Claire seems to be teething.  🙁

She has been extra fussy and irritable the past couple of days. While she doesn’t seem to be drooling more than usual (but then again, she’s been a drooling machine for the past month), she ALWAYS has her fingers in her mouth. She is not eating as much — she will drink for a few minutes then stop and wail, as if sucking on the bottle is causing her pain — and sleeping in shorter stretches, often waking up with whimpering cries.

At first I believed it to be the sleep-training regression mentioned in the How to SUCCESSFULLY teach a baby to sleep post. But then I noticed that her cheeks would intermittently turn red which is considered a telltale sign of teething.

Claire’s favorite teething “toy” for now seems to be my finger.

Some babies teeth with no problem, with the parents not noticing any change in behavior or routine. There are also those on the opposite end of the spectrum who will act like it’s the end of the world.

I have read that teething also differs from baby to baby in that while a tooth may pop out after just one day for some, it may be a long, drawn-out process for others.

Claire’s behavior hasn’t been too bad, but I can’t help but be concerned. How can I not be, as her mother? I was telling J that it physically pains me to see her in so much discomfort, and that I feel it’s my duty to help her as much as I can. As a result, I sent J to get some Baby Orajel as soon as I suspected what was happening, and have been giving her baby Tylenol right as we end our bedtime routine.

I have also tried:

• Sophie the Giraffe. Claire has never been too interested in Sophie, and the chewtoy doesn’t seem to help much now either because Claire’s mouth is too little to comfortably fit any part of Sophie in her mouth. I still don’t see what the big deal is over Sophie (personally, it reminds me of a dog toy and I have caught Comang eyeing it with MUCH more interest than Claire ever has) — perhaps Claire will like it better when she gets older.
• Razbaby RaZberry Teether. She makes a face whenever I stick this in her mouth as if to say, “That is not my pacie, mom. It feels all lumpy and uncomfortable. I don’t like it.”
• Cold washclothes. All that accomplished were wet, cold clothes as she seems to have no interest in chewing on fabric.
• Cold baby carrots. Unless I hold it in her mouth, she would just spit it out.

While Orajel seems to provide some relief, I am reluctant to keep using it because I tried it out myself and I didn’t like the numbing, just-got-back-from-the-dentist feeling it gave me. (I have also read that it can be potentially dangerous to use at night because if the baby’s tongue becomes numb it might cause a choking hazard.)

As such I have rush-ordered the following products:

• Philips AVENT Front Teeth Teether. The little nub at one end seems to be small enough for her tiny mouth, and the ring shape should be easy for her to hold
• Boiron Homeopathic Medicine Camilia Teething Relief. I chose liquid over tablets because I’m pretty sure Claire will spit out any tablet.
• Amber teething necklace. The whole premise behind amber resin therapy sounds a bit hooky to me, but I have found tons of mothers who swear by them so I am willing to give it a try.

Do my readers have any other suggestions? (Note: Claire doesn’t like most ring-shaped toys as she gets frustrated that she can’t fit the whole thing in her mouth.)

Sleep training will be taking second priority until Claire cuts the tooth/teeth that are bothering her.

It’s funny how the little booger STILL can’t roll over and is about to cut her first tooth. I guess it’s true that all babies develop at different rates and not necessarily in the same order.