Teething Problems

Whose idea was it for humans to have teeth?  Honestly, worst idea ever!  As the Mum of a still teething 2 year old I can honestly say that I now believe teeth are over rated!  Well, maybe not all teeth but definitely the ones you can't see i.e. the back ones - who needs them anyway?!

Connor has been teething since literally the day he turned 3 months old  & the slevvering hasn't stopped since.  His mouth has been like a running tap for almost 2 years now and I honestly can't wait to see the back of bibs.  Every outfit he has is ruined by either having to put a bib on him or the big wet patch that inevitably appears within 5 minutes if he goes bib-less.

The first few teeth - front bottom & top were pretty hard on him.  He started teething in the December at 3 months old but they didn't make an appearance until the June - over 6 months later!  It's been a slow process this teething malarkey.  He was very unsettled and uncomfortable to begin with but once a few teeth popped through he seemed to be able to deal with it better and a whole load seemed to appear without much of a fuss. Fast forward to his dental check up earlier in the month & were told that all but 1 tooth was through.  One of his back teeth is still under the gum but right at the surface.  I stupidly thought 'well he's managed the other 3 without too much bother so the last one should be fine too'.

How wrong was I?  The last one has been a nightmare.  It's taken my usually lovely wee boy & turned him into a clingy, grumpy & still slevvery monster.  Temperatures, sore mouths, mood swings, tiredness - you name it & we have had it this past fortnight & he won't let me look in his mouth so I have no idea if we are even close to being done yet.

So, I thought I would share a few things that have helped us out over the past (almost) 2 years & in particular this last 2 weeks.

1. Sophie The Giraffe

When Connor was tiny & first teething Sophie was his best friend.  He absolutely adored her and she came everywhere with us.  He could often be found eating her nose or with one of her legs in his mouth giving it a good chew.  Sophie was well worth the money and she is now one of the first presents I buy for any new baby - highly recommended!

2. Bibs!

I cannot get enough of bibs.  We go through on average about 5 a day & that is purely down to them being soaked with drool.  I've really struggled to find nice ones that don't say things like 'I love my Mummy' etc but I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for them because they get washed constantly and need replaced really quickly.  I always have at least 2 spare in my bag at any time - even when Connor isn't with me!

3.  Ashton & Parsons

These are teething powders, I've heard mixed reviews of them from various people but I can honestly say these were a game changer for us.  Connor reacted to them almost instantly and they totally settled him.  We stopped them for a while when he wasn't really showing any signs of discomfort as they are quite pricey - roughly £6 for 20 sachets - but as soon as he starting teething badly again these were the first things I bought.  There are other brands available but these are the only ones I have tried.

4.  Nurofen

I used to only give Connor calpol but it never seemed to last very long.  At one of his baby groups there was a Mum who was also a Pediatrician, she told me that Nurofen works better for teething as it helps reduce the swelling of the gums which relives the pressure and/or pain.  So since then I've mostly stuck to Nurofen for teething pains, combined with the Ashton & Parsons but I will top up with Calpol in between Nurofen doses if he is really hurting.

5.  Ice/Frozen Fruit

When Connor was little I used to give him one of those plastic reusable ice cubes to suck and chew on.  That helped a little but it never lasted long as his mouth was so hot the ice cube would melt within minutes.  We also bought one of those food net things and put frozen grapes etc inside so he could chew them without being in danger of choking.  Now that he is bigger he gets an ice pole to help cool his gums which he quite likes.

I think Connor would definitely vouch for the Ashton & Parsons Teething Powders though as they are the first thing he goes for when his mouth is sore & he's perfectly happy to lie down on the floor and let me pour the sachet into his mouth - that says it all really.

What are your top tips for a teething baby/toddler?  Anything in particular that you swear by?  

Leave me a comment & let me know.  I'm over on Instagram too @lifeinthegingerlane  come & say hi!

xx

Little Fish Turned 2!

So.  Somewhere along the line I became the emotionally unstable mother of a 2 year old.  This realization has hit me like a ton of bricks & the night before his birthday I found myself looking through baby pictures & wondering where the hell the past 2 years had gone.

Cue a text to my husband that reads 'how are we going to have a 2 year old in the morning?' with about a million crying emojis (did I mention how emotionally unstable I was that night?!).  His answer?  'Because he was born 2 years ago?' smart arse.

Anyway, like I said it hit me all of a sudden that my baby isn't a baby anymore.  He's a walking, talking,  whirlwind of a boy - a toddler boy.  He's only going to get bigger & there's bugger all I can do about it :(.  Just a thought - if we don't celebrate his birthdays that means he can't get any older, right?

After I managed to put down the baby photos I started to focus on the positives.  No he's not a baby anymore & but now is when the adventure begins.  I made a list of my 5 favourite things about Connor at 2 to remind me that even though he's growing up (& that is heartbreaking) he really is just amazing & that will never change.

1.  I love that we can have conversations now, like proper conversations.  His understanding of words has been great for a while but it's only been over the past couple of months that his talking has followed suit.  Don't get me wrong he still has the 1 word for about 4 different things but I know what he means even if no one else does.  It's also quite handy that if I don't guess the right word first time he'll tell me 'No' & I'll run through the list of possibilities until he says 'Yeah' & only then are we allowed to continue talking!

2.  I absolutely love how much he loves learning.  He is so interested in everything & never shies away from new experiences.  He's such a clever little boy & it's amazing to watch him learning something new every single day.

3.  He is turning into such a polite, loving wee boy.  He absolutely adores animals & babies, he's so gentle with them & always wants to smother them with cuddles and kisses - cuteness overload.

4.  My favourite thing that he does at the moment is sing along to the Rihanna & Calvin Harris song - This is What You Came For.  He only knows roughly 1 word at the end of each line but what he lacks in vocabulary he more than makes up for in dance moves!  Generally it goes like this - 'Baaaaaaaaaayybeeeeeeeee' 'moooooooove'  'ooh oooh oooh ooh ooh'  you get the idea.

5  Finally, I'm just so glad that he is still happy & healthy and hopefully always will be.  He is a great sleeper & eater and we are incredibly lucky that so far this has never changed (touch wood).

It's amazing to think that 2 years ago I was handed a baby & had absolutely no clue what the hell I was supposed to do with him.  But here we are 2 birthdays later, still standing & actually, we're doing alright!

xx