Teething is a period worth celebrating. But sleepless nights, your baby’s cries, and fussiness are becoming a hindrance to these happy memories. Your baby might cut their first tooth at 6-7 months of age. After this, teething will follow until they’re 25-33 months old. Some parents may consider teething tablets during the teething stage. But are teething tablets safe for babies?
Every time a tooth emerges, it hurts a few days before, and a couple of days after eruption – at least a week. It means on-and-off fussiness for a long time. You may have searched for methods to ease your baby’s discomfort and come across teething tablets and naturally are curious about their safety. Did you know that FDA has recommended against their use? Moreover, there are a few other effective ways to comfort your teething baby. They don’t require you to use any medications, so the question of side effects is out of the window.
In This Article
- What Are Teething Tablets?
- Are Teething Tablets Safe For Babies?
- Side Effects of Teething Tablets on Infants
- Symptoms of Teething in Babies
- Safe Alternatives to Teething Tablets For Babies
- FAQ’s
What Are Teething Tablets?
The making of teething tablets comes from the practice of homeopathy. These small pills melt easily with saliva in your baby’s mouth. Parents claim that these pills have helped their babies by relieving the big bag of symptoms that come with teething. It’s a common complaint of parents and a proven fact that teething babies may refuse to feed, experience sleeplessness, get irritated, and so on.
To answer this immense need to reduce a baby’s distress while tooth eruption, some plant-based medicines with the following ingredients have been made
- Chamomile plant
- Coffee extracts
- Calcium phosphate
- Calcium carbonate
- Silica
- Sulphur
- Modified iron phosphate
The ingredients are believed to relieve teething pain, soothe gums and reduce irritation in babies.
Are Teething Tablets Safe For Babies?
Many parents indeed give teething tablets to their babies. But the (Food And Drug Administration) hasn’t approved a single brand of teething tablets in the market. The FDA urges the parents that the levels of Coffee extracts in these pills are a clear red flag. Not only that, the manufacturers do not even share a common measure of pouring these ingredients.
It’s totally natural for a 6-12-month-old baby to cut a tooth, or start to grow teeth. Moreover, not all babies begin to bite too much, deny feeding, drool excessively, etc. while teething. The irritability of babies who go through such troubles can be eased using alternatives to teething tablets.
Side Effects of Teething Tablets on Infants?
Teething tablets for babies do not have any science-backed support. Presently, no research has been done that tracks the cases of side effects of teething tablets.
However, the FDA rejected teething tablets made by a certain brand. It contained belladonna alkaloids as one of its compounds.
The side effects of overdosing on this are
- Decreased urination
- Increased heart rate
- Rise in body temperature
- Dry mouth
- Constipation
- Dilated pupils
The danger of other compounds which go into manufacturing these pills is yet to be tested. It is better to not take risks and give such tablets to your little one.
Rush your baby to the emergency if your little one experiences any of these symptoms after consuming teething tablets
- Difficulty Breathing
- Seizures
- Lethargy
- Difficulty in passing urine
- Excessive sleepiness
- Muscle weakness
- Skin flushing
- Constipation
- Restlessness or agitation
Symptoms of Teething in Babies
It is important to understand of the crankiness, restlessness, and excessive crying are due to teething or not. Once you confirm your baby is teething, you can use safe methods to relieve your baby of their pain and discomfort.
Standard teething symptoms in babies include
- Drooling excessively
- Biting finger, trying to chew objects
- Crankiness
- Restlessness
- Sleeplessness
- Loose stools (this could indicate some other health problem as well)
[Read : Can Teething Cause Diarrhea In Babies?]
Safe Alternatives to Teething Tablets For Babies
There are definite safer alternatives to teething tablets. These are affordable, easy to manage and do not have any side effects when used.
1. Teething Rings
Different teethers are available for you to choose from. They come in different shapes and sizes and in attractive designs. Your little one can play with them and put them in their mouth as well. These teethers are usually made with certified material and are generally safe for babies.
2. Refrigerated Toys
Teethers, pacifiers, and other chewy items can be kept in the fridge. Offer these brave and cold warriors to your baby when the teething monster gives them pain. Make sure that the toys you give are safe for your baby and do not pose choking risk. But don’t freeze the toys.
3. Distraction
You have an arsenal of humorous and entertaining tricks to divert their mind from the pain. For instance, let all their toys dance in funny moves, they’ll forget their teething woes for some time.
4. Refrigerated Washcloth
A cold wet washcloth gently placed on the gums truly helps to soothe them. Teeth are erupting out of them, so a soft and cold washcloth does wonders to alleviate the resulting discomfort.
5. Frozen Popsicles and Finger Foods
Older babies who are on finger foods can have frozen popsicles and other finger foods to help them get relief from pain and inflammation.
Teething tablets are not safe for babies. It’s understandable that you’re confused to choose between teething tablets for babies and other options to counter the same problem. Teething pills or tablets aren’t FDA approved, and their safety is questionable. Moreover, you won’t need to use them when you give refrigerated toys to your baby or place a cold washcloth on their gums.
[Read : Finger Food For Babies]
FAQ’s
1. How Many Teething Tablets Can You Give a Baby?
You shouldn’t give teething tablets to your baby. They have some potential side effects like a decrease in urination, constipation, and so on and so forth.
2. How Many Days Does Teething Last?
Your baby will start to have those shiny white pearls in their mouth when they’re 6-10 months old. It will last until 25-33 months of age. Different babies teeth at different times and the periods of pain and discomfort also vary from one baby to another.
3. Do Teething Tablets Make Baby Sleepy?
Yes, they can. But the sleepiness can turn excessive which is not healthy.
Read Also: Are Amber Teething Necklaces Safe For Your Baby – Benefits, Risks And Alternatives
