How can I tell if my baby is teething?
If you can feel a little bump or the top of a tooth on your baby’s gums, he’s teething. Don’t be alarmed if you see a small watery sac near the new tooth. This is an eruption cyst. It will pop by itself, and it’s best left alone. Most babies start getting teeth around 6 months, but teething can start after just three months. Some babies don’t have teeth until after their first birthday. (Call a doctor if your baby doesn’t have any teeth after 14 months; he may have a hormonal problem that’s slowing his development.) The lower middle two teeth are usually the first to arrive, followed by the middle upper two teeth. It’s not uncommon for teeth on the sides to show up first. Your baby should have all of his baby teeth by the time he’s 3. What are the symptoms of teething?Some babies act like they don’t even notice the arrival of new teeth. But others definitely aren’t happy with the experience, and they have many ways of letting you know. A teething baby may cry for no obvious reason.
Here’s a tid-bit of information from a magazine of mine. I hope you find it helpful. “What are the signs that my baby is teething? Teething is often accompanied by red cheeks, restless nights and miserable days with a desire to chew on almost anything. Developmentally, all babies begin to produce more saliva around 12 weeks and explore things by chewing, regardless or whether they’re teething. Symptoms of teething and illness can be very similar so understanding what your baby needs can be confusig. In general, babies cut their first tooth at around six to seven months, although this does vary. The first teeth to appear are usually the middle incisors at the bottom, following by the middle incisors at the top. Remember, it’s important not to dismiss symptoms such as fevel, nappy rash or diarrhoea as teething. ” I’m also going to include the link to a parenting forum that I think you might like to join and find very helpful. It’s full of supportive women with boundless knowledge about t
By TraceyGodridge If your baby is teething, his gums may look more red than usual and his cheeks inflamed. You may not be able to see a tooth yet, though — symptoms of teething can appear more than a month before there’s any sign of a pearly white. This is because it’s the tooth breaking through the gum that hurts; once it’s visible, your baby will probably be a lot happier. All babies are different (many show no signs of there being any discomfort) but you may notice him chewing on everything he can get his hands on and waking up at night because of the discomfort. He may drool, too, which can cause a chin rash, and, just to add insult to injury, he may also have mild diarrhoea, which can cause a sore bottom. With all this going on, you won’t be surprised to learn that irritability is one of the most common signs of teething. One thing to remember, though: teething shouldn’t make your baby ill, so if he has symptoms such as fever, earache, severe diarrhoea or vomiting, it’s unlikely
Besides the trademark drool and crankiness, try the gum-massage test. (Babies are more likely to accept a finger probing into their mouth than to allow a look.) Run your finger along the front edges of the gums, and you will feel swollen ridges of preteething gums. It is sometimes difficult to tell if a baby is teething because the amount of teething discomfort varies considerably among babies. Some are steady, once-a-month teethers; many teethe in bursts and pauses, where suddenly baby has a miserable week and you feel four swollen ridges along the gum line. Expect the most discomfort when many teeth come through at once. Some babies experience exquisite pain and swelling during molar teething. If allowed to look, you may notice a mound of swollen tissue around a budding tooth. Don’t be alarmed if you notice a mushy blue blister above an erupting tooth. This is actually a collection of blood beneath the superficial layer of gum tissue. These painful swellings are best treated by cool
