How To Cope When The Molars Cut

baby teething chewing the side of the cot

With most teething problems, it is all a guessing game. Are they teething? Are they too young? Do they get them this early? Why are they waking? What can I do to ease their pain? And each and every one of us parent does this for around 18 months. Teething can cause so many other issues and even if you’ve done this all before, it still always throws you. But how about the molars? Well, for most parents, the molars are different and this post will cover why and how to cope when they cut.
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How Many Molars?

Ok, let’s start with the facts. There are 4 molars, 2 upper, 2 lower and all very large with a flat surface. This is why they take a while to finally erupt and why they can cause so much upset.
 

Why The Molars Are Different

There is one main reason that the molars are different– your child is. The molars generally start to rumble and erupt between the age of 2 and 3 which means you no longer have a baby who cannot communicate with you, you now have a toddler who can let you know (in their own way) that there is something wrong. By this age, most children can almost string a sentence together, say a couple of words, point at where hurts and help you to understand their needs. You’ve also probably had around a few months break from teething which is a bit of light relief before these biggies come through.
 

What This Means

Even though the molars can cause a lot of problems, at least this time around you can be far more prepared, you can react as and when you need to and you should have a good idea by now of what works for your child.
 

How Can You Help?

I have covered teething tips on my blog in the past so whether you opt for paracetamol, amber, teething toys or natural remedies I have info here:

13 Natural Teething Remedies to Help Your Baby

Identifying Teething Symptoms and Learning How To Cope With Them

Does Amber Jewellery Actually Work For Teething?

What’s in my Teething Essentials Kit?

The Perfect Bedtime Routine for Your Teething Baby

A good combination of remedies to help your child cope as the molars cut will most probably include infant paracetamol/infant ibuprofen, teething granules, amber jewellery and a comfortable spot to lay down on and rest. When Jake’s molars cut, he was in a lot of pain and quite pale with it so I made up the sofa with his pillow and duvet, dosed him up with pain relief, made sure he had plenty of cold water at hand, a cold flannel to chew on and put on his favourite programmes to help to distract him. You may also go back to co-sleeping for a small period of time but don’t worry about this reverting back to old habits, you just need to give them what they need.

Food may be difficult and painful to chew so bear this in mind when the molars are cutting. Yoghurts are one of the best options during teething. They are smooth, cold and can be quite filling if you give them a few pots. If they simply cannot eat their dinner, don’t panic, it won’t last forever and they won’t go hungry. You need to listen to their needs, just remember how painful it is when you have a toothache or have had a filling etc. You tend to just want to lay down and sleep it off. Your child is no different and you have to get through this stage in the best way you know how to.
 

Don’t Forget About You

As with all aspects of parenting, we will always put our children’s needs first and completely ignore our own. It can be exhausting coping with a teething child. You may be up throughout the night again, you may be second-guessing yourself, you will be worrying about them and doting on them. It is ok to take a break, to grab a nap whilst somebody watches them or to just get out on your own. The molars can rumble for months before any tooth breaks through so you cannot cope with that on your own for all that time. Be kind to yourself.
 
And of course, it will all eventually come to an end and once all of the molars are cut through it is all soon forgotten… then in around 3 more years time you can watch them all fall out!! Oh the joys of parenting!
 
I wish you all the best through this last stage of teething, you are almost at the end and I hope this will help you to cope a bit better when the molars cut.

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