I thought teething was bad with my first..... and then I had my second. Her gums would swell and bleed and her teeth would just remain "stuck" right at the point of breaking in, but would not finish coming in for months on end! I even tried essential oils that I grabbed from the health food store for my second. Nothing seemed to be working.
With my third, thank the Lord, we found something that works for her. So here it is: my parental teething advice borne out of many sleepless nights and lots of trial and error.
These are the essentials oils we use, how we use them, and how they work.
Lavender
Roman Chamomile
White Fir (the Christmas tree oil)
*Some people recommend Clove essential oil. But it actually is not recommended for little ones, so I personally don't recommend it for teething.
Both Lavender and Roman Chamomile are very mild and gentle. Both are also analgesic and helpful for pain.
I remember one night, we had friends over, and my baby girl was tired, cranky, teething, and inconsolable. We were in the middle of conversation, and I was bouncing her. Not thinking about the fact that she was teething and in pain, I just kept talking and bouncing the crying baby. Lol, where are our brains sometimes? Finally the thought filtered into my head, try the oils, you dimwit. So I wandered over, grabbed some Lavender, and applied it neat (undiluted) to her jaw line. Within about 20 seconds, she stopped crying, latched on, and fell asleep. My friends interrupted me, and were like, WHOA, what did you just put on her? Haha...yep, it worked!
Ok, but what else?
Sometime I find that Lavender isn't strong enough, or doesn't fit the bill. I'll also use Roman Chamomile, and love mixing the two together for a wonderful teething blend. In fact, currently, I have a roll on bottle with these two oils mixed together for teething. I'll list that recipe in a second. Roman Chamomile has been used for teething for centuries, and in Europe, they actually recommend Chamomile tea for teething. With my first I used to soak a washcloth in cool Chamomile tea and use it for my little one. Being that the essential oil is stronger than the tea, it works even better! So I always recommend Roman Chamomile as a safe and gentle teething solution.
BUT...drumroll please...I had been hearing about the "Christmas tree" oil, and using it for teething. White Fir is a strong analgesic and is recommended for pain and inflammation throughout the body. It's been used for centuries by Native Americans for this use.
Go here to learn more about White Fir.
But I hadn't thought about it for teething. But I started reading stories of people recommending it, and stating that it worked better than Lavender for them. Soooo....we got it! And we are trying it. And so far, it is working like a charm! (Our daughter is working on her molars right now haha).
So now, HOW TO USE:
You have different options.
- One, you can apply either 1 drop of lavender and roman chamomile NEAT (undiluted) on your baby's jaw line. Something i have done quite a few times.
- Second: You can take her finger, rub it on the top of the bottle, and get less than a drop of the essential oil rub it directly on their gum.
- Third: You can dilute, a 1:4 ratio (one being the EO and 4 being the carrier oil) and apply diluted to jawline or directly onto gum (just a very tiny bit please). The great thing about this, is you avoid any sensitivities to an essential oil.
So after all of that here you go:
My NEW Teething Blend:
2-3 drops Lavender
2-3 drops Roman Chamomile
2-3 drops White Fir
20-30ish drops of a carrier oil
Fill a 5ml roll on bottle
Use as needed by applying to jaw line, or applying a tiny bit on your finger and rubbing onto the gum.
Let me know how your little one does with this blend!!!