Some times nothing works when it comes to teething babies, it just hurts and hurts. As a mother of course I looked for anything that may make those tiny baby tears stop, and I found plenty of safe ways (which you can read about here.) but the best yet, that never seems to fail, is Hyland’s Homeopathic Teething Tablets.
I was bit skeptical of trying teething tablets with my baby because I prefer a natural approach to parenting. I also heard of a girl once who fed her baby Hyland’s teething tablets at a newborn age, simply to dope him into no longer crying. I saw that as atrocious and I suppose afterwards related the pills to drugging a child.
I was grossly mistaken, and I’m glad I did the research on Hyland’s Homeopathic teething tablets, because man have they been an inexpensive life saver these last few months. (Two teeth down, a mouth full to go)
So, in addition to reviewing Hyland’s tablets I’d like to share what I learned. For Hyland’s website,
“Hyland’s Teething Tablets contain homeopathically prepared forms of Calcarea Phosphorica, Chamomilla, Coffea Cruda, and Belladonna. These ingredients are all prepared in accordance with the Homeopathic Pharmacopœia of the United States (HPUS). HPUS has been recognized by the FDA since 1938 as the official compendium (or formula book) for homeopathic medicine in the U.S. When homeopathically prepared, active ingredients are diluted to the point that the risk of toxicity is extremely low.”
First, are those drugs? What does each one actually do? I know that Belladonna can be deadly in excess being that it’s a plant poison.
Calcarea Phosphorica:
Also known as calcium. Calcium aids in teeth development, speeding up the teething process for your baby..
Chamomilla:
Chamomile, a common plant which has been proven to speed the healing process. [1] Chamomilla also is known to cause drowsiness and ease irritability. It is present in teas world wide.
Coffea Cruda:
A.k.a Green Coffee. This one threw me off a bit. I thought caffeine was bad for babies’. Some research found that amount contained in Hyland’s Teething tablets is not harmful to your baby [2] and aids in sleep and energizes the body. That may sound like an oxymoron, coffee to sleep, but the coffee counter balances the nervousness and discomfort naturally being produced in a babies body while in pain, causing relief and sleep.
And finally, Belladonna:
Belladonna is in fact a poison, a very deadly one, a mere two to three berries can be fatal. Hyland’s covered this topic for me.
“Belladonna is included in the Tablets to ease the redness, inflammation and discomfort of the child’s gum that often occurs during the teething process.”
“The amount of Belladonna alkaloids in teething tablets is minuscule, especially when compared to conventional medicine. To put homeopathic dosages in perspective, typically a 10-pound child would need to ingest 1,000 Hyland’s Teething Tablets (at least 6 bottles of 125 tablets) to exhibit even the first possible side effect of Belladonna.
Basically, everything in Hyland’s Teething tablets is safe, and does exactly what you expect it to; ease your baby’s pain so they can rest. Should you rely on teething tablets in excess? No. Should you use teething tablets on an infant that is not teething simply to stop the baby from crying? Certainly not. But these baby teething tablets really are a life saver, and in my opinion, are safer than Infant Tylenol or Motrin. They are also far cheaper.
Citation:
1. “An experimental study of the effects of Matricaria chamomilla extract on cutaneous burn wound healing in albino rats”. Nat Prod Res. 22 (5): 423-8. 2008-03-20.
2. “The holistic Pediatrician” By Kathi J. Kemper P.g 331
