Teething is the worst – for babies, of course, but it can really wear the patience of the most saintly of parents, too. These kids refuse to nap, get spectacularly upset at the littlest of things and generally act like the flippin’ worst, all while doing surprisingly smelly wees.
One ingenious idea suggested by Facebook group The Parent Pack could provide a break for everyone going through it – without costing a bomb.
You know those food pouches of mush babies eat? Using them to draw shapes on a bit of greaseproof paper, then freezing the whole lot, results in lots of delicious, perfectly-sized, nutritious gum-soothers. Genius.
The Parent Pack founders, mums Katie Jones and Emma McDonagh, told Manchester Evening News: “We’d seen a very similar idea on social media, but wanted to create a more playful and much safer idea. We thought it would be fab to make cool, edible shapes for teething babies.”
Due to the mixed materials in the pouch packaging, they aren’t recyclable in their standard form. There’s a recycling scheme – set up by TerraCycle and Ella’s Kitchen, but accepting other brand’s pouches as well – where you can post or drop them off around the country. This site has lots of details.
And if DIY frozen rings don’t work for your baby – there are loads of other tactics to try. Some parents soothe teething babies’ gums by throwing a wet flannel in the freezer, then letting them gnaw on it – and others offer up chilled camomile tea. The NHS recommends teething gels, gently rubbing their gums, paracetamol if they are over three months, and teething rings.
Or, you could always try a breastmilk lolly like this mum.