Child Health
6 Simple Ways to Soothe a Teething Baby
Teething is challenging for babies and parents; try cold toys, gum massage, nutritious ice pops, food sticks, and drool management.
Last Updated on June 1, 2024 by Daily News Staff
(Family Features) There’s nothing cuter than those first toothy grins, but cutting teeth is a tough business. When a baby is teething, parents often spend long days and nights trying to soothe their little one’s discomfort.
Teething affects babies differently; some may not be bothered at all, while others only have trouble with some teeth. Swollen, red gums are an obvious sign that teething is the culprit for your baby’s sudden unrest. Some other common symptoms you may not immediately associate with teething include unusual irritability, increased drooling, a low-grade fever, flushed cheeks, rash, rubbing the face, pulling on the ear, chewing or gnawing on toys and loose bowel movements.
Each stage of a baby’s development presents unique challenges. Since no two babies are the same, finding the perfect approach to ease your child’s experience can take trial and error.
Begin a smoother teething journey for your family with these ideas from Malina Malkani, doctor and nutritionist, on behalf of Plum Organics.
Cold Teething Toys and Household Items
When teething, babies often look for counterpressure that’s soothing on sore gums, which they can get by chomping down on a harder surface. Cool temperatures also help provide teething relief. Soothing options including silicone toothbrushes, silicone (gel-free) teething rings or toys, or even a clean silicone cooking utensil from the kitchen can be placed in the freezer. Offer the item to your baby for chewing and mouthing, or gently hold it to the gums to help ease the pain.
Gum Massage
Using a clean finger, gently massage your baby’s gums. The little bumps you may feel forming beneath the gumline are the tips of baby teeth making their way to the surface.
Nutritious Ice Pops
Offering cold foods or liquids is another way to provide chilled relief. Breast milk or formula ice pops can be soothing on teething gums. Silicone nipple pouches work well as ice pop molds for infants. For teething babies under 6 months, fill the molds with breast milk or formula, or for toddlers, try freezing nutritious purees.
Freezing purees into teething ice pop molds offers babies two types of teething relief (counterpressure and cool temperature) while providing nutrients and exposure to new flavors. Some nutritious suggestions for purees to freeze include avocado or fruit blends like Plum Organics’ Stage 2 organic baby food pouches, which contain blends of pure fruit and veggies in flavors like Apple, Plum, Berry and Barley or Apple, Blackberry and Coconut Cream.
Food Sticks
For babies who are teething but have not yet had a tooth erupt, try handing over a cold, large, peeled, raw carrot. Refrigerated harder foods provide the cool temperatures and counterpressure babies often crave during bouts of teething, as well as exposure to new flavors and textures, but in a form that won’t break off into smaller pieces that would increase risk of choking.
Manage Drool
During bouts of teething, a baby’s lips, chin and cheeks can easily become raw and chapped from excess saliva and teething-related drool. Keep these areas as dry and protected as possible, especially when it’s cold out. It may help to apply a thin layer of ointment to further protect the skin.
Pain Treatment
After trying all other options, if baby still seems to be in teething-related pain, talk to your pediatrician about whether over-the-counter pain medications are an option, and if so, what dosage to use for your baby. Most experts do not recommend using numbing gels containing benzocaine, which are unsafe for infants and not likely to help with teething pain.
Find more ideas to help navigate teething and all of your baby’s developmental stages at plumorganics.com.
Photos courtesy of Getty Images
SOURCE:
Plum Organics
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Food and Beverage
Halloween candy binges can overload your gut microbiome – a gut doctor explains how to minimize spooking your helpful bacteria
Last Updated on October 29, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Christopher Damman, University of Washington
Each October, as the days shorten and the air grows crisp, millions of Americans prepare for the beloved – and often sugar-fueled – tradition of Halloween. From jack-o’-lanterns glowing on porches to costumes ranging from the whimsical to the gory, Halloween is a time of playful scares, childhood memories and, of course, candy.
But as the wrappers pile up and the sugar rush hits, there’s something far more sinister brewing beneath the surface: the negative effects of candy on your gut health.
Sugar and other ingredients in Halloween treats can cast a sickly spell on the trillions of microorganisms that reside in your gut, collectively known as the gut microbiome. As a gastroenterologist and gut microbiome researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine, I have dedicated my career to decoding the cipher of how food affects this microbial community within your gut.
While no candy is truly healthy, some options are better for your gut than others. And there are ways you can help wake your gut from its sugar “spell” after holiday indulgence.
Gut-busting treats
What does all this candy do to your gut?
In a healthy state, your gut microbiome acts like a microbial factory. It digests nutrients your body can’t – such as fiber and colorful, health-conferring plant compounds called polyphenols – and produces important molecules called metabolites that protect against infection and support brain health. It also regulates metabolism, or the transformation of food into useful components that power and grow cells.
A balanced diet keeps your gut’s microbial cauldron churning smoothly. But the concentrated sugar, saturated fat and additives in candy can throw things into disarray by feeding inflammatory microbes that weaken your gut barrier – the protective lining that separates your microbiome from the rest of the body.
Once the gut barrier is breached, even friendly microbes can stir up inflammation, causing health issues ranging from overweight to obesity, infections to autoimmune disease, and mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s.
Sugar and inflammation impair your microbiome’s ability to digest food and regulate metabolism. Instead of producing healthy byproducts – such as butyrate from fiber and urolithin A from polyphenols – candy lacking these nutrients may trick your system into storing more fat, providing less energy for your muscles and brain.
Too much candy can also affect your immune system. A healthy gut microbiome helps your immune system distinguish between friend and foe, reducing the risk of infections and autoimmune disorders. Sugar and inflammation undermine the microbiome’s role in training the immune system to distinguish between harmful invaders and harmless substances. Without a carefully calibrated immune system, your body may not effectively clear infections or may strongly react to its own cells.
Neurologically, excess sweets can also affect the gut-brain axis, the two-way communication between the gut and brain. A healthy microbiome normally produces neurotransmitters and metabolites, such as serotonin and butyrate, that influence mood and cognitive performance. Sugar and inflammation adversely affects the microbiome’s role in mental health and cognitive function, contributing to depression, anxiety and memory troubles.
The candy conundrum
Not all Halloween treats are created equal, especially when it comes to their nutritional value and effects on gut health. Sugar-coated nuts and fruit such as honey-roasted almonds and candy apples rank among the top, offering whole food benefits just beneath the sugary coating. Packed with fiber and polyphenols, they help support gut health and healthy metabolism.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are chewy treats such as candy corn, Skittles, Starbursts and Twizzlers. These sugar-laden confections are mostly made of high fructose corn syrup, saturated fat and additives. They can increase the unsavory bacterial species in your gut and lead to inflammation, making them one of the least healthy Halloween choices.
Chocolate-based candies, however, stand out as a more microbiome-friendly option. While varieties such as Twix, Three Musketeers and Milky Way contain only a small amount of chocolate, pure chocolate bars – especially dark chocolate – are rich in fiber and polyphenols. In moderation, dark chocolate with at least 80% to 85% cacao may even benefit your gut microbiome and mood by encouraging beneficial bacterial species to grow.
Chocolates with whole nuts, such as almonds or peanuts, offer a boost of fiber, protein and omega-3 fats, making them a healthier choice. Dark chocolate with nuts is best. But when sorting through Halloween treats, Peanut M&Ms, 100 Grands and Almond Joys may be better options over Rolos, Krackels and Crunches. Even candies with processed nuts, such as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Butterfingers, retain small amounts of fiber and protein, making them preferable to nut-free options.
At the bottom of the list, along with chewy sugar candies, are pure sugar candies such as lollipops, Jolly Ranchers, gummies and Smarties. These sweets lack nutritional value, and their high sugar content can contribute to the growth of unhealthy bacteria in your gut microbiome.
In the end, all candies are high in sugar, which can be harmful when consumed in large quantities. Moderation and an otherwise balanced diet is key to enjoying Halloween treats.
Rebalancing after indulgence
If the microbiome is critical for health, and candy can disrupt its balance, how can you restore gut health after Halloween?
One simple strategy is focusing on the four F’s of food: fiber, phytochemicals, unsaturated fats and fermented foods. These food components can help support gut health.
Fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, fruits and vegetables regulate digestion and nourish beneficial gut bacteria.
Polyphenol-rich foods such as dark chocolate, berries, red grapes, green tea and extra virgin olive oil help reduce inflammation and encourage the growth of healthy gut bacteria.
Unsaturated fats such as omega-3 fats, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseed, avocados and fatty fish such as salmon can also support a healthy microbiome.
Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir and miso help replenish beneficial bacteria and restore gut balance.
To make tracking your diet easier, consider using a food calculator to measure how well your meals align with the four F’s and microbiome friendly options. Like a virtual “spellbook,” an online tool can help ensure your food choices support your gut health and ward off the effects of sugar overload.
As my daughters often remind me, it’s perfectly fine to indulge every now and then in a few tricks and treats. But remember, moderation is key. With a balanced diet, you’ll keep your gut healthy and strong long after the Halloween season ends.
Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Food and Beverage
A Lesson in Kindness, Inclusion and How Kids Eat Differently
Kids Eat Differently: The school year brings new classmates, routines and opportunities for children to learn about people whose experiences may be different from their own. They could include friends who use a wheelchair, carry an inhaler or even receive nutrition through a feeding tube.
A Lesson in Kindness, Inclusion and How Kids Eat Differently
(Feature Impact) The school year brings new classmates, routines and opportunities for children to learn about people whose experiences may be different from their own. They could include friends who use a wheelchair, carry an inhaler or even receive nutrition through a feeding tube.
Watch this video to learn more
For families who rely on tube feeding, it is an essential part of daily life but is often understood only by those who experience it. That limited awareness can leave children who are tube fed and their families feeling isolated or unseen, according to Gerard Minor, a pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology specialist.
Parents can use everyday questions as opportunities to help children understand there are many ways people receive nourishment. Teachers, classmates, caregivers and communities can also help make tube feeding part of the everyday conversation around childhood rather than something that separates children from it.
“Helping children understand those differences early can encourage curiosity, kindness and inclusion,” Minor said.
To help bring greater awareness, understanding and representation to children and families who experience tube feeding every day, Compleat, a leader in tube feeding formulas, launched “What Is Better Than How,” featuring “Sesame Street’s” Elmo and his signature warmth and curiosity. The original song celebrates the many ways people eat. Some people eat with a fork, some use a spoon and some use a tube, reinforcing a simple message: What matters is not how you eat. What matters is that you are nourished, loved and included.
To hear the song, create a personalized version and learn more about the campaign, visit Compleat.com/WhatIsBetterThanHow.
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Child Health
Changing the Landscape of Childhood Cancer Survivorship
Childhood Cancer: hile “cancer” is a term no family wants to hear, especially when it comes to their children, there is reason for hope. Today, 85% of children diagnosed with cancer survive at least five years. Survival is only part of the journey, however.
Changing the Landscape of Childhood Cancer Survivorship
(Feature Impact) While “cancer” is a term no family wants to hear, especially when it comes to their children, there is reason for hope. Today, 85% of children diagnosed with cancer survive at least five years, according to the National Cancer Institute, up from 75% three decades ago.
Watch this video to learn more
“This progress is driven in large part by dedicated research,” Hyundai Hope on Wheels Board Member Kevin Reilly said. “Over the last 28 years, Hyundai Hope on Wheels has committed over $300 million in pediatric cancer research and program grants, awarding more than 1,600 grants to 210 medical institutions nationwide, impacting thousands of young lives each year.”
Survival is only part of the journey, however. Nearly half (46%) of U.S. adults believe a child ringing the hospital bell after cancer treatment means the child is cancer-free and their medical journey is largely over, according to a survey conducted by Atomik Research on behalf of Hyundai Hope on Wheels. For the children and families living through a diagnosis, the reality is far more complex.
“The reality is that healing continues long after treatment, which is why sustained investment in survivorship care is a priority for us,” said John Guastaferro, executive director of Hyundai Hope on Wheels.
Isabella Franco-Capps, 11, understands that journey firsthand. Diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 5, her journey took two years before she could say she’s “a cancer survivor.”
“I was diagnosed with b-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia,” she said. “This began my two-year-long journey of scans, pokes, chemotherapy and hospital stays. And now I’m a cancer survivor.”
Fellow Hyundai Hope on Wheels National Youth Ambassador, Jackson Trihn, 12, is using his voice to call for continued research and to bring hope to others.
“The role … is being able to share my story,” he said. “Not just to spread awareness but to spread hope to kids that need it. And awareness is so important because people don’t understand how hard pediatric cancer can be.”
Continued progress can help ensure more children ring the bell and receive the care and support they need long after they’ve had the opportunity to do so. To learn more about these efforts and how you can help, visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org.
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