Teething Babies: The good, the bad and the ugly
Is your baby not sleeping through the night because of teething?
You see, the good news is – your little one is getting teeth! Hooray…he won’t be the only baby that’s sporting the all gum smile. The bad news is, it might come with some sleeping problems and the ugliness of it may be that you will use your teething baby as an excuse for everything that has ever gone wrong in your life! Okay, I admit…that might just be a tad on the dramatic side.
When Babies Start Teething and Sleep Training – Could it actually work together?
Now the question remains whether your little teething bundle of saliva can actually sleep, sleep train, be trained for to sleep and/or sleep better while teething. The answer is a resounding YES! If you are going to wait for your baby to stop teething before you actually train or teach him or her how to sleep, you are going to wait well over 2.5 years. Since sleep is a skill that we need to teach our children, the faster we give them the Gift of Sleep the better.
When Do Babies Start Teething? Sleep Training During This Time.
Helping Your Baby Sleep Through the Night
If you want to help your baby sleep through the night, take restful naps, be healthy, happy and still have teeth, you can help your baby or toddler by teaching him or her how to sleep unassisted (sleep training your baby). Think about it, if your little one can put herself to sleep without you help she won’t wake you up during the night the 5 times he wakes at night due to sore gums. In my experience as a sleep consultant, I have found that children who have learned the skill of self soothing and sleeping handles teething and illnesses much better.
Teething Causing Baby Sleep Problems
Teething can cause a slight regression in tour child’s sleeping habits. HOWEVER, be careful that YOU are not the one regressing, using “teething” as an excuse. If your child wakes during the night due to teething, go to him or her, provide some comfort (soothing words or careful touch), administer the necessary medication and then allow your little one to fall back asleep without any props or assistance (no pacifier, no bottle and no rocking). And as a side note, I have found Ibuprofen to be a very effective pain reliever in babies over 6 months of age. Just be certain to carefully read the dosing instructions on the package and consult your pediatrician to double check before administering.
Lastly, a good way to test whether your child is fussy due to teething, is to think about whether they are showing other signs of teething, and whether or not it is also bothering them during the day. If it truly is teething, it won’t be bothering your little one just at night.
