How to soothe your baby's teething woes naturally

As a child nutritionist and a mom of two, I have seen so many babies who suddenly become very fussy at mealtimes because of teething. When this change suddenly happens, its normal for parents to start panicking.

However, we must remember that teething is a natural process of the 20 milk teeth erupting from the gums. This starts anywhere form 6 months up till 3 years of age. During these times, there is only so much we can do. We can help manage the discomfort and pain, but all babies must go through it. The actual teething phase lasts around 1.5 weeks while each tooth is erupting.What are the common signs that indicate teething? Look for swollen gums, crying and fussiness, babies itching their ears, trying to chew everything, changes in sleep pattern, drooling, face rash, drop in appetite, low-grade fever, high fever isn't teething-related, just a slight elevation, and a few lose stools.

If diarrhoea happens 3-4 times a day, it's likely an infection from putting everything in their mouth, not directly related to teething.So what do you do if you notice these signs? There are simple remedies to help ease the pain. One of the best things we can do is offer cool teethers, fruit nibblers or popsicle moulds. When babies are teething, they feel comforted by having something cool and hard in their mouth. You can offer a fruit popsicle or chill a teether in the freezer for 15 minutes or put a cold fruit in a fruit nibbler.

You can also place a cool washcloth on your finger for them to gnaw on.

You can also massage their gums with a clean wet gauze. Remember to sterilize everything being used. Also, when babies are in pain what they really need is comfort and cuddles from the parents. During mealtimes, you can offer cold yogurt with rice or resistive foods to dip purees in like pineapple, watermelon rind, chicken drumstick, mango pit, frozen celery, bell peppers, or carrot stick.

It is okay if their appetite is low during this phase, you can let it be. However, it should not last longer than 2 weeks. Continue regular mealtimes, offer age appropriate foods without force or pressure. Offering some extra milk and hydration during this time helps.

Remember babies are humans, they will go through these phases, it is how we respond that sets the mealtime habits, so it is important to not start trying different things or distracting them just to get a few bites in, because they are clearly going through something and we want to support them and trust the process.

Here are some easy recipes you can try during teething:

Fruit Puree (6+ months): Steam 1 small pear, boil 1 prune for 10 minutes and then strain. Blend with 1 teaspoon soaked chia (15 minutes in ¼ cup water),a pinch of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon coconut oil. Add water/coconut milk/breast milk for consistency. Chill 1 hour and offer or place in popsicle moulds.Berry Coconut Chia Pudding (6+ months): Stir ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk, 2 tablespoons chia seeds, 1 tablespoon mashed berries (or any other seasonal fruit), sprinkle cinnamon.

Place in the fridge overnight and offer the next day chilled.Ragi Porridge (7+ months): 2 teaspoons ragi (finger millet) flour, ¼ cup water, 3 tablespoons steamed and mashed fruit- choose any 1 or 2 (e.g., apple, pear, banana, or papaya),½ teaspoon ghee (about a few drops). Offer it with a cool ripe strawberry on the side.Teething is a tough phase, but it's temporary. Stay patient, keep offering comfort, and soon those little teeth will be through. You've got this!