Teething Pain
Because a baby's first four front teeth are so sharp, they tend to appear without much fanfare (when the baby is about six months old). The arrival of flat molars a month or two later is a different story. If your baby experiences pains from teething, give her a bottle of Calming Tea (see chapter 95) diluted with an equal amount of water, then rub the baby's gums with a clove teething oil. Your child will probably also enjoy a hard teething biscuit to gnaw on—try a mini-bagel. If teething is accompanied by a fever, also give a bottle of Fever Tea (see chapter 89), diluted with an equal amount of water.Be sure to dilute the clove essential oil first or you may end up with a wailing baby who is screaming more from the treatment than from the teething pain! One time when I was buying groceries, I saw a woman with a fretting baby open a bottle of clove bud essential oil that she had just bought. "Oh no," I thought, anticipating her next move. Before I could reach her to warn her of the consequences, she had slathered her baby's gums with the essential oil. Of course, the baby began to scream.
Joan signed up for my six-month herbal apprenticeship program but missed the first weekend with one of the best excuses I have heard—she was in labor. Joan arrived at our next class with three-week-old Nathaniel, so it was no surprise that for the special project I had assigned her she chose to create an herbal kit for babies. One herbal recipe that came in especially handy was her Gummy Rub, which, like my Teething Oil, contains clove essential oil diluted in vegetable oil. Joan was surprised to see the dramatic change in her happy, mild baby when he started teething. But, of course, she was prepared. After the first application, it took only a few minutes for Nathaniel to calm down.
Teething Oil
4 drops clove bud essential oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Combine ingredients. Try this out on your own gums first and adjust formula accordingly, keeping in mind that a baby's gums are much more sensitive than yours.