Teething symptoms can be very uncomfortable for baby and very distressing for parents. However, they are many things parents can do to alleviate their child's discomfort. Giving your child a teething biscuit can be a tasty, nutritional treat, as well as helping your child to learn to feed itself.
A few years ago, teething biscuits did have a somewhat bad reputation. Many teething biscuits that were on the market contained preservatives, salt and way too much sugar. Giving your child a teething biscuit was no better than giving them junk food. Thankfully, things have changed. Baby food manufacturers finally woke and realised that they had to make wholesome, nutritious and safe teething biscuits if they were going to stay in business. Today's teething biscuits are full of organic ingredients and contain very little sugar and salt - sometimes non at all. Some of the best brands of teething biscuit include Earth's Best, which comes in barley and wheat versions. Another good brand of teething biscuit comes from Healthy Times, which makes biscuits in vanilla and maple flavors.
Some child experts also expressed reservations about the benefits of giving your baby a biscuit to chew on at such a young age. They pointed out that a child of teething age didn't require any further nutrients that could not be given through beast or bottle milk. They were also, perhaps, influenced by the poor quality of the teething biscuits on the market. However, history has shown that parents have given their babies biscuits or bread to chew on during teeth - there are written records stating this from about 3,000 years ago. Surely, such an ancient practice can't be bad for babies? Recently, more enlightened child experts point to the educational value of giving your baby a biscuit to alleviate teething symptoms, as chewing on teething biscuits help your child to learn to feed itself.
When choosing a suitable teething biscuit you should that the biscuit will not break up in your baby's mouth as this can cause choking. It's a good idea to try out the biscuit yourself before giving it to your child. Ideally, teething biscuits should dissolve in the mouth and not break up. Most importantly, always supervise your child when they have a teething biscuit.
Teething biscuits are great at helping to alleviate teething pains. Today, you can buy high quality, organic and nutritious teething biscuits in many stores. However, the best teething biscuit you can give your baby is one you've made yourself. I'll leave you with this teething biscuit recipe.
Ingredients:
1 beaten egg yolk
3 Tbsp maple syrup or molasses (May be omitted)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 Tbsp oil
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp uncooked oatmeal
1 cup flour (white, wheat or combo)
1 Tbsp soy flour
1 Tbsp wheat germ
1 Tbsp non-fat dry milk.
Directions:
Blend wet ingredients, add dry ingredients. Dough will be stiff. Roll dough thin
and cut into strips or desired shapes.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet.
They can be made without the last 3 ingredients, but they add to the nutritional value.
Enjoy! |
