Teething ISN’T the reason your baby can’t sleep!
Controversial, I know! But I am very passionate about this topic!
First of all, if you have been medicating your baby with Calpol and Nurophen for weeks due to perceived teething pain, PLEASE STOP! If you think there is a medical reason your child is waking up, please see your gp as soon as possible. If you think teething is the root of the issue try the homeopathic remedies I mention in this blog post before resorting to medicated pain relief. If they are still waking up despite the homeopathic remedies, its time for some sleep help.
Your baby will be teething on and off, day and night, for the first two+ years of their life. As parents, we often blame teething for our baby’s unsettled sleep, particularly overnight. While teething can cause some discomfort for your baby, it is very rarely the cause of their wake ups overnight.
If your baby is unable to self settle, they will wake at the end of a sleep cycle and begin to grizzle or cry because they need help to get back to sleep. If they are teething as well, they may realize their teeth are annoying them which will also add to their upset. So, while they are crying, it is unlikely this discomfort from teething was the cause of their waking. They’ve only noticed it is uncomfortable because they have woken due to being unable to consolidate sleep cycles, not because of the pain of teething itself.
A teething baby is often grizzly throughout the day as well, not just at sleep times. Ask yourself, has my baby been unhappy throughout the day due to teething? If the answer is yes, then they may need some relief from this pain. If the answer is no, then it is more likely your baby needs to learn to self settle and consolidate their sleep in order to resolve the frequent night waking.
There may be the odd night where your baby needs a little extra support if they wake and are cutting a tooth but the key is that you continue the following nights to encourage your baby to self settle and know that teething is unlikely to be the root cause of your baby’s frequent night wake ups.
Here are some homeopathic options for teething:
Freeze breast milk or formula into popsicles.
Use teething powder or gel.
Add in a gum massage into their bedtime routine.
If you find yourself spinning and wake ups are still happening. Hop on a free 15 minute call to see how I can help!
