Mom Urges Parents to Stop Using Orajel for Teething Pain After Traumatic Experience
Oh my word, this is terrifying! Danielle Kapetanovic shared an incredibly distressing and traumatic story on Facebook, about the use of Baby Orajel. Teething pain is the worst, and many parents will try just about anything to help relieve the pain their little ones are in. But as Danielle can attest, sometimes the solution is so much worse than the problem.
Danielle’s 15-month-old daughter Chloe was having a rough time with teething. A friend suggested Baby Orajel to help alleviate some of her pain, so Danielle gave it a try. What happened next is an absolute nightmare.
According to Danielle, she followed the instructions on the box, and applied less than a pea-sized amount to Chloe’s gums. Almost immediately, things started going horribly wrong. Says Danielle, “Chloe immediately turned red, started kicking, got one or two screams in, and 10-15 seconds after the Orajel touched her gums she became unresponsive.”
“Her eyes locked in a dead stare, she became limp and stopped breathing. She turned blue”, she continues.
Danielle immediately grabbed Chloe and started pounding on her back to get her to breathe again. She began performing rescue breathing as her partner called 911. Thankfully, Chloe woke up and started breathing again on her own. The entire ordeal lasted approximately 15 – 20 seconds, which can feel like a lifetime when your child is in medical distress. Paramedics arrived and checked Chloe out, and determined she was OK.
Shockingly, lots of parents have experienced the same after giving Baby Orajel to their infants and toddlers.
The teething gel contains benzocaine, which the FDA warns against giving to babies. Benzocaine can cause a rare but serious condition called methemoglobinemia. The disorder causes the amount of oxygen carried through the bloodstream to be greatly reduced.
It is not recommended to give children under 2 Baby Orajel. The instructions say to consult with a physician or medical professional before using on younger kids. But, says Danielle, the packaging and merchandising in stores is VERY misleading. The infant on the box appears to be well under the age of 2, and in most stores, you’ll find the teething gel among infant medicines. There are no labels anywhere on the box that warn parents of giving benzocaine to kids under 2.
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You can read Danielle’s full story above. We’re so glad that Chloe is going to be OK, we can’t imagine how scary that was for all involved. We know it’s hard to watch your kiddos suffer, but when it comes to managing teething pain, it’s better safe than sorry.
(Image: Facebook / Danielle Kapetanovic)
