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 Teething

• If baby is teething and can't settle in the afternoon, tune into Classic FM and both lie down on the bed.. baby falls asleep in no time.... (lakey)
• If your child refuses to have their teeth cleaned try a hand puppet. They may be more willing to let 'teddy' or 'rabbit' do it for them. (star sailor)
• Start brushing your babies' gums with a baby toothbrush and cooled boiled water at the first sign of teething. It helps harden the gums and gets them used to having their teeth and gums brushed. (Lucewheel)
• If you have a reluctant tooth-brusher, try doing it in the bath. Make it a fun part of bath-time play. (theyoungvisiter)
• When allowing your eight-month-old baby to brush your teeth with an electric toothbrush, it's best to have not wasted time beforehand, doing your hair and carefully applying make-up. (Cataline)
• If you freeze a banana, your teething baby can suck it to relieve sore gums. (goingfor3)
• If your child does'nt like having his/her hair washed invest in a pair of swimming goggles to stop water getting in their eyes. (Marne)
• It is much easier to brush your toddler's teeth from behind when they are sitting on your lap, rather than trying to do it facing them. (IamBlossom)
• Freeze carrot battons and strips of cucumber as a great way to relieve sore gums. (monty)
• Before your baby has any teeth, give her a soft baby toothbrush to chew on to get her used to it so she'll let you clean them without a struggle. (sparkle)
• When teething, try buying large grapes, cutting them in half and freezing them. Kids love the sweet natural taste and the cold soothes their gums. (purplecatherine)
• Keep all your old keys, even if you've lost the padlock or changed the lock, and put them on a keyring for the baby or toddler to play with - they always seem to prefer 'the real thing' over plastic teether keys. (PrettyCandles)
• To ease teething pain add an ice cube to a bottle of very diluted juice. The combination of the cold liquid and teat seems to help. (Lozza)
• After struggling to clean my toddlers teeth, I discovered that he loves our electric toothbrush. He now has his own head for it and gets excited when it's teeth time! (cornishbird)
• Try Teetha, a homeopathic remedy for teething. My daughter loves it and opens her mouth in expectation before I've even opened a sachet. (Shevvy)
• Before your baby has any teeth try giving them a soft baby toothbrush to play with/chew on. Once they have teeth, they will be used to the idea of a toothbrush and will be only too happy to let you clean them without a struggle. (sparkle)
• Always keep in stock some ice cream, fromage frais, smash and anything else soft or cold for those teething days when anything requiring chewing will just not do. (Joe 1)
• When out and about with your teething/dribbly baby/toddler, keep a small tin of petroleum jelly in your bag to put on their faces to stop the cold weather and winds chpping them when they are so wet. Best of all, you will have soft hands and lips if you remember to use it yourself too. (Jibbsy)
• If you find it tricky to persuade your toddler to clean their teeth, try getting them to do it whilst in the bath. It's a lot easier if they enjoy their bath and a lot less messy! (LucieB)
• If your teething baby uses a dummy keep a spare in the fridge before you give it to the child. The cold helps to soothe the aching gums. (hayleylou)