Your baby will cut 20 teeth over the next few years. These include four front incisors, with four additional side incisors for cutting. Four back molars will appear to aid in chewing. Next, the pointed canine teeth will erupt, and finally, four back molars will break through. Twenty teeth spell a lot of discomfort for your child.

Signs of teething

Most babies begin cutting teeth before 6 months, although some wait as long as a year. Remember, your child will cut teeth at his own speed. The first sign of teething is excessive drooling. Peek inside your baby’s mouth and check for swollen gums. Your baby might chew on his fingers, hands, and toys in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Looser bowel movements, poor appetite, and rejecting the bottle are also signs of teething. No, you can’t hide under the bed. It’s time to find a way to help with your child’s teething nightmare.

Tricks from seasoned moms

Finding the trick to help your baby’s pain might take some trial and error. Get those cute little bibs and arm yourself with soft burping cloths to wipe baby’s chin. If a rash develops, gently clean with warm water, dry thoroughly and apply some petroleum jelly to protect from chafing. It’s almost a guarantee that the method you find to soothe your baby will be as unique as your child is. Be patient.

Cold washcloth : Freeze or refrigerate a wet washcloth and allow your baby to gnaw on it. The textured surface provides just enough abrasion to ease baby’s gum pain. Try twisting an ice cube inside the cloth and let baby go to town!

Mommy’s finger : With clean hands, press and rub on baby’s gums. You just might find baby likes this best, especially because he gets a sweet snuggle in the process.

New toothbrush : Use a baby toothbrush to gently rub your child’s gums. Never let baby hold the brush as he could easily choke himself.

Cooler foods : Some babies find warmed baby food uncomfortable when teething. Try cool applesauce or freeze bananas and cut them to baby-sized bites. Some mothers swear by frozen peas, for both pain reduction and entertainment value for a baby. Try cool water in baby’s bottle.

Teething biscuits : Dissolving biscuits are a good way to let baby go to town while your rush through your dinner.

Cold spoons : Put a metal spoon in the freezer. Bend the handle before giving it to your baby.

Distraction : Redirecting your baby’s attention away from his discomfort with an interesting toy or playtime with Mommy’s undivided attention might help him forget his sore mouth for a while.

Teething rings : Fashioned from hard plastic, these toys are easy for little fingers to grasp. Some rings can be placed in the refrigerator to cool them to ease discomfort but should never be frozen.

Pain relievers, gels and pills

Some parents choose to use Baby Tylenol to ease baby’s teething discomfort. Make sure you administer the correct dose for your child based on your pediatrician’s recommendations. Teething gels are another option, although some babies don’t like the taste. Some parents swear by homeopathic teething pills. Again, use your best judgment based on the advice of your physician when considering over-the-counter medications for your baby.

Let your baby make the ultimate statement

Are you a mom with a unique style who can’t bear to see her precious newborn become another advertisement for mass consumerism? Do you hate all the stuffy, traditional pinks and blues for your new bundle of joy? Where can you go to find baby clothing that will help your child learn to walk to the beat of their own drum? We’ve scoured the Internet and have found several unique places to find baby clothing that is definitely not out of the big box or the famous mall boutiques.

Threadless.com

For moms who identify with the artsy crowd, this is the site for you. They offer unique, alternative art on one-of-a-kind baby clothing. Some of the art is quite abstract and some is just plain silly and fun. New designs are released every Friday, so you can visit often and never get bored. Kids’ T-shirts are $17 and onesies are $20. This company is very hip with the campus crowd across America and offers a message board to post comments and discussions. Spend some time browsing the comments posted by the artists. It will give you some insight into the designs you purchase. This site was a bit difficult to navigate, but the designs won’t be found anywhere else, so it’s worth the extra trouble to figure it out.

Cafepress.com

If quick, affordable and witty is your cup of tea, then you’ll want to check out Cafepress.com, which offers more than a million designs to choose from. You’ll find the traditional “I’m the big brother/sister,” and other cutesy sayings; political statements, pop culture icons, and tons of family-related quotations. If you don’t see what you want here, the site lets you can create a design yourself. Two minutes and 5 or 6 clicks of the mouse and you can have your own designer item featuring your child’s picture or artwork. Any jpg or png files can be used for your design. Available items for baby clothing are bodysuits, bibs, and tees. Most items are under $15. Caution: This site can be addictive and time consuming!

Babywit.com

At Babywit.com their tag line is: You may not be cool, but your baby can be. This site features hip, irreverent designs, from punk and alternative themes to classic rock, pirate, cowboy and outlaw pop-culture items. Their designer section features hand-sewn appliqués, which are priced as higher-end products. They have a larger choice of baby clothing items than most other sites, including shoes and slippers (the cowboy boot slippers are awesome!), diaper bags, and diaper covers. Most items start at around $21 and go up from there. This site even has a gift registry, so expecting moms and dads can choose their favorites and keep track of their gifts.

Crazybabyclothing.com

Just want something plain in basic black? You’ll find find the solid black onesies and tees that you need to coordinate with baby’s other fashions. They also offer green or pink camo designs and the ever popular pirate skull choices. Their line of cool pacifiers offers something out of the ordinary, and are sure to draw comments from your baby’s adoring public.

Sandboxcouture.com

This site caters to the fashionista and celebrity watcher crowd, with a collection of designer baby clothing for the preschool set. See designs worn by children of the stars, like Madonna and Jennie Garth, featuring Sweet Potatoes, Kate Mack, Roxy Girls, Quicksilver, No Fear and Flowers by Zoe, among others.

Babyrockapparel.com

Finally, for those hardcore rockers who just can’t turn off the tunes now that baby has arrived , this site has baby-friendly versions of your favorite hard rock songs. Preview the music while you shop for your little rocker. Rock On!

Hipbabyclothes.net

The name of this site is actually Tot Rocket: Where cool babies can wear what they think! So you get the idea. The site offers funny tees and onesies, with sayings like, “I only cry when ugly people hold me,” “Breastfed baby - enjoy the show,” “My mom’s too lazy to make a bottle,” “Hung like a five year old,” “Topic of conversation,” and “Been there - broke that.” Some of the bibs with cute sayings: “Being Republican means never having to say you’re sorry,” “Bill Clinton for First Lady,” and “My whole life is being blogged.” They have baby clothing with rock star sayings, tattoo-like graphics, skulls, and sports and punk logos. All the logos are available on tees, onesies, and bibs, and they even have the ever-popular hoodies for babies. They have a great selection of items for only $10.99. Your baby will definitely get a second look sporting one of these products!

Pokkadots.com

This site has a great selection of really cute boutique-style baby clothing, not as hardcore as Tot Rocket’s. They carry sizes from 0-5t for girls, and from 0-8 for boys. They even have cool shoes, cozy pajamas, books, toys, furniture, decor, organic clothing, and items for mom and dad. Their baby clothes are scaled-down replicas of what trendy teens are wearing - all the latest styles in little kids’ sizes! I especially like the layered-look shirts, the pirate cap, the rain gear, the leggings, and the Paul James blazer. The clothes were adorable, and I found the prices to be very reasonable.

Retrobaby.com

For cute, tongue-in-cheek baby clothing, visit Retro Baby. They offer hoodies, tees, dresses, bibs, onesies, and accessories in infant and toddler sizes. Their logos include sayings like “I’m kind of a big deal,” “It’s okay, I’m with the band,” “For good luck, rub my tummy,” and my favorite, “Does this diaper make my butt look big?” The latest craze for teens is a tee displaying an old rock band’s picture and logo, and Retro Baby has them for little kids. They have Led Zeppelin, the Ramones, Jimmy Hendrix, Bob Marley, Iron Maiden, Guns ’n Roses, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I also loved the rubber duckies in the form of Mr. T, Gene Simmons of Kiss, Alice in Wonderland, and Buddha. Very cool. Many items were under $20.

Uncommonlycute.com

These baby clothing articles really are uncommonly cute, and they come in toddler sizes, too. Uncommonly Cute specializes in onesies and short- and long-sleeve tees. Some of their tee shirt sayings are “freshly baked,” “brand new,” “miso cute,” “king of the little people,” and “Elmo is my homeboy.” They even have shirts with peace signs. They also have baby clothing for twins that says things like “perfect pair.” I love the twin shirts that say “copy” on one and “paste” on the other! The onesies and short-sleeve tees are $22, and the long-sleeve tees are $24.
Do a little “window shopping” for some hip baby clothing. If you just buy department store clothes for your child, she’s going to look just like all the other little tykes. Dare to be different! Even if your baby can’t talk, he can still make a statement by sporting a trendy outfit.