You’ll need:

1 oz. vegetable oil (or vegetable glycerine)

2 drops Essential Oil, Clove

Glass container, like an empty jam jar

To Make:  Drop 1 drop (just one!) into the vegetable oil and shake until completely blended.  Test the mixture on yourself first on a ‘sensitive’ area of your skin such as the inside of your wrist to make sure it isn’t too strong.  If it’s not, you may choose to add the second drop of Clove.

Note that using straight Clove can actually burn your baby.  If you are uncomfortable using essential oils with your baby, you can also follow a few of these suggestions.

Rub the gums.  Just the action of your (clean!) finger running over your tot’s gums is very helpful in confusing those occasionally trickable nerves just under the skin.  Creating an ‘opposite pressure’, like how the pain of a bee sting can be squashed by pressing your finger on the sting site (It sounds counterintuitive, but I’ve seen it work!)

Licorice herb.  Let your teething child chew on a natural licorice stick (not the candy!) which you can pick up at a health food store.  Actual licorice numbs the gums and provides relief.

Pure Vanilla extract.  Rub a little extract on your baby’s gums.  As discussed above part of this may be the ‘opposite pressure’ at work but the vanilla extract itself has a negligible amount of alcohol in it which will create a ‘warming’ feeling on the gums, which will give a temporary relief.  And then there’s the scent of the vanilla itself, I’ve always been soothed by the smell and taste of it, haven’t you?  One last note on vanilla, it also has the added benefit of being able to calm an upset tummy!