Teething can be one of the most challenging periods of infancy. Teething babies may cry all day and into the night, and parents can be pushed to their limits in efforts to soothe their babies.
Homeopathy can help! Homeopathic remedies can help take away the pain of teething, plus they're non-toxic and safe for use in all ages.
Chamomilla and Pulsatilla
The two main go-to remedies for teething are Chamomilla and Pulsatilla. In my 10+ years of experience as a homeopathic practitioner, I have seen that one of these two homeopathic remedies will help most babies feel better during teething.
As is always the case with homeopathic remedies, the selection of the remedy depends on the overall symptom picture, including mental, emotional, and physical symptoms.
Common Symptoms
There are some similarities between the symptoms indicating Chamomilla and Pulsatilla.
Babies who will benefit from Chamomilla or Pulsatilla may want to be carried around a lot of the time. They may drool a lot and there may be loose stools. They may have one pale cheek and one red cheek.
These babies are in pain and they cry a lot. However, the feeling behind the crying is the main way to determine which remedy to try.
Is the Baby Angry or Pitiful?
Teething babies who will benefit from Pulsatilla are pitiful. Their cries make the parents feel compassion and a desire to comfort the babies. These babies are sweet and clingy.
Babies who will benefit from Chamomilla are angry. They are hard to satisfy and may demand things but then throw them away. Naturally, the parents will want to comfort the baby, but the baby's irritability may make the parents just want to put the baby down and walk away.
Other Teething Remedies
There are some other remedies which may be effective when neither Chamomilla nor Pulsatilla works, including Belladonna (esp. when the baby screams, kicks, or bites from the pain), Calcarea carbonica (esp. when the baby has late teething, has a sweaty head, and may grind the teeth at night), and Calcarea phosphorica (esp. for thin babies with delayed teething).
Potency and Dosing Guidelines
30c or 30x potency are good general-purpose potencies for most infants. The 30x potency remedies that are generally available (such as from Hyland's) have an advantage for infants in that they dissolve very quickly on the tongue. One pellet is all that is needed for a dose.
When giving doses to infants, a wet solution can be made by dissolving one pellet in a small amount of water (such as 1 Tb). Then 1/4-tsp of the remedy liquid can be given to the baby as a dose. It is okay if some of the remedy gets spilled or it is not all swallowed. The remedy action takes place on the tongue, so as long as the liquid touches the tongue, the dose will still be effective.
Correct dosing is just as important as remedy selection, and can make a huge difference in the results. Please read my article about homeopathic dosing to better understand how often to give doses to increase the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies.
Disclaimers
I am not a doctor or licensed healthcare professional. I am a homeopathic practitioner whose services are considered complementary and alternative by the state of New Mexico. The uses of homeopathic remedies described herein are provided for educational use only.
Links to Amazon are affiliate links. If you use these links, your price remains the same but I may earn a small commission. Thanks for supporting this site!