As a mom of a 1 and 3 year old, I feel like I’ve becoming pretty seasoned when it comes to teething kiddos. Both of my children were late bloomers when it came to teething and never even had a first tooth pop through until the were over a year old so it feels like teething has been going on fooooooooorrrrreveeeerrrrrr.

No matter how many kids you’ve dealt with when it comes to the pains of teething, you still can’t help but feel terrible when your little ones are suffering and uncomfortable. The worst part is that these symptoms can start 2 to 3 months before a tooth even emerges! Through the years, I’ve found that there are a few things that have helped immensely when dealing with symptoms that arise in teething children.

Below are a few of my favorite remedies and products that are essential for teething babies and toddlers:

1. Frozen Wet Washcloth

When teething begins, babies and toddlers want nothing more than to gnaw.  Dampening half of a washcloth (leave one end dry for comfortable gripping) and placing in the freezer for a couple hours to freeze is an easy to use and simple to clean teether. The ice cold helps soothe while providing enough resistance to be comforting.

2. Desitin Rapid Relief

You’re probably wondering why diaper cream is on a teething list. Two words: teething poop. Teething poop is the worst and can literally cause a diaper rash in little to no time. Teething poops are unmistakable with their acidic smell (can smell like vomit or vinegar), watery or mucousy and absolutely rough on their tushes. Just like how babies can get rashes on their chins from excess saliva, the same can happen on their bottom. I use Desitin Rapid Relief Cream at every diaper change during teething to help prevent painful and uncomfortable rashes and to soothe.

It provides a perfect barrier to prevent acidic poop from causing painful rashes and soothes already irritated skin. Desitin Rapid Relief Cream glides on easily and works so well (over 88% of moms agreed that nothing works faster). We always keep Desitin at each diaper change area to ward off diaper rashes and keep our children happy and comfortable everyday. For the most intense and painful rashes, I turn to Desitin Maximum Strength Original Paste.

When we encounter painful diaper rashes, we do our best to wipe as gently as possible (usually just use a damp washcloth) to not further irritate the rash. If at all, possible we try to do a little bit of diaper free time to allow to area to dry and then we liberally apply Desitin to help heal and provide a barrier to prevent further rash issues. I’m always so shocked and happy to see how quickly it works and can breathe a sigh of relief as well.

For more information on preventing and treating diaper rash check out the links below:

Preventing Diaper Rash

Treatment of Diaper Rash

3. Soft and Cold Foods

My kids appetites often decrease during teething episodes due to discomfort. I’ve found that serving them soft and cold foods goes over much better leaving them satisified  and comfortable (no one wants to deal with a hungry and teething child). Cold fruit, yogurt, applesauce, and smoothies are some of our favorites to serve.

4. Skin Barrier

Applying a skin barrier cream to your child’s chin/face can help to offset irritation and rash that can occur from constantly being wet from excess saliva and drooling.

5. Extra Cuddles

During these times, the thing that I often find that helps the most is extra cuddles. Snuggle up on the couch together, grab your baby carrier and spend some one on one time together to distract from the pain and discomfort.

What symptoms did your children have while teething?