The simplest ways to calm a teething baby involve cold, pressure, and distraction. Most babies start cutting teeth between 6 and 12 months old, and the discomfort tends to come in waves, peaking as each tooth pushes through the gum and then easing off. The good news is that a few reliable, low-tech strategies can get you through the worst of it.
What Teething Actually Feels Like for Your Baby
Teething pain is localized. The gums where a tooth is about to break through become red, swollen, and tender, and your baby responds the way you’d expect: fussiness, irritability, trouble sleeping, and a sudden urge to bite or chew on anything within reach. Drooling ramps up noticeably, sometimes weeks before a tooth appears, and some babies lose interest in eating because sucking or chewing puts pressure on sore gums.
One thing worth knowing: teething does not cause high fevers, diarrhea, or vomiting. These symptoms sometimes show up around the same age range (6 to 36 months), which is why parents often connect them to teething, but they’re more likely signs of a separate illness. A mild temperature increase can happen, but a true fever over 100.4°F calls for a closer look at what else might be going on.
Cold and Pressure: The Two Best Tools
Almost every effective teething remedy works by delivering cold, counterpressure, or both to sore gums.
Gum massage. Use a clean finger or a piece of wet gauze and rub your baby’s gums firmly for about two minutes. The pressure works against the ache from below, and you can repeat this as often as your baby needs it. For babies older than 12 months, you can wrap a small piece of ice in a wet cloth and use that instead.
Chilled (not frozen) items. Put a teething ring, pacifier, or damp washcloth in the refrigerator until it’s cool, then let your baby chew on it. The cold numbs the gum surface and reduces swelling. Avoid putting these in the freezer. Frozen-solid objects become too hard and can bruise tender gums. If you use a teething ring, look for one filled with distilled water rather than gel, since new teeth can puncture the ring.
Chilled fruit in a mesh feeder. For babies over 12 months who are already eating solids, a small mesh teether filled with cold banana slices or chilled berries gives them something tasty to gnaw on while the cold does its work. This can also help with the appetite drop that teething sometimes causes.
Getting Through the Night
Teething pain often feels worse at night because there are fewer distractions. When your baby wakes up fussy, a two-minute gum rub with a clean finger is usually the fastest way to settle them back down. Keep a chilled washcloth or teething ring in the fridge so it’s ready to go at 2 a.m. without any scrambling.
Try to keep the room dim and your voice low during these wake-ups. The goal is to relieve the pain without fully waking your baby or signaling that it’s time to play. If your baby has a bedtime routine they’re used to, stick with it. Teething disrupts sleep for a few rough nights per tooth, but it passes. Changing the routine too much can create new sleep habits that outlast the teething itself.
When Pain Relief Medication Makes Sense
If cold and pressure aren’t enough, infant acetaminophen is an option, but with some important guardrails. For children under 2, you should get dosing guidance from your pediatrician first, because the correct amount is based on your baby’s weight, not just age. The liquid form (160 mg per 5 mL) measured with an oral syringe is the most accurate way to give it. Doses can be given every four hours as needed, up to five times in 24 hours.
Ibuprofen is another option but only for babies 6 months and older. Again, weight-based dosing from your pediatrician is essential. These medications work well for the worst peaks of teething pain, especially before bed, but they’re a short-term tool rather than an around-the-clock solution.
Products to Avoid
Several popular teething products carry real risks that outweigh any benefit.
Numbing gels with benzocaine. Over-the-counter gels like Orajel that contain benzocaine can cause a rare but serious condition where the blood’s ability to carry oxygen drops dangerously. The FDA has warned against using benzocaine products on children under 2.
Homeopathic teething tablets. The FDA issued a specific warning about homeopathic teething tablets containing belladonna, including products from Hyland’s and CVS. Testing found that the levels of toxic compounds (atropine, scopolamine, and caffeine) varied wildly from tablet to tablet, with some containing far more than the label stated. These products should be thrown away if you have them at home.
Amber teething necklaces. These are marketed with the claim that succinic acid in the amber absorbs through the skin to reduce inflammation. There’s no evidence this works. What is well documented is the danger: the FDA received reports of children choking on broken beads and one 18-month-old who was strangled to death by an amber necklace during a nap. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants not wear any jewelry at all.
Helping Your Baby Eat During Teething
Babies who are breastfeeding or bottle-feeding sometimes pull away or refuse to latch because the suction aggravates their gums. Rubbing their gums for a couple of minutes before a feeding session can take the edge off enough for them to eat comfortably. A chilled teething ring right before feeding serves the same purpose.
For babies on solids, cool, soft foods are your friend. Cold applesauce, chilled yogurt, or mashed banana straight from the fridge can be more appealing than warm meals. Some babies prefer harder foods they can press against their gums, like a thick crust of bread (supervised, of course). Follow your baby’s lead. Appetite usually bounces back within a day or two once the tooth breaks through the surface.
How Long Each Episode Lasts
The worst discomfort typically hits in the few days before and after a tooth cuts through the gum. Once the tooth is fully through, the pain fades quickly. Most babies get their 20 primary teeth by age 3, but the process isn’t constant. You’ll go through waves of rough days separated by perfectly normal stretches. The lower front teeth usually come first, followed by the upper front teeth, and the molars (which tend to cause the most discomfort because of their size) arrive later, typically between 12 and 18 months.
Each baby handles teething differently. Some barely seem to notice, while others are miserable for days. If you have the basics covered, cold things to chew on, regular gum massage, and pain medication when needed, you’re doing everything that actually works.