Every child grows and achieves their milestones for development, but each child may have his or her own timeline. When babies grow, parents turn anxious and start comparing their own with their friends’ children or with siblings. It is important to know that there will be individual differences in the milestones achieved by each child.
One such important milestone is teething in babies. It has been noted that babies start teething anywhere between 2 months to 12 months of age or even later. Teething is the process each child goes through when they cut teeth. It can be a painful process for both the child and the parent. Once the process is completed, it can be quite a blessing as your child is now ready to try on a variety of food items. It will also save you the trouble of packing separately for your child for picnics and outdoor trips.
By the time kids are 3 years old they develop about 20 primary teeth. Usually it’s the bottom teeth that appear first and then the teeth appear in the upper jaw. Each child has a mix of teething signs and symptoms. Let us examine those:
Excessive drooling
Teething stimulates drooling in children; you may see children drooling a lot much earlier than when the actual teething begins. To avoid the clothes getting soggy, you can put a bib on. It will help your child not feel uncomfortable with the clothes being wet all the time. Remember to periodically check and replace the soggy bib with a new one.
Drooling can also cause rashes around mouth and cheek areas due to bacteria present in saliva. Applying cream on the cheek will help with that, do check with your doctor if you are unsure about the cream as some kids may be allergic to creams. Some children might also get diarrhoea and diaper rash when they have excessive drooling. It is always good to check with the doctor if symptoms like diarrhoea or fever do not go away after 24 hours.
Rubbing cheeks and pulling ear
When your baby is teething, you would notice that he/she is pulling his ear often or rubbing the area around cheeks. This is because pain felt during teething would cause pain around ear and in the cheeks. Babies try to pull ears trying to ease the pain.
Pulling of ear is not always because of teething, so you have to be mindful of that. Infection in the ear can also lead to pain in the ear, so it is important that you check with the doctor to find the correct reason and ease your child’s pain.
Crankiness and difficulty in sleeping
Babies get irritable when they have new teeth breaking, this is their way of reacting to the pain and discomfort. Babies who normally sleep through the night may suddenly break their sleep pattern to get up in the middle of the night and not go back to sleep again.
Cranky babies show crankiness because of their discomfort, they are unable to go back to sleep and that adds to the problem. Pain keeps babies from going back to sleep again. Spending time with your child, cuddling them, and comforting them will help reduce irritability. Keeping them distracted with toys is a good way to take their mind away from pain and discomfort.
Gnawing
Teething babies will bite almost everything they get their hands on. You will find them gnawing their toys, fingers – anything they can bite. Biting things will put pressure on their gums which helps bring relief to the gums.
It would be good idea if you can get toys from the market which the babies can sink their teeth into. Some of them are even named teething toys which will help ease the pain felt in the gums. Some of the toys that you can keep chilled – like the teething rings – can be extra comforting, as they are cold. Be careful to keep the toys clean so that your child does not get infected by chewing on toys.
Loss of appetite
Because of pain in the gums, your child may not feel like having food. Gums become sore from the teeth coming out. Chewing will cause more discomfort and hence your child may lose appetite.
Even if it is difficult it is important that you continue to feed your child. Chilled food like yogurt or chilled fruit drinks are great choices even when your toddler is finicky about eating. It is alright if your child refuses one of his/her feeds, but do check with the doctor if they refuse to eat anything at all.
Few home remedies to help your baby
Most babies have one or two of the above symptoms while teething, it is important that you try and keep the baby healthy and pampered during this troublesome teething time.
- You can use a soft cold flannel to ease the pain in the gums and cheeks.
- You can use a clean finger to rub on your child’s gums, the pressure will help to ease the pain.
- You can give your child hard foods, this will give relief your child when they gnaw on the food.
- You can try using teething rings to help your child.
- You can also check with your doctor and see if teething gels are safe to use for your child.
Do remember what works for one child need not work with the other, so you need to do lot of trial and error. Try different ways to calm and soothe your baby to help them with the teething problems.
If you are not sure whether the symptoms are because of teething or any other underlying problem always check with your doctor. Teething can be a troubling time both for parents and the children. But with a little bite of care and help from your doctor, you will be able to successfully navigate this stage in your baby’s growth.