To think that I am TWO molars away from being DONE with teething is exciting. More exciting than the pre-baby me would’ve ever thought possible. TWO TEETH. (Can ya see which ones I’m waiting for? On the bottom.)
One, two… spaces for you!
And after these two chicklets come in: no more middle-of-the-night wake ups, no more cranky fits out of nowhere, no more tiny fingers being spontaneously-shoved into an itchy, screaming round mouth (looking at me like, “DO SOMETHING, MOMMY!”)… in theory, anyways.
Even though this is my second baby, this is all new to me. I was one of those lucky moms who didn’t even know when my first baby (LadyP) was teething a few years ago because it didn’t seem to phase her. This second baby (LilMiss), though? Wow. It’s heart-breaking and so annoying at the same time. Maybe she’s more of a complainer, or maybe she has a mom who ignorantly throws her hands up in the presence of teething gods and lets them win. To remedy some of my little one’s growing pains, I’ve let her have a zillion popsicles…
COLD = GOOD.
… and total free-reign with the number 2.
Second child, number 2.
POOR BABY. “Why don’t you give her something to help?” my sister (mom of a baby about the same age) demands. Because I don’t like giving babies medicine. It’s true. I hate it. I hate the protest involved and I hate the thought of giving my babes ‘drugs.’ (Trust me, I KNOW how insane this sounds… I even delay giving Tylenol when my girls get sick until there’s absolutely no other choice. And no, I do not even buy organic half the time, so this is really weird.) I’m all for numbing with ice (and popsicles) and that’s about it.
Then I was given the option to try Baby Orajel Naturals Teething Tablets and Gel. Baby Orajel Naturals is a new product line from Orajel, the #1 brand recommended by pediatricians and pharmacists (not to mention, it’s the only line that this drug-wary and daughter-of-a-dentist mom can readily name off the top of her head when it comes to recalling popular teething remedies). Sure. Let’s try this. The thing that made me willing and comfortable to try this new line is that it’s homeopathic. (Homeopathy is defined by the Mayo Clinic as a whole medical system that stimulates the body’s self-healing process… very zoo-loo voo-doo sounding, but, I hate baby medicine, remember?) Baby Orajel Naturals‘ main ingredient is chamomilla (commonly known as chamomile), an herb that can soothe irritability. I once remember my practical, Western-educated pediatrician (who I LOVE!) suggesting a bit of chamomile tea for my older girl when she was experiencing tummy problems… Chamomile, I can do. No prob there.
Baby Orajel Naturals comes in two options, as each mom has her own personal preference: 1) Teething Gel (which I’m cool with) and 2) Teething Tablets (which have always creeped me out for no logical reason… will my baby choke on it? will it fall out of her mouth? will it taste bad?). I decided to find out for myself. WATCH:
Cool, right? I was impressed and very few things impress me. And NO – it didn’t taste gross. It was totally taste-LESS. I’ve never tried anything that tasted like NOTHING, but this tasted like NOTHING.
Regardless, I stuck with the gel option when it came to helping my little girl during one of our middle-of-the-night disturbances. To my amazement, my crying LilMiss didn’t bat an eye when I rubbed the gel on her bare gums. Mind you, this is a 1 year old who has to have all four limbs held down with brute force if she even suspects that you might attempt to give her a syringe of Tylenol. Standing in our stark-dark kitchen with my eyes barely open, I smoothed the gel on her gums. I feel like I saw her smile a little bit and a delirious part of me sensed that she may have even liked it a little bit (or at least thought it was different than anything else she’s had). She got quiet almost immediately and then… I walked back to her room, put her back to bed and she slept for the rest of the night. (I won’t lie: she did scream for a bit when I first put her down, but I’m pretty sure it was just a protest for getting returned to her crib.) Maybe this was luck, or maybe this stuff really works. I don’t know. I’m only telling you what happened to me as I experienced it. (And, the gel was totally tasteless too… yes, I did try this on myself. It tingled a bit, but I honestly didn’t feel any kind of ‘active result’ on my own gums.)
Curious to try Baby Orajel Naturals on your little one? You can… with a brand new $50 Target Gift Card! Yes, TheFabMom (me, I guess) is giving away ONE $50 Target Gift Card to a lucky reader. To enter, leave a comment below or send me an email (jillsimoniantv@gmail.com) describing your least-favorite phase of babyhood (mine is teething). Contest ends Friday August 23, 11:59pmPST.
DISCLAIMER: TheFabMom was supplied free samples of Baby Orajel Naturals’ Teething Tablets and Gel, as well as compensation, for purposes of this post. Any and all experiences mentioned are real and honest. TheFabMom does not strive to provide medical advice, please consult your own pediatrician for advice and/or guidance regarding your baby’s teething.
Hi everyone! The randomly-selected winner for this Baby Orajel Naturals contest, a $50 gift card to Target, is the lucky lady: Tina Tapia! CONGRATULATIONS! (You’ll be getting an email from me soon.) Thank you to all who entered… hope you enjoy reading my tales here on TheFabMom…
My least favorite phase was colic…that first month nothing seemed to help and we were going on zero sleep and lots of screaming. I spent that whole month rocking even without my son in my arms.
Mine would be the sleepless nights!
No babies for me yet, but I’m a doula & interact with parents/babies a lot – the general consensus seems to be that the worst part is those early sleepless nights. 🙂
Potty Training! A battle of wills that is just no fun.
Teething is rough, I hope those last two come in easily for you guys! My least favorite part is the lack of sleep. We finally got my little one sleeping through the night (mostly) at 18 months, but he still wakes up for the day at 5:15.
I would have to go with my daughter’s teething and not knowing if she is in pain from that or from having a “pain” crisis due to having a compromised immune system
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Teething is the WORST! I have 4 girls and only ONE of the is done teething… Her teeth are actually wiggling their way out and she’s becoming a big girl 🙁 I still have 3 girls teething. The worst part would be soothing their pains. I have never tried Orajel naturals but I am convinced to give it a try!
Oh I completely agree about teething – so much crying and it’s doubly horrible because you’re sleep deprived from your baby being extra needy and you just feel horrible that your baby is suffering!
From Jessie C (via email):
“My least-favorite phase of babyhood is definitely teething.
Lots of crying and pain.”
Mine is those first few weeks where you both figure out each other’s schedule.
Ah! yes! the schedules… and don’t you love how it constantly evolves…. Thanks for the entry Kristie! Winner will be randomly selected and announced next week!
My least favorite is teething, too! Nobody gets to sleep, baby is miserable, and parents have sympathy pains!
My least favorite phase: The “Gravity” Phase. Here, I constantly cleaned up all that made it’s way to the floor, during meal time! Great fun for them, but not for me 😉
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
Hi Lisa… I am STILL IN that gravity phase…. ha! Proof: https://thefabmom.com/2013/07/11/facetime-hollywood-hot-food-on-the-floor/
My least favorite phase is now with the transition from baby food and formula to table food- my little man deals with constipation on a regular basis. I have passed the teething stage and for my little one that came out with a breeze.
Aw…. poor little tummy! Hopefully pains will pass soon for you all…
My least-favorite phase of babyhood is the waking for night feedings. I don’t like my sleep interrupted.
My least favorite is trying to figure out what is causing sleep issues! We finally had to resort to CIO because we had literally covered every other base.
demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com
My least favorite phase is separation anxiety. You know, where you can’t even go to the bathroom without your child. My daughter is turning 4 next week and we’re still going through this.
I am in this right now too! Seems like peeing in peace is a thing of the past when you become a mom… 🙂
I hated anytime my boys were sick especially in the middle of the night. I felt so helpless. You rush to the ER and they are already miserable to then wait in a room full of other sick people. Those were the worst times for me!
My least favorite phase was the early sleep deprived nights. After that was over I could handle anything.
As you can probably guess: Coffee was my best friend! (Still is, actually!) 🙂