Over the past month or so Raleigh Grace has really been teething and I know many of my friends have little ones who are trying to cut teeth as well. Raleigh Grace now has two teeth on the bottom and is working on at least one more up top. As a mom of a teething baby I know that its not always easy.
My mom gets updates from usa.gov and when this one came to her she forwarded it to me... as she said, its timely information to have.
I don't understand why products like these are on the market without bold print warning labels... makes me wonder. Anyways, I'm not telling you what you should or shouldn't use for your baby but I got this information and wanted to at least inform you of it so that you can do a little research of your own. Personally, I don't care how rare the danger is, if I can avoid it to potentially avoid the death of my sweet baby girl you bet I will! Thanks for passing this along to me, Mom! Here is the content verbatim from usa.gov:
"Visit FDA's Benzocaine and Babies: Not a Good Mix to learn more about the possible dangers of benzocaine, a local anesthetic found in some over-the-counter products, including Anbesol, Hurricaine, Orajel, Baby Orajel, and Orabase. The use of benzocaine gels and liquids can lead to a rare but potentially fatal condition called methemoglobinemia.And because every post is more fun with pictures... hope you are having a great "pre" 4th of July weekend! :)
Parents sometimes use products with benzocaine as pain relievers for teething babies. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), children under 2 years of age are at especially high risk. Adults with heart disease or breathing problems and smokers are also at increased risk.
Review FDA's warning for a list of symptoms of methemoglobinemia and see suggested alternatives for soothing teething babies. "
