Is Your Baby Teething?
Teething is one of the great milestones of your babies development and you will forever treasure memories of your babies first big toothy smile.
Some babies will breeze through the process of cutting teeth and be showing off before you know it; others will have a more uncomfortable time, which may cause some distress to you and your baby.
You will not be able to tell how your baby will react to the teething process until that precious first tooth begins to cut, but I hope some of the information that I will provide will help reassure you and ease you through this time.
Teething is an ongoing pain for both parents and toddlers, after the early weeks of night feeds; it probably causes more broken nights than any other ailment
The Symptoms of Teething
Babies can be a little like adults and can react and deal with pain differently. Some will have a much easier time than others, though almost all babies may become grouchy and irritable at times.
The first signs of teething will usually occur a few months before there are any visible signs of the tooth, so you will need to look for some particular symptoms to ensure that teething is actually the cause. This is extremely important and teething can be mistaken for other complaints such as fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and some rashes that could all be signs of other problems. Teething should not make your baby ill so if you are unsure of any symptoms always consult your doctor.
The most obvious signs that your baby is teething are:
- They may be a little irritable and may have disturbed sleeping patterns.
- Their gums may become sore and/or red.
- Their cheeks may be flushed.
- Your baby may experience a loss of appetite.
- A slight rise in temperature sometimes occurs though should not exceed 39¢ªc with could indicate a fever.
- Dribbling, this could cause sore or chapped skin under the chin.
- A sudden urge to chew anything they can get hold of, or possibly just their fist.
- And a possible urge to bite, this is not a sign of anger or aggression but more a means to ease the pain.
Sometimes you may be able to actually see the tooth cutting through the gum, this could appear as a thin grey line across the gum. You may also be able to feel the tooth by running a clean finger along your babies gum line.
Order of Teething
The following table is just a guide as all children are different. The order in which the teeth appear is the same for most babies though experience has shown me different. The timing is also a very rough guide and all babies will cut their teeth at different times.
Below is the Upper Jaw:
|
Teeth
|
Age at which they appear
|
|
Central Incisors
|
6-8 months
|
|
Lateral Incisors
|
8-10 months
|
|
Canines
|
18 months
|
|
First Molars
|
12-14 months
|
|
Second Molars
|
6 years old
|
Below is the Lower Jaw:
|
Teeth
|
Age at which they appear
|
|
Central Incisors
|
4-6 months
|
|
Lateral Incisors
|
8-10 months
|
|
Canines
|
18 months
|
|
First Molars
|
12-14 months
|
|
Second Molars
|
6 years of age
|
Ways You Can Help Ease Your Babies Teething
- Teething Gel, by massaging this on your chlids gums with a clean finger you can provide fast acting, targeted relief.
- Cold Food and Drinks, by providing these you can sooth the whole of your babies mouth
- Teething Rings, teething babies love to chew. Sterilised teething rings can provide some temporary relief and actually help the tooth to cut through.
- Rubbing their Gums, by using a clean finger and rubbing it on their gums you can help alleviate some of their discomfort.
- Food, if your baby is over 6 months of age you can use a teething biscuit or rusk to help relieve some discomfort, but be sure to always supervise your child when using this method.
From personal experience all my children have started teething at different times, ranging from 5 months through to 12 months. The level of pain they have encountered has also been very different. My daughter suffered terribly though my son seemed to wake one morning with a full set of teeth.
No matter how well or badly our children suffer, they all need to go through the teething experience and though it may not feel like it at the time, it all ends and before you know it you'll be getting visits from the tooth fairy.
Good luck to everyone who is about to go through this time in your babies development, I wish you all the easiest of times. Also don't forget to get your children's teeth checked regularly by a dentist, it's recommended that you take your child every 6 months. Also brush your children's teeth twice daily to prevent tooth decay.
This is a members article written by Strawberry
|
Del.icio.us
Digg
Google
Spurl
Blink
Furl
Simpy
Y! MyWeb
