Haute Mom Dilemma #27 ~ Lions, Tigers, Teeth, and a Beaver

Let’s start off with a happy New Year to all of you! I hope this post finds everyone slowly recuperating from a fun and safe holiday season.

My last dilemma about teething was titled “Lions, and Tigers, and Teeth Oh My!” and I couldn’t have been closer to the truth. You all may be sick and tired of hearing about the teething issues but this one is an original…I can assure you that! Stella now has her two bottom teeth and we seemed to have hit a steady period in teething. Although she tends to get bothered by the little suckers at night, I am seeing instant relief when I put on the Orajel, and she has returned safely to her crib for fitful sleep. Well, more fitful than the week of sleep-in-bed-with-mommy anyway. Hubby and I were confident that the worst may be over for awhile until we discovered the most horrific thing EVER.

The crib is one of the “safe” places that we put Stella when we need to use the restroom, shower, or take a break while we are home alone. Now that she is rolling, scooting, kind of crawling, eating and grabbing, the floor is no longer available. We have noticed that she is VERY CLOSE to pulling herself up and standing in her crib and are well aware of the urgent need to lower the mattress but I must admit, we haven’t yet done it. Getting home from Northern California the other night, we placed Stella with a couple of toys in her crib while we decide to tag team the car and unload all the goodies together. During one of my trips back into the house I hear my husband calling me with a strange sense of urgency in his voice. He says to me, “You will never believe what Stella has been doing.” At this point I roll my eyes and think to myself that I have seen it all but my thoughts were quickly quieted. On the back side of her crib bars, I find SCRAPE marks in the wood. Scrapes so deep that there are grooves in the wood and the wood finish has completely disappeared. I can only compare this to the inside of a cage where an animal tried to scratch or bite its way out. Apparently our little monkey (or shall we refer to her as beaver now) has been gnawing away at her crib bars during this teething time. I guess mommy could have saved some pennies on teethers, huh?

Is this normal?! I am debating writing a little letter to the crib company to discuss whether or not easily removing finish with my baby’s teeth might be a concern for them or if it should be a concern for me. I have been looking for little wood chips in her teeth since then. Ugh. Guess I need to find a safer “safe” place while I am at it too.

The beaver marks...

My little beaver showing off her pearly whites.