It is well established that I’m not buying the whole ‘no such thing as teething‘ line. And I’ve whinged about it a whole lot from molars to sleepless nights to clingyness to high temperatures to lymphatic system problems to sleep regressions to plans gone awry to the challenges of comforting a toddler. I’m not bitter. I’m just really good at complaining. I’m gifted that way.
I can now see her 2 year molars pushing through. So here we are, finally, going through the last teething push. I imagine they’ll move up and down for some time. But still, the end is in sight.
She’s had a few breaks from it over the last week. I took the photo to document one of the few meals she’s been willing to eat. She mainly likes slurping the spaghetti. I’ll take whatever I can get at this point. At its worst, she’s been sobbing into my chest or banging her head against any surface (floor, wall, coffee table) until she cries and then banging it again for good measure.
This morning, she had a break from it. I sat down at the computer to work and instead of the usual devastated cries and demands for me to play, she stood next to me and very clearly said ‘work’. Then proceeded to draw, play with her blocks and muck around in the sandpit outside, only coming back to get me for food (three breakfasts and two lunches) and water replenishment. For us non-telepaths, toddler communication is pretty awesome.
What have I learnt so far? Not as much as you’d think, other than that teething is an unforgiving tormenter. But there are some things that do help to take the edge off:
1) Puzzle games on the iPhone are awesome. Pre-5am starts are not so bad if you don’t actually have to get out of bed. Anything that buys me an extra hour or so is worth it.
2) Distraction is key. There’s a reason why I never notice her having teething problems when we are out and about. A trip to the shops can do wonders, especially if I get a real coffee for myself while I’m there.
3) Forgetting what I ‘should’ be doing also does wonders. Isn’t that the whole reason that I work from home most of the time? So I can give her all the love, cuddles and understanding when she really needs it.
4) When in doubt add water – a bath, a shower, or ‘helping’ me do the dishes are all excellent options on a teething day.
Other than that, even after two years of teething, I still have no idea. Riley has always been really sensitive to teething. I’ve never found anything that actually alleviates the pain of it – not bonjela, not panadol, not ice. All I’ve been able to do is distract her, hold her and ride it out with her. But it does leave me with vaguely homicidal impulses whenever I hear somebody say ‘there’s no such thing as teething’.
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My name is Zoey. 
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