My toddler is a beaver
April 20, 2022 7:09 AM Subscribe
How can I safely help her to not get splinters from her crib?
My kid is getting molars and is teething like mad. During previous teeth arrivals, she managed to chew off paint on her crib rail down to the wood. Under the advice of a pediatrician, we filed down the wood and put a hard teether toy with her at night to give her an alternative. So she's had a teether toy available to her. This morning when I got her up she was holding a large 3/4" splinter of wood that she had managed to gnaw off the front rail from the same area that had previously been filed down.
What should I do here? Like all things related to parenting a cursory search goes from "crib rail guards saved my child from mouth splinters" to "rail guards are life threateningly dangerous for your child and you're terrible for even considering them".
YANMpediatrician but if you have experienced this and your pediatrician did have a recommendation that worked I would really like to hear what that was.
My kid is getting molars and is teething like mad. During previous teeth arrivals, she managed to chew off paint on her crib rail down to the wood. Under the advice of a pediatrician, we filed down the wood and put a hard teether toy with her at night to give her an alternative. So she's had a teether toy available to her. This morning when I got her up she was holding a large 3/4" splinter of wood that she had managed to gnaw off the front rail from the same area that had previously been filed down.
What should I do here? Like all things related to parenting a cursory search goes from "crib rail guards saved my child from mouth splinters" to "rail guards are life threateningly dangerous for your child and you're terrible for even considering them".
YANMpediatrician but if you have experienced this and your pediatrician did have a recommendation that worked I would really like to hear what that was.
Not a pediatrician, just a grandmother. You might consider just eliminating the crib altogether and use its mattress. Put the mattress on the floor. Obviously, make sure the room is completely toddler-safe.
posted by mareli at 7:34 AM on April 20, 2022 [15 favorites]
posted by mareli at 7:34 AM on April 20, 2022 [15 favorites]
You could paint the handrail with some bitter apple anti-chew. They make it for dogs but it works on toddlers too.
posted by nickggully at 7:38 AM on April 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by nickggully at 7:38 AM on April 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Removing the crib was the only solution that worked for us when going through the same struggle.
posted by sacrifix at 7:54 AM on April 20, 2022
posted by sacrifix at 7:54 AM on April 20, 2022
oh, poor babe and poor you.
I think you've probably gotta get the crib out of there. I doubt the spray is going to dissuade her if she's that teethy. Mattress on the floor, plenty of toys provided. She might do ok in a simple toddler bed, as it wouldn't have those convenient rails. Worst case you put the bed away for a few more weeks if she gnaws on that too, after all a bed is coming soon one way or another and this is a phase she'll grow out of.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:00 AM on April 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
I think you've probably gotta get the crib out of there. I doubt the spray is going to dissuade her if she's that teethy. Mattress on the floor, plenty of toys provided. She might do ok in a simple toddler bed, as it wouldn't have those convenient rails. Worst case you put the bed away for a few more weeks if she gnaws on that too, after all a bed is coming soon one way or another and this is a phase she'll grow out of.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:00 AM on April 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks all! We added extra teethers tonight and her pediatrician (after seeing the wood damage on a virtual visit) told us to just get a fabric rail guard and use very secure knotting techniques. Our house is old so unfortunately there is no way to fully babyproof any of the rooms.
posted by donut_princess at 5:24 PM on April 20, 2022
posted by donut_princess at 5:24 PM on April 20, 2022
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I would try to line up all the teething toys you have along the rail so there's always one available, but I feel like for my kid it was something about being able to put ALL her energy into it (with that perfect rail level) so they might just ignore the teethers entirely.
One other thought - does the mattress lower any more? If the rail weren't at the same level perhaps that would help.
posted by DoubleLune at 7:26 AM on April 20, 2022 [1 favorite]