Your baby’s toothless grin might have been making some interesting changes lately. It can be so exciting to watch your little one’s teeth beginning to emerge. But it can also be a painful time for your baby and a trying time for you as you try to sooth your sweetheart. I’ve put together some information and also some tips for dealing with teething.
When Does Teething Start?
At roughly six months of age, your baby may start to teeth. You may notice symptoms of teething before you see any visible evidence of a tooth emerging. We’ll talk about symptoms in the next section. First, the two bottom front teeth usually appear. These are the lower central incisors. Your baby is going to look adorably awkward when those two teeth erupt. Make sure to take lots of photos, as his or her look will be rapidly changing as the others start coming in. After the two bottom teeth appear, next, generally the two top teeth appear. Now your baby has a matching set! Fun times. This is when they can start chewing on their food much better.
The process that the four front teeth went through is the same process that the rest will go through. At 16-22 months the canine teeth also known as cuspids will emerge. The first molars will come in around 13-19 months. The last set of teeth to come in are the second molars. Those usually come in around 25-33 months.
Symptoms of Teething
Just when you think your baby can’t get any cuter and all is going so well, he or she may start biting you. Don’t take it personally. Most mothers don’t need instructions on that. It’s going to be natural to give a yell out “no,” especially if you get bit while breastfeeding. Hopefully, your baby will take the hint quickly that it’s not ok to bite you. It’s better to offer some alternatives and remedies for their inclination to sooth their erupting teeth than by biting your skin. We’ll cover that in the next section.
You may start noticing your baby is acting like the family dog. First biting, and now drooling. Drooling is another symptom of teething that is perfectly normal. Make sure to carry around a cloth diaper or something to wipe off his or her mouth often. Otherwise, you’ll be using your shirt.
Fussiness is a common symptom of teething. Teething hurts. Your baby may be crying more and over all just acting fussy. They may have a harder time going down for a nap, and they may not rest as long as normal. These are all symptoms of teething that you will get through together. Just be patient. This too shall pass.
Ear pulling is another sign that teething has started. Pulling his or her ears is a way that your baby is trying to release the pain that he or she feels. They will know something hurts and want to fix it themselves. Let’s talk about some ways that you can help your baby feel better.
Remedies for Teething
The good news is that as you watch your child go through the pain of teething, there are some things that you can do to help.
Teething Toys
There are many teething toys on the market. Ranging from gel rings to little soft animals that are safe to bite, teethers are easy to find. Check out any baby section of a store, and you will find a wide range of teething toys.
A Cold Washcloth
An inexpensive remedy that works is to give your baby a water soaked, cold and clean washcloth. The coolness will help to reduce inflammation and also help with the pain.
Herbal Remedies
Rosehips, chamomile, catnip, and clove are all well known natural remedies that can help with teething. Women have been using natural herbs for hundreds of years. Your local health food store should be able to set you up with safe herbs to give your baby.
I hope this will help you and your baby get through the teething months. You will get through this! And then in a few short years, they will lose all of those baby teeth as the permanent ones come in. So enjoy this time and take lots of photos of your baby’s changing smile. There are not too many things cuter in this life than a sparsely toothed grin of a baby.
