Babies never fail to give delightful surprises to their parents from every milestone of their development. Parents continually anticipate for what new tricks, mimics or discoveries babies might have. At some time between 2 to 12 months or later, babies surprise parents with teeth.
Some babies can start showing signs of teething as early as 2 months old; some may show the signs as late as their first birthday or even later. Most often the first set of teeth would be in the bottom center followed by the top center. Prior to the appearance of these pearly whites, the babies show symptoms and signs that they are already teething.
Here are some signs to watch for:
Drooling. Teething naturally stimulates an increased production of saliva. Some cases would result in teething rash right under the baby's mouth, chin or even the neck. This is because of the constant moisture from saliva because of drooling. It is important that caregivers would wipe the drool gently to avoid skin irritation or rashes. Patting the drool lightly, letting the baby wear a bib or applying petroleum jelly would help in avoiding skin problems caused by the saliva.
Biting. Babies naturally love to feed, but if they start showing signs of disinterest at the sight of their feeding bottle, parents must be more observant of signs of teething. Refusal to feed is one of these signs, the gums and mouth become sore and sensitive so babies tend to refuse feeding. Babies might start biting almost anything that comes close to their mouth. They also choose to bite the rubber nipples on their feeding bottles instead of sucking it, so breastfeeding mothers must be cautious at this stage. Gums can be sore and painful thus resulting to sleepless nights for both the babies and parents.
Crying. The best way to express discomfort for babies is crying. Since they are unable to verbally express the pain in their gums, they tend to become irritable. The disturbance caused by teething would make babies cry more often, and in most cases cry more loudly. Some even tug their ears or rub their cheeks as an attempt to reduce the pain. According to the website What To Expect, "Gums, ears and cheeks share nerve pathways."
Upon knowing the signs of teething, parents' next move would be aiming to soothe the babies during the teething period. Here are some home solutions to soothe a teething baby:
Gum Massage. It can counter-pressure applied by the parents using their own fingers, careful though as the babies would bite mostly anything that comes inside their mouths. Parents can use a cold cloth wrapped around the finger or a clean finger would do.
Chilled Food or Cold Spoon. If the baby has already started eating solids, then serving the baby with chilled food is a good way to feed and ease teething pain at once. For babies who have not starting eating solids yet, a chilled rubber spoon can be used to soothe the swollen gums.
Diversion and Play. Keeping the baby entertained with toys or activities would help the child forget the pain. This strategy might need creativity and energy from the parents and caregivers but this is very natural and hits two birds with one stone. While parents are trying to divert the baby's attention away from the teething pain, the parent and infant are able to have bonding moments and the play time also enhances cognitive and social skills for the baby.
Other parents use teething gels, Paracetamol and Ibuprofen or even plastic teething toys, however most parents still prefer natural home remedies to soothe babies from the agony of teething. Red and Honey shares attainable home remedies to soothe teething and some notes on what to avoid.
