Teething Baby Tricks

Teething occurs when infants' baby teeth begin to grow into their mouths, which is often a painful experience. Babies start to develop their first teeth between the ages of four and seven months, according to Babycenter. When they are teething, they often experience sore gums, trouble sleeping, a decreased appetite, problems with drooling or facial rashes. You can help sooth your baby during teething using cold food, teething devices, pain medication and good hygiene practices.

Teething Rings

• Teething rings are designed to help babies by giving them something to chew on while they are going through their teething stage. When your baby starts to chew on his pacifier or uses his bottle as a soothing mechanism, give him a teething ring that has been cooled down in the freezer as a substitute, according to Parents.com. Don't let your baby chew on a ring for long periods, to prevent him from drooling too much or having prolonged exposure to a cold object, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Food

• Giving your baby cold foods such as applesauce, carrots, sugarless popsicles or yogurt can help to sooth his pain, as long as you don't give him too much. If having a bottle helps, put water in it instead of breast milk or formula. Too many sugary foods or drinks can cause babies to develop tooth decay, which can affect the growth of their adult teeth later in life. Biscuits made out of oats, nutmeg, cinnamon or ginger and mashed bananas can sometimes help teething babies, according to Wholesome Baby Food. Only give your baby food for teething if he starts to eat solid foods before or during teething.

Pain Medication and Home Remedies

• Give your baby a small dose of aspirin, pain medication or teething tablets after consulting your doctor. Aspirin or pain medication, such as such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, or special teething tablets for babies help with pain or swelling that results from cutting one or more teeth. Read labels to find out if certain aspirin or pain relievers are harmful to babies and to figure out how much you should give your child. Place your finger in your child's mouth, after washing it, to help lessen your child's pain, if other methods don't work. Move your finger up and down in a massaging rhythm to help ease soreness in the gums.

Hygiene Practices

• Regularly wash your baby's mouth out to keep it clean so that your child doesn't experience tooth or mouth problems when he gets older. Once your child's teeth start to develop more, use a clean, wet washcloth to clean them daily. You don't need to start brushing your baby's teeth until your child has developed a fuller mouth of teeth at around a year to three years of age, according to Babycenter. Regularly wipe your baby's face when he drools during teething to keep him from developing a facial rash.