How to Help Your Teething Baby Sleep [7 Tried and Tested Tips & Tricks]

As much as parents may want their baby to stay small forever, they will grow until one day they are an adult like you and I! Although this is a sad thought, it's also amazing to watch your baby grow and become independent. Before they can start holding full sentences, though, one of the things your baby will go through is teething! 

The word “teething” is enough to send shivers down any experienced parent’s spine. Teething can be rough for not only your baby but parents, too, as this can be very painful for your child! Frequently, teething can cause gum tenderness, drooling, irritability, and difficulty sleeping. If your little one is having some trouble sleeping as they grow their pearly whites, keep reading for seven tried and tested tips! 

When Does Teething Start?

Teething can start at various ages, depending on the baby. The average age at which a child starts teething is 4-7 months. My firstborn started teething closer to seven months, while my secondborn started teething right before four months! 

How to Determine Teething is Causing a Disruption in Night time Sleep

Before you can determine that teething is the root of the issue, you must make sure that your baby’s other needs are met. They should be well-fed, dry, and in a room with a comfortable atmosphere. Once you know that all of their basic needs are met, check for signs such as:

• Irritability/fussiness

• Excessive drooling

• Chewing

If your baby’s needs have been met, but they are experiencing these symptoms, they may be struggling with teething! 

Tried and Tested Tips to Soothe Teething

It’s time for bed, and you are ready to hit the hay: But your baby isn’t. They are suffering from painful gums from teething and can’t seem to relax enough to fall asleep! This can be stressful for both of you, so try following some of these tips to soothe those irritable gums!

1. Rub Their Gums

Rubbing your baby’s sore and irritated gums is a good way to help soothe them to go back to sleep. You can do this by freezing a wet washcloth in the freezer or using a durable teething ring. Make sure that if you use a washcloth, it is clean and free of loose strings and frays. 

Be sure to avoid the gel-filled toys as they can break and fill your baby’s mouth: you don’t want that! You can also keep your baby’s teething toys in the fridge or freezer so they are nice and cool. It will feel even better on their gums if it is chilled! 

It is important to note that you should avoid teething necklaces and bracelets. There have been plenty of cases where these have broken and caused children to choke. 

2. Let Your Baby Nibble on Your Fingers

Okay, hear me out. Before your baby actually has any teeth, you can absolutely let them chew on your finger to help alleviate some of the pain in their gums. There have been plenty of times when I didn’t have a teething toy readily available, and my babies needed some soothing. Just be sure that your hands are clean, hook your finger, and let them take a chomp! 

3. Put Pressure on Their Gums

This option is similar to letting them nibble on your fingers, but this way, you are doing all the work! Make sure your hands are clean, and use your fingers to gently put pressure on their inflamed gums. This can help relieve some of the pain that they are feeling, possibly enough to help them drift off to sleep!

4. Wipe Their Face as Needed

With teething comes a fountain of drool. Make sure to clean your baby off as much as needed to avoid drool sitting around their mouth. If they constantly have drool on their face, it can cause irritation and create an uncomfortable rash on their face!

5. Think About Medicine

This shouldn’t be used as a first resort but rather a last. If your baby has been teething all day and nothing has seemed to improve their symptoms, try administering Tylenol 30 minutes before they go to bed. This will give it time to kick in before it’s time to sleep. 

6. Use a Sound Machine

If you don’t have a sound machine for your little one, consider it. A noise machine can help distract them from the discomfort as they listen to the white noises. 

7. Continue Your Routine

The last thing you want to do is get your baby out of their normal routine. Although they may be experiencing discomfort from teeth pushing at their gums, altering or throwing their bedtime routine out the window can cause a huge disruption and possible setback. Follow your normal routine as much as possible so that they don’t get out of the swing of things. 

Monitor Your Baby’s Progress with Baby Connect

If you’re anything like me, I like to keep track of when my baby reaches different milestones. This helps me look back fondly at when my children were achieving their goals! It is also helpful in case their information needs to be recalled for some reason, such as questions asked by their pediatrician. 

This is why using Baby Connect is a must for any parent. Baby Connect was created for parents to input all of their baby’s important information, such as feeding schedule, allergies, height and weight, and their milestones! You can track anything and everything you’d like when it comes to your child in one convenient place. Don’t take my word for it: try it out for yourself!