overnight as it’s a little easier to just squirt this in her mouth in the middle of the night than it is to make sure a tablet is dissolved. They’re homeopathic, pre-dosed, and made with German chamomile — which relieves teething pain accompanied by irritability, pokeweed — relieves red swollen gums with pain radiating to the ears, and Chinese rhubarb — which relieves minor digestive disorders associated with baby teething.
Copaiba Essential Oil— Copaiba essential oil is found in many topical and oral pain relief medications for good reason! It almost instantly soothes gums and provides a gently numbing sensation! Before having Ruth I myself was often using copaiba for head and neck tension relief (esp with the pain I have associated with the arthritis in my neck)
copaiba has been used for pain relief is an anti-inflammatory and analgesic because it contains high amounts of beta-caryophyllene, which interacts with cannabinoid receptors (CB2 receptors) on the skin. This can help decrease pain and is also how CBD works!
NOTE — if you plan to use this on your teething little one, please make sure you are using Young Living Essential Oils!! You do not want to risk your baby ingesting synthetic, potentially toxic, poorly sourced essential oils. If you want to learn more about why we only choose Young Living oils, click here.
Here’s how we apply:
We typically switch between the Camilia and the Hyland pills every few hours during the day if she’s teething really bad. Then we also apply Copaiba on her irritated gums. Copaiba provides the instant relief to take the edge off while the other remedies work through her body to continue to relieve pain.
Overnight- on nights we know she’s likely going to have teething pain, we give her a dose of both the Camilia and Hyland and rub her teething oils on her gums and jawline right before bed. If she wakes in the night clearly in pain, we give her the Camilia because it’s easier to quickly squirt one in her mouth than it is to give her the tablets. And, because these do require more frequent dosing, if things seem REALLY bad, we do still occasionally (rarely but sometimes) give her tylenol or ibuprofen over night. Balance, right?
Anyways, if you’re looking for something super affordable, easy, and non toxic/non liver/gut damaging, give this trio a shot! Hope this helps you and your little one get more comfort.
