How Do You Know When Your Baby Is Teething?
Parents would agree that the period of teething in a baby can a be frustrating milestone. It is a baby’s developmental stage. It brings about mixed feelings; the excitement of seeing your baby grow and getting ready to try out different meals, the anger of seeing your baby in discomfort. These emotions can really be overwhelming. And here comes the question to play. How do you know when your baby is teething?
This article teaches when your baby is teething, teething symptoms, and how to care for her during this period.
When will your baby start teething?
When it comes to teething, there are so many common possibilities because the time the first little white tooth begins to bud may vary according to the babies.
Generally, babies should have their first tooth budding in their sixth month after teething symptoms from two to three months ahead.
Nonetheless, as mentioned earlier, there are so many variations that are considered normal. For instance, some babies may get their first tooth as early as their 3rd to 4th month, while others will have to wait till their 12th month.
How do you know when your baby is teething?
There are some symptoms to note in anticipation of when your baby starts teething. These symptoms often manifest 2 to 3 months before teething.
Learning the symptoms would help you prepare for how to take good care of your baby during this stressful period.
1. Trouble sleeping
When your baby is teething, a peaceful sleep becomes a challenging possibility because your baby is feeling uncomfortable. Even after she settles to get some rest, she may wake up shortly.
Unfortunately, you can’t stop the midnight wake, but you can reduce it by creating a bedtime routine for your baby and staying close to her to soothe her whenever she wakes.
2. Drooling
Babies often start drooling from about their second to the third month, but drooling becomes excessive when your baby starts teething. You will hardly believe how much saliva your baby has in her mouth.
Excessive dribbling down the chin can cause inflammation. Hence, it would be best if you are ever ready to wipe her chin with a clean and dry piece of cloth and apply some petroleum jelly on her chin. To avoid soil, you can wear her a bib to keep her clean.
3. Coughing
Sometimes, when your baby coughs or gags during this period, it may be a reflex action resulting from having so much saliva in her mouth. Caregivers often confuse this symptom with a cold or fever sign because babies are vulnerable to illnesses during this period.
Coughing and gagging already help your baby against choking on her drools, but it is crucial to call a pediatrician if symptoms persist.
4. Chewing and biting
Whether it’s their fingers or objects they are chewing, it occurs as a counterpressure against the teeth budding under their soft gums.
During this milestone, babies grab anything with their reach to bite and chew; clothes, toys, even hands. Hence, it is essential to keep household materials within their reach clean and sanitized. To help with the discomfort, they face you can try putting your baby’s food in the freezer for a while before feeding her. Some toys will bring them some comfort when cold.
5. Irritability
You may be getting all sorts of reactions from your baby through this period as the pain of the teeth breaking through the gums influences their mood. While some babies will fractious for a few hours, others may go on weeks of being fractious.
You can’t take away the feeling, but you can occasionally help her feel better by spending time with her, kissing, cuddling, and playing with her.
6. Rejecting food
Although your baby may attempt putting things in her mouth to soothe the gum pains, feeding will be a problem. More often than ever, she will refuse to eat because of the inflammation of their gums. She may be hungry but sucking may make her feel worse.
This is one reason babies are often cranky during this period; they are caught up in the dilemma of relieving their stomach cries and not hurting their gums in the process.
Babies that have started solid can be fed with cold yogurt or some chilled fruit puree.
7. Crying
Although some babies grow through this milestone without whining, others hurt a lot from the inflammation caused by the poking pain on their tender gums. After trying some counterpressure exercises with no soothing result, they have no choice but to cry to communicate to you their pain.
They show so much discomfort because it’s their first teething experience and their tender gums are not used to it. Thankfully, the first teeth familiarize them with the pain and put them in the right mood for their next teething. Pet your baby often to calm her when she cries.
8. Rubbing ears and cheeks
Babies will rub their ears and cheeks to soothe the pain from their gums since their cheeks, gums, and tooth are connected by the same nerve. Sometimes, the sides they massage depend on where the tooth is budding, especially when it’s the molars they have budding.
Nonetheless, it will be best for you to be cautious as the case may be that of an ear infection, and you may have to contact your baby’s pediatrician. To help soothe this symptom, massage them on their cheeks with a clean finger for a minute, and ensure to massage from time to time.
9. Inflamed gums
The hard tooth structure forcing its way through makes the gum sore and swollen. Sometimes, the gums may tear, and you may find tiny drops of blood underneath the gums. Don’t worry; it’s nothing you should be worried about; it’s a common symptom.
Run clean fingers over the spot repeatedly to soothe the pain, or use a cold, clean piece of cloth to rub the area. If you keep seeing drops of blood, call your baby’s pediatrician.
10. Visible tooth buds
The tooth buds are the most apparent symptom. If you look into your infant’s mouth, you will find some bumps looking like ordinary inflation. With clean hands, run your fingers over these bumps, and you will feel the tooth structure behind the gums.
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