Baby Teething – 9 Signs & 5 Easy Ways To Soothe
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When does baby teething begin?
If you are anything like I was with my first child, you may be a bit nervous about the teething process. I spent so much time googling symptoms and soothing methods, I began to feel extremely overwhelmed.
In addition to my own swirling thoughts, feelings, and worries, I had my mother and grandmother constantly repeating the old remedies and ensuring that they would work best. I was torn between doing what they said just because they’d said it, and believing everything that I’d been reading online.
The cherry on top of the anxiety was the calm dispositions of my mother and grandmother since they had seen this so many times before with each of their children. I thought, How could they be so calm while I am freaking out!?
All I could think of next was, “Ready or not here I come” and just brace myself for the whirlwind that was on its way.
It Was Bad But Not That Bad
The teething experience was different with each of our three children. I did choose to use the amber necklace with my first baby. To this day, I’m still unsure of whither it really worked or not. It was a short necklace that he did sometimes chew, but not often at all. He would usually forget that it was there.
Our first teething baby was pretty easy to deal with overall.
He was irritable and fussy at night more than during the daytime. He also wanted to nurse more often throughout the day and night. I’d noticed him rubbing his gums often, chewing toys, chewing my fingers, and pretty much anything that he could manage to find and fit into his mouth.
Since my child was nursing more often, it became painful as if it were the first week of nursing all over again. My initial thoughts were that he was having a growth spurt, but when I saw him displaying more of the signs, it all made more sense.
The fussiness, emotional neediness, constant nursing alone were a recipe for disaster for me since at the time I was battling postpartum depression and anxiety simultaneously. I was glad to have my husband there to support me through it all and navigate together.
Our next two little ones would go on to have extremely similar teething experiences. This led us to be more confident with being able to recognize the signs of teething, and help soothe our babies.
How would I know?
9 Signs That Your Baby Might Be Teething
Our children displayed every single one of these symptoms. It is also possible for some babies to only show some of these signs and maybe even none of these, in which case you’ve completely won the tooth-growing lottery.
There is also a variation in how much each baby will display each sign. Some little ones might have slightly elevated body temperature more often than others. Some babies might be more irritable and fussy than others throughout their teething process. Each little one is different.
- Swollen gums
When you notice that your child’s gums look red and puffy or swollen, you should pay close attention. Sometimes you may be able to see a hint of white tooth buried inside the bottom gums from the top or front view.
- Drooling more than usual
Bibs became a hot commodity with each child’s experience in our family. They would soak through multiple bibs in one day, so we would keep changing them out to prevent rashes on the neck, chin, and chest from constant moisture. If your little one does get a rash, always tell their doctor. One way to be proactive is to keep the area dry.
- Slightly elevated body temperature
If your little one has a temperature of over 100 F, consider taking them to their doctor. Contrary to what some parents believe, studies have shown that fever and diarrhea are not proven signs of the process of growing teeth.
- Rubbing ears and face
You may notice your little one rubbing their ears and face more often. All three of my children did this while growing teeth. I also learned that they would sometimes do this when they were tired. If you notice a rash on your little one’s face, or fluids leaking from their ears, consult their doctor.
This is an attempt for baby to soothe the aches and pain in the jaw and gums caused by the emerging teeth beneath.
- Chewing on hands and other objects
This is a way that babies attempt to soothe their gums. It can bring them some temporary relief to chew on their hands which are usually readily available.
- Nighttime discomfort/Not sleeping well
If you’ve ever experiences tooth pain, you might’ve noticed that it seems to be worse at night. That could be possible. It could also be that the pain is more disruptive when you are trying to sleep. The same could be possible for your little teether. Getting a good night rest is hard to do when your gums are throbbing.
- More irritable and fussy than usual
If your teething little one is dealing with annoying pain throughout the day, it could become annoying. Babies don’t have the language to communicate how much pain they are in and when. Their way of communicating that would be to cry and fuss more often. This could leave them in a more irritable mood.
- Sucking their tongue
You may see your little one appear to be sucking or biting their tongue. The tongue is soft and spongy. This might make the perfect texture for a teether to chew or rub their gums with to provide some temporary relief.
- More emotionally needy/clingy than usual
It’s natural for your little teether to become more needy or clingy while teething. They may seek more cuddles and hugs from you to soothe their emotions after a full day (at least) of pain and discomfort. Anytime children are in pain, they will likely look for their parents to give them emotional support through it.
What should I do to help soothe my baby?
5 Ways To Help Soothe Your Teething Baby
Using teething rings is a great way to help soothe your little one. Many of them come with different raised patterns on them to increase the effect on your baby’s gums. There are teething rings that can be frozen and those that do not require freezing. It’s worth noting that some pediatric professionals advise against using frozen teething rings due to the possible harmful effects of freezing temperatures on any part of a baby’s body.
At times I have cleaned my hands very well with soap and warm water and massaged my babies gums. If it makes you feel better, you can wear sterilized medical grade exam gloves on your hands while you allow baby to chew your fingers and knuckles. My children loved that! I think that my thicker and slightly more tough hands and joints may have provided a more firm gnawing option for my babies.
- Frozen wash cloth
Some parents swear by this method. You would wet a clean wash cloth, squeeze out all of the water, and place it into your freezer. Once it is frozen, your little one can chew it, suck on it, or rub their gums with it. Again, some pediatric professionals advice against using frozen items with your little one.
I’ve noticed that sometimes eating would bring my teething babies some temporary relief. One thing that was solid but seemed to be extremely safe for them to eat were teething crackers. They really enjoy the flavor and texture of them. These crackers were also a headache free option for me since they melt rather quickly after becoming exposed to moisture. So, I never worried about my babies choking on them.
The two options that medical professionals always recommended me were acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others). I used Tylenol with all three of my babies and it worked well. Giving them medicine was always my last resort to help them feel better since I am not a huge medicine-taker myself. I prefer trying the safe natural remedies first.
The FDA warns against the use of these 3 soothing methods:
- Teething Jewelry
- Topical gels and teething tablets
- Teething medications that contain benzocaine or lidocaine
In what order do baby teeth come?
Here is a roundabout timeline and order for the way baby teeth are usually known to grow in.
- 6 -10 months
Bottom incisors – Bottom Front
- 8 – 12 months
Top incisors – Top Front
- 9 – 13 months
Top lateral incisors – Sides of the top front teeth in no particular order
- 10 – 16 months
Bottom lateral incisors – Sides of the bottom front teeth in no particular order
- 13 – 19 months
First molars – Jaw teeth in the back
- 17 – 23 months
Canines – Between the first molars and lateral incisors (top or bottom)
- 25 to 33 months
Second molars – Jaw teeth behind the first molars
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