This post may contain affiliate links. When you shop by clicking on one of my links, my family receives a small commission at no additional cost to you. We are so grateful for your support!
If you’ve had a baby, you know teething is a natural part of their development. Some signs to watch for are extra fussiness, drooling, grabbing at their mouth, not sleeping well, swollen gums, chewing on everything, loss of appetite, fever, diarrhea. One of my babies never seemed to be bothered by teeth popping through her gums, while another showed every symptom in the book for weeks at a time. All babies are different!
As a natural-minded mama, my medicine cabinet is filled with natural remedies of herbs and tinctures instead of conventional medicine. You can find many different types of teething wafers on store shelves jam-packed with added sugars and questionable preservatives, so I avoid those too and opt for these instead…
My go-to for teething? CELERY!
I posted a reel on Instagram of my baby munching on celery that garnered millions of views, and apparently it needed a disclaimer (that I thought was obvious) to supervise your baby – so here’s your reminder to always supervise your baby.
Celery contains eugenol, which is a chemical compound that can have a numbing effect. It’s also found in cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Be sure to clean the celery, peel or cut the ends off, remove loose strings, and supervise your baby for the sake of choking or allergic reactions, just like you would when introducing any other new food to them.
You can store it in the fridge for added pain relief. I’ve heard people mention keeping theirs in the freezer, but I worry about it being too cold for their hands — you can try wrapping a cloth around it.
Plus it’s the perfect size for tiny hands to grasp. My babies usually don’t start teething until around 4 months, which is when they start to be able to grab objects and bring them to their mouth, making it good for hand-eye coordination, too. I brought up celery to our family doctor, and she had no concerns with it, but always check with your own provider first!
We do baby-led weaning (read my blog post here with tips), and this list below makes a great starting point for that too!
Some other foods for teething relief:
- Bones (chicken, turkey, pork chop, ribs, steak, all cooked & cleaned)
- Cold beef jerky
- Dried mango (I get ours from costco with organic mango being the only ingredient)
- Dried sweet potatoes (same as above)
- Cold whole carrots
- Mango pits
- Frozen ginger root
- Green onions (which are naturally anti-inflammatory)
- Pineapple puree or juice (natural anti-inflammatory, put inside one of these frozen fruit feeders)
- Cucumbers
- Cinnamon sticks
- Watermelon or cantaloupe rinds
- Frozen banana (leave a little peel as a handle)
- Apples (sour green is best)
- Dill pickles (whole or speared)
- Frozen slice of bread, bagel, pancake or waffle
- Giant pretzel rods
- Cold butter (anti-inflammatory)
More ideas:
- Nursing as often as possible! It’s naturally anti-inflammatory and provides comfort.
- A cold silver spoon
- Frozen wash cloths (even better if you dip and freeze it in chamomile tea)
- Wooden spoon
- Silicone toothbrush (this one is my favorite)
- Nippii freezable pacifier (the BEST!)
- Itzy Ritzy cutie coolers
- Teether tubes
- Pacifier teethers
- RaZberry teether
- Baltic amber teething necklace
For the “alternative” medicine cabinet:
- Boiron camilia teething drops (contains chamomile and other plant-based ingredients for pain relief)
- Hylands oral pain relief (blend of homeopathic ingredients to relieve oral pain, teething, gum sensitivity and soreness, swelling and irritability)
- Leefy PRANA (made with turmeric & ginger to relieve inflammation)
- Tongue tied tincture (herbal blend for gentle numbing and pain relief – my babies’ favorite!)
- Earthley teeth tamer (contains herbs like clove & catnip for gently numbing & calming)
- Copaiba essential oil (diluted) along the jawline
I hope this list gives you some ideas to help your baby feel relief!
----- LET'S KEEP IN TOUCH -----
Subscribe to my newsletter HERE.