Ever since the moment you gave birth to your baby, you haven’t been able to take your eyes off them, and have utterly relished in watching how they change and develop from one day to the next. Because as any parent will tell you, the first few days and weeks fly by, and you don’t want to miss one moment!

And as you’ve been watching your baby so closely, you’ve started to notice that they’re not nearly as often breaking into that beautiful gummy smile that you love. Instead, they’ve become subdued, irritable and altogether visibly quite unhappy.

At first, you didn’t know what was wrong, and it was killing you trying to find a solution that would dry their tears. That was until you noticed that they had picked up a habit of sucking on their favourite blanket.

It finally clicked, your little angel is teething!

Parents, we know that watching your baby go through the pain of teething can be just awful. No parent likes to see their child in pain, but teething is just one of those things that they, unfortunately, have to experience. However, there are certain remedies that many have cited to be very helpful, such as teething numbing gels.

But like any remedy or medicine, different parents seem to have different opinions on teething numbing gels.

So, if you were considering trying them, then it’s always helpful to explore these opinions in order to find the right solution for you and your baby.

To begin with, let’s talk about why some parents use teething numbing gels on their baby.

Why do some parents use teething numbing gels on their babies?

Although teething is an inevitable part of your child’s development, many parents will want to find a solution to their child’s pain as soon as possible. Teething gels have been considered a fantastic tool for doing this, as they provide instant, easy pain relief. The gel is easy to apply, the texture is soothing to a baby and it doesn’t cost a lot.

In contrast, other parents will have their reason for avoiding teething numbing gels:

Why do others avoid teething numbing gels?

Other parents will actively avoid using teething numbing gels for their baby, as these types of local anaesthetics contain benzocaine. Some say that benzocaine should be avoided when treating infant teething problems.

So, how can you use this information to make an informed decision for your baby?

We know that it can be confusing to consider different opinions when trying to make a decision related to your baby’s health and wellbeing. But opinions aside, we always like to follow the advice of official institutions such as The American Academy of Paediatrics.

The AAP and the AAPD (American Academy of Paediatric Dentists) both say that teething gels should be generally avoided, as many of them haven’t been properly approved or evaluated for efficacy or safety. They believe that they could potentially lead to medical problems such as constipation, agitation and seizures. Further to this, other studies have shown that other potential adverse health effects could include heart problems or brain injury. Even though these are unlikely to actually occur in your baby, we believe it’s best to steer clear of these potential risks, as small as they may be.

But just because teething gels aren’t the most favourable of options, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other things you can do to ease your baby’s pain. For example, you could place a cool, wet cloth on their gums, or try out a hard rubber teething ring.

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