As I sit here reeling from a long day of toddler trauma, (we're cutting molars, and yes, it is truly a family activity) I thought I'd share some Teething advice. Makes me feel like I have know what I'm doing.

Best products:
Hyland's Teething Tablets
all natural - can use in conjunction with anything else. can buy anywhere.

Hurricaine Gel
Way stronger than baby orajel - only need a tiny dab. Your pharmacist can order it for you.

Infant tylenol for under 6 mos.

Infant Ibuprofen if older than 6 mos.

We've actually done ibuprofen every 6-8 hours (acc. to directions) and a dose of tylenol at 4 hours in the middle for the really severe episodes. We did this at a nurse's suggestion, and it helped.

Other Suggestions:
Popsicles. Messy but soothing.

Frozen waffles. messy, but you let your baby gnaw on the waffle - still frozen. Makes a great snack and the cold is soothing to their gums.

Frozen or chilled teething ring toys.

Cold wet washcloth to suck on - we didn't do this but it was recommended.

The obligitory warning: obviously as with everything medicinal, don't take a stranger's blog advice as gospel, check with your pediatrician. There are varied schools of thought with many things teething & children, you have to do what works for you.

Oh, and don't forget the parents.
For Mom & Dad:
Tylenol/Excedrin
Wine/beer

comfy rocking chair
extensive TV channels
Eye drops & coffee for morning

Good Luck.

Ok, so it's not all powder and sweetness. It can be downright foul. But the best defense is a good offense -- you need the right equipment.

Diaper pails: I had both the Genie and the Champ - preferred the Diaper Champ. You can use regular old plastic shopping bags instead of special refill bags, and was easier to use. I didn't find that the Genie trapped smells any better, either. They both need to be emptied and sprayed daily. Keep a pleasant smelling disinfectant spray as well as an Air Sanitizer spray on a high shelf in the room you keep your Diaper Champ in - timesaver and keeps things cleaner/fresher. I'd also keep a Bounce fabric sheet in the bottom of the pail - helps with the freshness.

Diaper Cream:
My girls didn't usually need much, so the basic Desitin creamy was a great consistency/ easy to wash off your hands. The rare occasions they did get a severe rash, the only thing that worked was Triple Paste. Very expensive, but well worth it. http://www.triplepaste.com/

Diapers:
We tried many-a-brand. Maybe my girls were born with XL bladders? Not sure, but every brand we tried leaked Except Pampers Premium/Cruisers. We have had exceptionally good luck with the premium Pampers line. Occasionally a tab would tear off when we tried to diaper a darling, but it was very rare. Pampers also has a great newborn diaper with the "cord care" cutout for the umbilical cord. I have heard that Walgreens came out with a "store brand" Premium that works really well, but we've been burned too many times so we haven't tried them ourselves.

Wipes: Again, I prefer Pampers over Huggies - less "lint". I always go for the unscented, sensitive lines - less chance for reactions. Surprisingly, we like the Sensitive Natural Choice line at Sam's club. I haven't seen them there recently, so I'm not sure if they're still carrying them? We were told about Natural Choice wipes from some very particular parent friends, and we loved them too. If you can find them, buy them.

That's my rant for today. Happy Diapering.

Finally, a forum for all the collective wisdom and product knowledge of a seasoned mom.. namely me! I've been full of (self-rated) excellent information for parents and kids gathered from my own road testing as well as many many friends and family members. Until now, I had no way to share the tried and true advice. So I'll be braindumping lists and bits of information that all the other awesome parents and moms/dads-to-be can try, give it their own sniff test. (the nose usually knows). First in the "All the Best" series coming soon. Where to start....!