Welcome to teething drama

On my son's fourth-month wellness check-up, I told the pediatrician that my son has started drooling a lot. The pediatrician checked my son's gums and told me that there weren't any indications of teething yet. My baby was just acting like a typical four-month-old, according to him. 

I am always comforted when the pediatrician tells me that all is well with my boy.

Meanwhile, the websites I've been reading about parenting and infants say that a baby's first teeth usually come out when the baby is around six months old... and that it's a very uncomfortable time. There are tips on how to soothe a baby going through a teething period. Wanting to be prepared for when the day comes, I thought that it's high time for me to ready for this challenging stage so I got him a few teethers.

These were:

• All About Shapes with Elmo soft book
• Sophie la Girafe teether
• Nuby keys
• Itzy Ritzy cactus rattle
• Mombella mushroom
• Haakaa silicone teether

 

All About Shapes with Elmo

This book introduced my son to the wonderful world of crinkly things. Since he discovered that the pages made crinkly noises when touched, he's been squeezing and chomping on the pages with gusto. He hasn't discovered that one of the corners of the soft book's cover page has a teether though; perhaps, all the other pages made enough noise for the wee one to notice that tiny detail.

Inside the book, Elmo features different shapes: rhombus, star, circle, square, and rectangle. However, Elmo actually missed the triangle! A baby as young as its enthralled audience will not realise that though.

My son likes this soft book so much that I bring it with us when we go out on car rides. It's attached to the car seat and my son can entertain himself with the crinkly sounds while we're on the road.

Sophie la Girafe

I bought this teether weeks before I gave birth because I've seen it a lot in stores. It's a tiny giraffe-shaped rubber toy that has been delighting babies since 1961. Instead of a crinkly noise, Sophie squeaks when squeezed. The wee one has not yet discovered the squeaking feature. but since he's been drooling, Sophie's legs are some of the objects he's been putting in his mouth repeatedly. Because he likes to munch on Sophie, I now bring her along with us for car rides too. She's not with my son in the car seat though, because she's not tethered to the car seat... in the event of an emergency, she might be thrown off and act as a projectile.

Nuby IcyBite Keys Teether

The teether is composed of three key-shaped toys. The soft and textured bottom contains some gel that, when cooled, can help soothe itchy gums. The top portion is made up of hard material that can act as a handle or as another bit to chew on. It's supposed to be refrigerated before use so that the baby can enjoy the cooling effects of the gel.

But then, my son doesn't like cold things in his mouth. He also didn't like the keys too much. Perhaps, the keys are still too big and/or too heavy for him to consistently play with. 

Haakaa Silicone Palm Teether

Now, this teether was welcomed by my child with open arms. It has a circular body and different textures per finger. He loved the textures on the tiny fingers and the circular palm. He'd gnaw on it and take delight in dropping it off the edge of the chair on which I feed him.

Mombella Mimi the Mushroom

When I first introduced him to Mimi the Mushroom, my son enjoyed it so much that he wouldn't let go of it, even if he's crying. He also loved to suck on the mushroom ears. I was just so scared that he might bite off one of the ears; a choking hazard. So I opted not to give him Mimi before he falls asleep. Because of the absence of Mimi, I think that my son actually forgot that she's around. So when he started actively teething, I offered Mimi to him but he just didn't like to grab it and suck. So Mimi went back to storage.

Itzy Ritzy Cactus Teether and Rattle

I figured that maybe, my son would be interested in a rattle that also acts as a teether. This teether has a textured handle that a baby can chew on. The cactus-shaped rattle also has a textured surface. Unfortunately, the cactus seems to be too heavy and cumbersome for the wee one; he only started using it quite recently and he has figured out that the textured handle can soothe his itch gums!

Teething is one of the more difficult times during a baby's early months. But with some preparation, parents like me can help ease the discomfort. I'm personally not a fan of painkillers so I opted not to give him those without the doctor's orders. We'll see how this goes...