Dosing for Teething Tablets

Updated on March 23, 2010
N.S. asks from Mays Landing, NJ
12 answers

Hi everyone.

Have you put teething tablets directly in your baby's mouth with success? I get the impression that many moms administer the tablets in this way. When I give my son teething tablets, I dissolve them in water and rub them on his gums. That's what the package suggests. I don't see much results. Which way works for you? I know I could just try putting a tablet right in my son's mouth, but I am still trying to figure out if teething is the main issue I am dealing with...he just isn't sleeping like he used too. It's getting hard to make sense of what he is going through, so I figured i would get some input from the mom's here. Thanks for your input.

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So What Happened?

It's great to hear from everyone. I just started using Motrin for my son. I also use frozen washcloths. What I was noticing was that all his naps and his overnight sleep were shortened, he was getting less and less sleep and that was what I hoped to deal with. So , for the last two days he has gone back to three naps from two naps. I have seen an improvement in his sleep overall. He definitely has teeth coming in. I'm not really medicating a lot. I wonder how long the three naps will last? I may give the teething tables a try again. I used to choose homeopathic remedies for myself, then moved away from them. I am impressed that people have such success with the teething tabs, but I do feel cautious about using them. That's all for now. Thanks everyone!

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D.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

if you are talking about the hyland teething tablets you need only to put them in the mouth and they dissolve. I swear by them. they really help. usually three of them is the right amount. you can buy them in walmart,target,walgreens,pathmark.

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R.J.

answers from San Diego on

DO be warned... try taking the correct dose for your own weight before giving them to your child. They make most people VERY high.

R

1 mom found this helpful
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G.B.

answers from Tulsa on

We had to take my grand daughter to the ER after giving her teething tablets, we had only used half the dose recommended and only 2 times and she was staying up all day and then all night and part of the next day when we took her to the ER. The Physician on call told us he would call Child Welfare if he heard we were still using these, they are mostly BellaDonna which is a deadly drug if not used correctly.

Buy some Orajel, rub it directly onto the gums. Only use a tiny amount.

My advice on Tylenol and Motrin:

Tylenol is for fevers and mild pain, like a head ache.

Motrin is an anti-inflamitory (swelling and tenderness) drug. The gums are swollen, teeth are pressing on nerve endings, etc...Motrin is for that kind of pain. It reduces pain by blocking the effects of certain pain-causing hormones in the body, see the link below.

How does Motrin work?
http://pain.emedtv.com/motrin/motrin.html

Tylenol works on the central nervous system not the peripheral nervous system.
"It is, therefore, considered to be a weak analgesic and does not possess anti-inflammatory properties. What this means to you is that acetaminophen is great for headaches, fever and minor aches and pains, but won’t reduce inflammation due to, say, a muscle sprain."

The previous statement is from the following web site:
http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/2008/04/professor/01/

1 mom found this helpful

M.L.

answers from Erie on

i used hylands teething tablets with both of my kids and thought they worked great. i dissolved them directly in their mouths directly...no adverse side effects. my dr actually recommended those over orajel. i don't like orajel anyway because i don't want the baby to swallow it...instead of me accidentally rubbing too much on his gums, i just avoid using it. and the amount of belladonna in tablets is miniscule...normally they would have to eat like 5 whole bottle of pills to have an adverse reaction to it.

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S.K.

answers from Dallas on

Hi N.,
Poor little guy, cutting those teeth is as h*** o* you as it is on him. My children are 6 & 4 now and we used the teething tabs. The best and fastest way for us was to dissolve them by just placing them on their tongue, I tasted one or two and they are sweet (not at all unpleasant). They seem to not have an affect on some children, so perhaps they are not helping. I am not a big fan of medicine and be careful with oragel as some parents will just use too much. If he does not sem to get better and/or if he seems to be running a fever, have his ears checked for an ear infection. Good Luck.

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L.C.

answers from Orlando on

It's so hard to tell if a baby is really teething. I think a lot of parents blame an awful lot of symptoms on teething when it could very well be something else. I've never used teething tablets so I can't answer your question about them. Does he seem uncomfortable during the day or just at night? For daytime, use a frozen rag or cold (not frozen) liquid filled teether to ease the pain.

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M.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

I put them in my hand and my son takes them and puts them into his own mouth. They work great for us.

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

I agree with Lets C.

Our kids never had physical distress when teething. Even though we'd purchased the Oragel, we never had to use it with either kid. Actually, our kids have always been really good with physical issues (teething, ear infections, constipation).

http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/t...

I'd recommend asking your pediatrician before using something. They may have wisdom regarding current guidelines on what's recommended, or advice from other parents' success. I believe our pediatrician recommended using Tylenol/Motrin to help alleviate the swelling of the gums and the pain that way.

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M.K.

answers from Stationed Overseas on

We use teething tablets all the time and I think they are fantastic. We tried baby orajel but it never seemed like it was working. When my daughter first started teething I gave her two at a time directly into her mouth. They dissolve instantly. Now that she is older and her molars are coming in I give her four at a time which is the recommended dose but no more. They calm her down right away and she falls back asleep in no time. I usually don't give them during the day but give her something to chew on instead. I have never given her Tylenol or Motrin as I don't believe in drugging a child. This is a much better homeopathic way to go in my opinion.

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J.P.

answers from Boise on

I used the teething tablets and the instructions said to let it dissolve under the tongue, yea, right! They dissolved in his mouth, but they were very ineffective for my son. I used Tylenol. Try the Tylenol/Motrin route and that will at least tell you if it is teething or not. Depending on the age, and how many teeth he currently has, stick a knuckle in there. If he starts chomping away at it, it is most likely teething. That was my test anyway. Now he tells me, "Boo-boo mouth", as he gnaws on his fingers.

D.P.

answers from Gainesville on

i used teething tablets for my 4 year old worked great when she teethed now im using them for my 7 month old. i wouldnt use anything else i use alnatural things like this for both of my children.i never had any problem with them my daughter Ped, actually recommended them when she was teething oh about 3 1/5 years ago. since then my second child this and gripe water are the only thing that helps her with teething.we do put them under her tounge then give her a binky for a minute then check to make sure they are dissolved.but they are great...i would try in the mouth without the water before using tylenol or mortin because those can cause more harm than to help..good luck

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L.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi-- we put 2 or 3 Hyland's tablets in a spoon, dissolved them in water and then sucked it up with the syringe. Alternately, in a new syringe, we put the tablets directly in the medicine syringe, sucked up water and shook it. Then we did our best to slowly squirt it under his tongue (in his mouth really, the tongue part didn't always work). He liked it, and still wants it. It only lasts an hour at best though.

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