Teething for babies is a huge pain in the… well, mouth!
Your baby’s little teeth are pushing their way through. This causes really sore gums that can make your baby extremely moody and often interrupt their sleep.
What are the symptoms to look out for that your baby is teething?
- Baby’s gums will be sore and red where the tooth is coming through.
- Baby might have a mild temperature of less than 38C.
- Baby can have 1 flushed cheek.
- Baby can develop a rash on their face – see my other video about teething rash!
- Baby can start rubbing their ears.
- Baby will be drooling more than usual.
- Baby will start gnawing and chewing on things a lot.
- Baby will also be more moody than usual.
The good news is that teething only causes irritation around the time your baby’s tooth is about to break through the gum, and this period generally lasts for about 8 days.
However, the bad news is… your baby has about twenty teeth to grow, so if each tooth takes around 8 days, this teething period can quickly turn into a nightmare for you.
So what can you do as a mom to help your baby during this difficult time?
There are two steps you can take to help ease your baby’s discomfort.
Number 1: Give them teething toys.
But when you go the teething route, make sure the teether is non-toxic. That means BPA free and phthalate free! Otherwise these chemicals will just leach into your baby’s little body and can cause a series of unwanted health conditions – see my other video on that as well.
Number 2: You can also help your baby by keeping it cool.
Try giving a cold carrot or cucumber stick! This can be soothing on baby’s gums.
There you have it. Remember, teething eventually comes to an end and most infants have all their teeth by two and a half. While it may not be much fun at the time for you or baby, it is an exciting milestone to watch your baby grow their first set of teeth!