Do you give your baby calpol for teething?

[Gettingonabitnow]

Hi

My 6 month old DC2 has been teething since she was 2 months old and she is beside herself. By that I mean frantically gnawing and manically going from one teether / arm / toy to another to gnaw. I am giving her Nelsons sachets twice a day but I’m not sure it does much. She doesn’t have a temp. She just seems in the type of discomfort you would imagine someone with toothache to be in.

We didn’t have this really with DC1. Do you give yours calpol when they are like this? To take away the pain that is.

Thanks Hey

[PeacefulInTheDeep]

Yep, definitely give painkillers! My DD is 4 months and had a really rough couple of days last week where she was miserable, not sleeping, dribbling and chomping whatever she could get in her mouth. A couple of doses of calpol took the edge off and helped her to sleep better.

My DS is 2 and we go straight to ibuprofen when he's teething, as it seems to work better. It gets easier to tell if it's teething or something else as they get older.

[APurpleSquirrel]

Definitely. A GP told us ibuprofen was better for pain & paracetamol was better for temperatures/inflammation but both will work. If it gets really bad you can alternate them too.

[Haworthia]

Aren’t Nelson’s teething powders homeopathic? In other words, they don’t work?

I would absolutely give paracetamol. Some MNers are so against it and talk about “distracting the baby” instead? Sod that. Tooth/gum pain is awful.

[Somethingsnappy]

OP, is your baby crying with it? You said she's been teething since two months, and is frantic....does that mean the frantic gnawing etc is quite new and she's managed OK before? Or has she been frantic for four months? I wouldn't give calpol etc continuously for months, but if it seems worse suddenly for a short period, I would, especially at night when the pain/discomfort can seem worse. A lot of gnawing and chewing is very normal for babies of that age, even before the teeth start properly coming through. It doesn't necessarily mean they are in pain with it. However, mothers are definitely best placed to recognise the needs of their own babies, sudden changes etc, so if you feel she is is pain, trust your own instincts. I only asked some questions because I wasn't certain from your first post how long the frantic behaviour had been for.

[SquigglePigs]

Definitely. And agree with a pp that baby ibuprofen was even more effective. DD didn't get on with any of the recommended alternatives (cold teethers etc) she just rejected them.

[Phoenix76]

It's horrible when they're in pain. I found I didn't need paracetamol once I'd been recommended Ashton & Parsons (although to answer your question I wouldn't hesitate if she needed it). Hope little one feels better soon.

[TerribleCustomerCervix]

Yes.

No fannying about with teethers, amber bracelets or whatever. Calpol (or baby ibruprofen, which I thought worked quicker) straight down their necks.

It’s cruel to withhold appropriate pain relief from anyone when they need it. It’s Calpol, not cocaine.

[stargirl1701]

With DD1, no. Tried all the teethers, powders, gels, etc.

DD2 got ibuprofen.

[Newbiehere123]

My 14 month old has got 3 cutting through right now and he tends to feel the pain during the evening, so I give him a dose of calpol as it helps to settle him. I've also been worried about whether I give him too much calpol but as the other posters have mentioned, if I feel pain or discomfort around my own body I would also take paracetamol.

[BabyLlamaZen]

There's such a small amount in there and if you're like mine, they spit a fair bit of.l it out! It really helps them though. Plus once mine turned 6 months he liked the sweet taste.

[summerrose11]

God yes. DS was dosed up on it quite alot when he was teething at night time. It helped

[iamtheoneandonlyyy]

I used to be very wary of giving medication with my first. Now I'm on my third I just hand her the bottle.


Clearly a joking exaggeration

[HavelockVetinari]

we had some patches where it seemed as though she grew 800 in the space of a week



Sorry, that made me laugh (in solidarity)! Nicely phrased.

[Rainallnight]

Your DP is a grown man. Please don’t inflict his hang ups about pain relief on a little baby.

[OhioOhioOhio]

Yes.

[modgepodge]

Absolutely. As others have said, if I was crying with pain I’d want some paracetamol. I’ve never found anything except anbusol or paracetamol/ibuprofen works for teething. At night paracetamol makes her go back to sleep better than anbusol. I use anbusol more in the day.

[burritofan]

Yes, of course. It helps her settle better than trying to saw through the cot bars with her jaw. She's got 16 teeth at 13 months and we had some patches where it seemed as though she grew 800 in the space of a week. The nights we gave calpol she slept better, less restlessly, and was happier in the morning for it. If I were frantically crying and jamming my fist in my mouth I'd want some pain relief too.

Thank god all we've got to go are back molars and those are on their way judging by the gnaw marks in everything.

[Gettingonabitnow]

Thanks. I definitely will. I personally have no problem taking paracetomal etc however my other half never takes it (I’ve seen him take it once in ten years with flu) so I think a bit of that has rubbed off on me with the kids.

[BobbyTheVetIsMyHero]

And frozen teethers (any kind, not just the ones with gel in) are a godsend while it's kicking in!

[moonlight1705]

We give baby ibuprofen as it seems to work better for teething and then the usual teething rings etc.

[BobbyTheVetIsMyHero]

100%- though our nursery never would which really bothered me

[Goyle]

Yes, definitely. My baby had a terrible time with her teeth. I gave her calpol if all else wasn't working.

[GracieLane]

Sometimes. I try alternatives first like granules, teething toys, baby bonjela, if none of that works then calpol of course.

[Bagelsandbrie]

Yes.

I’d take paracetamol myself if I was in pain so why deny my child the same?

[mynameiscalypso]

Of course, I don't really understand why people don't (although I found that baby ibuprofen was better for teething)