I am pretty sure that Avelyn is teething. Her cheeks are rosy, her top is soaked with a litre of drool, she is gnawing on everything she can get her paws on. Oh yeah, and she is GRUMPY. As in, really mad at the world. I realize that teething can be a months-long endeavor and I don’t want to resort to dosing her with tylenol to ease her discomfort until she’s two so today I walked to the pharmacy, howling child in tow, and asked the pharmacist for a homeopathic teething remedy. My favourite tree hugger, Kaili, swears by Hyland’s Teething Tablets but they didn’t carry those so I bought a box of Camilia. When we got home I poured one of the tiny vials down her throat and she instantly stopped screaming, drank her bottle of milk and fell fast asleep. It was beautiful. She was still pretty irritable for the remainder of the day but I gave her a couple more doses of the Camilia and it did seem to soothe her somewhat.
Tonight while chatting on the phone with my parents I mentioned the Camilia and how it had worked so well and she asked what was in it. I grabbed the box and read, "Camomile and Belladonna."
"Belladonna? That’s used to quicken the heart, dilate the pupils and resuscitate people," quoted my mother, the nurse.
"Oh. But it must be OK…it’s natural," I reasoned.
"So is opium," my father chimed in. Thanks for that, Dad.
A quick google search revealed the belladonna is derrived from one of the most poisonous plants in the world. I gave that to my baby?!
A deeper search into the world wide web revealed that the amount of belladonna in both Hyland’s Teething Tablets and Camilia is so incredibly minute that a child would have to consume thousands of boxes of the stuff to encounter any adverse effects. Somewhat comforting. But STILL.
Does anyone out there have any further information or opinions on belladonna or any secrets to surviving the reign of terror known as teething?
28 Comments
Hi Amanda,
I delurked last week and I thought I might chime in, since you asked. We have been using homoepathics for years in our family and you are right the dose is minute. Homoeopathy works in the way that like cures like. So the symptoms you are having in illness is cured with the plant that causes similar symptoms. There are heaps of great websites with info on it. Try not to be freaked out by it as it is much safer then plenty of other things “they” deem safe for children. Red cheeks is a classic sign that she would have a good result with the mix you got.
Goodluck…teething can be a hard time for all!
I too used Camilia on my first born…thanks for the tip.. Never use it again!! I just use orajel on my little guy..quick and easy although I’m sure there is some reason I shouldn’t use it!
Sorry, no advise, but I do think it is a rather funny story, though if it was my baby I would not think it was humorous. I hope you find something that works.
I don’t know anything about belladonna.
Used Hylands teething tablets for both my kids and they are great. Sophie also loves just having a wet cold facecloth to chew on, give it a try!
Oh my goodness Amanda, I don’t have any informtion on belladonna, but I have to share recent incident with you. Nate has thrush, and the doctor prescribed antibiotics for him, which bothered me because a) it was MY nipples that were sore and without treating mom as well, we would just pass the bacteria back and forth and never get rid of it, and b)the reason he had thrush in the first place was because he was put on antibiotics after he was born which killed off all bacteria in his body, even the healthy one’s that would have fought this trush stuff, and c)the resistance humans are showing to antibiotics nowadays is scary.
Anyhow, after hearing how much of a God this dr. Newman is in Canada, I talked to a few pharmacists and a health nurse and a la Leche league support person and they all recommended this purple staining Gentian Violet. Dr. Newman even prescribed a nipple cream ointment to me via email without ever meeting me, which I filled. Talk about freaking out 99% of the population. Then after three nights of dosing my kids I found a link on the internet that linked Gentian Violet to mouth cancer. !!#*?!
Anyhow, long story just to sorta empathise with you and say “I hear your pain Amanda” because no matter what we do, I swear there are some sort of ill effects. I’ve been trying to remind myself that even lettuce and apples are poisoinous with all of their pesticides. Geez, even too much flouride can cause cancer (flouride is a lethal gas that when mixed with water becomes fluoride)…the stuff is in our toothpaste and drinking water for crying out loud.
Also, watch out for “studies” or information that is politically motivated. You just never know who is funding the studies to insist something natural is bad because they want to sell more of their drugs. Remember what Nestle did in africa? They built hositals for them, but then designed them so that mom and babies don’t room together so that breastfeeding doesnt get established and then they need to give their babies formula. Not exactly the same idea, but that was totally a politically motiviated strategy to make them look like heroes and keep the breastfeeding population down.
I talk to much. Hugs.
What Melanie said: there’s a law of similars in homeopathy that means that small, minute doses of poisonous substances actually work in your favor, while doing no harm.
Remember, aspirin, Orajel and even water, for crying out loud is poisonous in high enough doses, like everything else.
Amanda, I used the tablets on Harrison and they were awesome! I reccomend getting a book on homeopathy to better understand it (our library had a bunch…maybe yours would too).
I’m a bit of a conspiracy theorist like Karla when it comes to drug companies.
Teething sucks for baby AND momma…we’re on tooth #3 now!
My favorite stuff was this Teething Oil I got from Groovy Mama, a tree-hugging store. ;) It contained ONLY organic olive oil and essential oil of clove. It works well! If you are wanting something badly enough, I can go buy it and mail it out to you. :)
Hope you find a solution!
Well, thought I’d chime in too–I used Hylands with both my boys–it was a great relief to them and brought us all much-needed sleep.
I was going to bring up the same point as Jonniker actually–nearly everything is bad for you if you overdo–you have to keep the dosage in mind. There was just a news article recently here in the States about a woman who killed herself drinking too much water–how amazing is that?
Good luck with the teething–rough stuff for all involved!
give her a peeled carrot to chew on… seriously, it was amazing for D before his tooth appeared.
I also used Camilia on Ty, and found it worked superbly (is that even a word?).
Like Karla said, there are so many things in this world that can hurt us, it is hard to know what is good and what is bad now-a-days.
I hope you figure things out soon, and by all means.. let us know if you find something that isn’t “hazardous” that works well.
PS – I used to wet face cloths and put them in the freezer for Ty to chew on when he was teething REALLY badly.
Some good advice above. There are many homeopathic & other medications used effectively today that are derived from (poisonous)plants but have such minute dosages that don’t accumulate in the body or become harmful. Both Hylands & Camilia have been around since my kids were babies many moons ago so that says something. Also teething oil with oil of clove is available in Penticton at Whole Foods. My kids also loved the teething rings you popped in the freezer that contained antifreeze that they could chew on – just kidding it is a water-filled ring only! Good luck; teething one of the many hurdles for babes & new mommy’s!
I didn’t find the Highland’s teething tabs to do anything at all or any so called “natural” stuff. A cold wet cloth with a bit a pressure on the gums worked best and then Tylenol at night if it was real bad.
Yes teething rings have been used for years. Sue’s comments are good. I sure hope our sweetest doll Kickyboots doesn’t give you too much trouble teething. Reactions tend to get worse sometimes just before a bud shows. lv u al
Caleb likes to chew on things when teething… I give him tupperware lids and some of his soft plastic toys that he bites into. Rice cakes work the best though. Not sure why, but he gums and gums them to bits… somtimes eating them, mostly just making a mess. When it’s time to sleep, I use tylenol. It’s the only thing that works for him when he needs to fall asleep.
I used Hylands and still use all hylands products, and swear by them. Some natural products do contain traces of other plants and some don’t. I recommend to do your own research and do what you feel comfortable with. I used clove oil when I got my wisdom teeth out, it is very strong so if you are going to try it, try very small drop first. You do have to keep in mind when others and research reveals certain things about “natural” products, what ingredients does baby tylenol have that is harmful to your baby? Their are two sides to every story, that’s why I say do the research and decide on your own what’s best. You will feel alot more confident and better about your decisions. Love you and good luck in your quest.
Sounds like you got some great advice above. My sister swore by the teething tablets, but they didn’t work on the boys. I’d like to try the stuff you tried yesterday when Emily starts teething :)
I was wondering how long it would take you to become a tree hugger! Hope you find something that works. I’m still all about the drugs. Tylenol cures all and if it’s safe enough to use while I’m pregnant I think it’s just as safe once they’re born. But that’s just me.
When Ian was teething I usually kept a bottle of cold breast milk in the fridge, and when the pain got so bad that he wouldn’t nurse well I pulled out the bottle. He enjoyed gumming the cold nipple and got some nurishment as well. If it got so bad that Mommy and Daddy couldn’t stand it, we dosed him up with Tylenol. For baby #2 it’s Tylenol all the way.
I concur with the wet washcloth suggestion In addition, you could try a vibrating teether. As I tell everyone to whom I suggest that, it’s not as kinky as it sounds, and it is a GODSEND. Here’s the one that I use: http://www.buybuybaby.com/shopping/prod_detail/main.asp?uid=818423D4-5207-44D9-ADAE-0337CD386065-46141412&search=vibrating%20teether&stype=ANY&sl=&modelNumber=undefined&advSearchCat=undefined&brand=undefined&minprice=undefined&maxprice=undefined&productID=323
Luckily Katelyn didn’t have too much problem with the teeth…heard lots of good things about the teething tabs, camilia. The cold washcloth or put a banana in the freezer works too. Let us know what helps little Avelyn!
When my son was teething, we would give him board books to chew on. If he was ornary durring the day, we would use a drop of Oragel. But at night, we would use half the recommended dose of the Concentrated Infant Motrin drops. Our pediatrician said Motrin was better for pain, Tylenol for fever. And if you are worried about choking, there is a device on the market. It’s a feeding device. I can’t remember what it’s called, but it has a mesh bag that you can put frozen fruit in, snap it to the base, and let baby loose without the possiblilty of choking. Oh, and Tylers favorite was Popcycles! Hope you find something that works for you!!
The mesh teething thing that Jennifer was talking about is called a “Fresh Food Feeder”. It’s a wonderful thing. I had one for Micah. I wish I still had it…I’d send it to you. But here’s the link where you can find one. http://store.babycenter.com/product/code/3925.do
Another idea for you would be to freeze some of your breastmilk (or formula) in ice cube trays. Then put one in the “Fresh Food Feeder”. Micah loved that because it was nice and cold for his sore gums and he was getting milk out of it. The other good thing about this is if you just give them a frozen banana to “gum” you shouldn’t once their teeth pop through for fear that they might bite piece off. Just stick your frozen banana in the mesh bag…works when they have teeth too.
I survived off Hylands teething tabs. Also the occational frozen face cloth to chew on or other cold cewy things. Interesting that just b/c it’s natural it dosent mean it’s safe!
Baby orajel or ambesol are good topical remedies for teething pain. Frozen washcloths are also soothing.
I have tried both. The Hyland’s teething tablets seemed to work for me (well, the babies), whereas the Camilia seemed to do nothing. I tried to stay away from the gum numbing stuff but a lot of people use it and swear by it as well.
just to add my two sense i dont have a baby but I work with them all day long..and we use the vibrating teether homemade popcicles if they are on watered down juice–supervised very carefully of course–teething cookies if you go down the baby food section they are the big fat rice cookies, frozed teethers and wash clothes the kids at work get nothing when they are with us unless they get a fever higher then 100 and then they are give tylenol for the tempurature!!!
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