Natural Teething

All babies will, at some point, get their teeth. For some this passes almost unnoticed, but for others it can seem like a real trial: a long, painful, sleepless struggle.

There are all sorts of products out there that claim to help with teething. We are very carful about what we give our children in the way of medication and prefer not to administer infant paracetamol without at least trying a few "natural" alternatives first. After having three teething babies ourselves, and talking to friends and mummies in the shop we can recommend the following:

• teething babies do love to chew but there are lots of alternatives to plastic. First teeth only need something fairly soft, try Sophie the Giraffe made from natural rubber and painted with food grade paints.

• a slightly damp flannel put in the freezer helps relive hot gums, though this really only works at home as your baby will get a bit soggy!

• we found teething granules really effective, particularly if the teething came with red cheeks. Our babies calmed visibly when give these and I have spoken to lots of people who report the same results!

• amber is reported to calm teething babies and specifically designed necklaces can be bought for the purpose. Read more here.

There are also lots of reports of babies getting nappy rash whilst teething and the best thing for this is fresh air! Keep your baby clean, without using wipes if possible as these irritate sore skin, let he nappy area air dry between changes and try a good natural barrier cream such as Green Baby's nappy balm (which has the added benefit of smelling great) or Weleda's Calendula Nappy Change Cream (the calendula will help calm irritated skin).

Good luck to you and your baby and let us know if you have any good ideas we have missed or any funny teething stories to cheer up sleep deprived mums and babies everywhere!