It is a delight to see your baby pop his first tooth. Exciting as it may sound, teething is one of the most challenging milestones that your baby undergoes especially because of the pain they go through. And to address this, parents are usually worried about choosing the right teething snack. Teething, however, usually starts at around 6 months of age, the time when you begin to introduce solids to your baby. This is the time when parents come up with queries and concerns. And to address this, let us see what are some of the best teething snacks for a 6-month-old baby.
What snacks are good for my baby as he is teething?
Teething usually begins around 4 to 6 months old and lasts up to 36 months; the first ones to appear are the front lower teeth and the last to appear are molars (Ashley, 2001)
Teething can be classified as one of the challenging phases as your baby aces each milestone. This is not only because of the teething pain and the sore gums but also because of other symptoms that you begin to notice in your baby. Some of these include the following:
Disturbed sleep
Irritability
Drooling
Diarrhea
Slight fever
Loss of appetite
Teething symptoms might vary from one baby to the other and the overall teething experience differs for every baby. Considering this, here are some of the teething snacks that you would love to offer to your teething baby, especially at 6 months. This is the time when you begin to offer solid food items to your child that often coincides with his teething experience.
Teething Biscuits
One of the most commonly available at grocery stores is the teething biscuits that your baby can chew on. These biscuits are safe for your baby as it melts and creates a very low risk of choking or gagging. You can also try different recipes to make it at home and give it to your baby.
Hard Vegetables
Freeze the veggie stick!
Hard vegetables, especially the ones that you refrigerate, are a great option for teething babies. Though there are several vegetable options, parents usually prefer giving babies cold cucumber sticks or rings as it is perfect to gnaw on.
The cold teething snack helps with the teething pain. However, parents or caretakers must keep a close eye on when the baby is sucking on the hard veggies so that they don’t break up.
Popsicles
Since anything cold would provide teething relief, it would be a great idea to give popsicles to your baby. You can also create fruit slushies or fruit popsicles for your baby to suck on. The best way to do this is by blending your baby’s favorite fruits and pouring them into a popsicle mold. You can then place it in the freezer and give it to your child. Guess what? I used to create one for myself too and I and my baby enjoyed it together!
Yogurt
Yogurt tends to be a healthy teething snack. With the soft liquidy texture, nothing can go wrong! I am sure your baby will love it. You can blend a fruit with the yogurt, give him a cold, or make a popsicle. The cooling effect will be a blessing for his sore gums.
Snacks that you should avoid for teething?
Teething usually coincides with the time when you introduce solids to the baby. Since teething is a painful process, parents need to be careful with the food being introduced to help the child feel more comfortable.
In such a situation, it is better to avoid the following snacks when the baby is teething:
Citrus Foods
Citrus foods with their sour taste might be yummy for the baby. However, because of its high acidic content, it is better to keep your child away to avoid irritation of the sore gums.
Spicy Food items
Parents usually avoid giving spicy foods to babies. However, there might be unavoidable situations like dining out, where you might need to be careful before sharing the food with the baby. Spicy food or even the tinge of spice might irritate the sore gums of the baby and hence, should be avoided. In cases of dining out, you can always carry a better teething snack (biscuits are the easiest) for your child.
The variation in the cold and frozen food
Cold teething snacks are loved by babies since they aid the teething process. However, try to give them cold snacks instead of giving them completely frozen snacks that would appear harsh on their gums.
Salty food items
I have always seen that some babies prefer sweet while others choose salty snacks. In the case of a teething baby, it is best to refrain from giving salty snacks as they might irritate the teeth that are about to pop. Imagine how you feel using salt when you have swollen gum!
Helpful teething tips and tricks
Apart from choosing a teething snack like a teething biscuit, a hard vegetable stick, or a frozen banana, you can also give teething toys to your baby.
Teething is one of the most challenging tasks for parents. It is heartbreaking to see your child in pain; every parent tries his best to relieve the pain. Considering this, several BPA-free, dishwasher-safe teething toys can be cooled and given to the baby to soothe his gums.
For instance, the soft bristles of the most famous banana toothbrush when rubbed over gums relieve teething pain. Several other teether options come with various textures to help the baby with teething-related soreness. You can check the stores and get whatever you like the best.
Conclusion
Since we all hate seeing our kids in pain, a dreadful sight that needs attention is teething! On one hand, you will applaud on seeing a new tooth. Yet, on the other, you try your best to relieve your baby’s teething pain. And to understand this better, I gave you an elaborate insight about the teething snacks that would be great for your 6-month babies.
Share these suggestions with your friends and family, and don’t forget to mention your viewpoint in the comment box below.
REFERENCES
Ashley MP (2001) It’s only teething… A report of the myths and modern approaches to teething. Opinion piece. Br Dent J. 191(1):4-8. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/4801078.pdf
RN Remedies. Your Infant is Teething: Know the Signs and Symptoms. https://www.chla.org/blog/rn-remedies/your-infant-teething-know-the-signs-and-symptoms