The Signs Of Teething In Infants

One of the first developmental targets your baby will encounter is teething. Although some infants have almost no difficulty teething, others are inconsolable, causing sleepless nights and days filled with fussiness.

Most babies will have trouble during their teething phase. The first set of teeth is composed of 20 “milk teeth” and some babies begin showing signs of teething as early as three months old. Like anyone, babies deal with pain individually and there is no right answer when trying to manage the pain your baby is in from teething.

As a baby begins to show signs of teething, the first tooth may not even appear for a few months. As teeth begin to rise to the gum surface, your baby’s mouth will become tender and sensitive. Your baby will show signs of irritability when just a few days ago they were a smiling, happy child.

In some infants, drooling becomes excessive as they begin to teethe. At about four months of age, if your baby is drooling much more than before, it is likely that it is starting the teething process.

If your baby does not show signs of an illness, but appears to have a cough, you shouldn’t be alarmed. Excess saliva in the mouth from drooling may cause your baby to gag or cough at times.

Heavy drooling in infants can cause a rash on the chin due to irritation of the skin. You can avoid some chafing by gently cleaning off your baby’s face while it is drooling excessively.

A sure sign that your baby is teething is a sudden need to chew down on almost anything in site. Giving your child a cold teething toy or a teething biscuit will help the pain your baby is in and decrease pressure in the gums.

As more teeth begin coming in, many infants will rub their cheeks or pull on their ears as pain from molars arriving often radiates to the ears. An infant that pulls on an ear excessively may also have an ear infection so be sure that your baby does not have a fever.

As a baby is teething, often they do not sleep well through the night. The worst times are when the molars are coming in as they are the most painful and largest teeth your baby is producing.

Medications designed for babies may be helpful in alleviating teething pain. Homeopathic teething tablets have also been proven effective at managing a cranky baby who is likely irritable due to teething.

However you choose to help your baby through the teething phase, remember that your baby can’t tell you it is upset and needs to cry to get your attention. Make sure there is no signs of illness and then try the above techniques to see if your baby is soothed.