Baby Teething: Signs, Symptoms and Ways to Ease the Pain
Baby Teething: Signs, Symptoms and Ways to Ease the Pain
It is difficult for parents to watch as their baby begins the painful process of teething. For some children, the baby teething process can be simple, one day you notice they have several little white teeth poking through their gums. However, for others it is a much harder journey. Most babies begin the baby teething challenge at around six months, but this can vary from baby to baby.
Symptoms of Baby Teething
Baby teething seems to be a very individual process. For some teething begins with the baby becoming very irritable. Sometimes the baby is most irritable when the first teeth begin popping through. It is thought that they are not uses to the sensation of teething, and this causes more irritability.
Another of the symptoms of baby teething is excessive drooling. The whole process of teething seems to cause a baby to begin to drool more. The drooling can then cause the baby to have a chin rash when baby teething is happening. The rash is caused by the excess moisture that occurs when the baby drools. Drool bibs can be used to try and keep the chin dry and prevent a rash from occurring.
Baby teething can also cause the infant to have cold like symptoms. These include runny nose, low grade fever and even a cough. Make sure to check in with a physician if the fever lasts for more than two days, as the baby could be sick and need the attention of a physician.
Another baby teething symptom can be the baby pulling on its ear or gnawing on things. Both of these symptoms can indicate the baby is teething. However, again if the baby is pulling on its ear and has a fever, a physician may be needed to determine if the baby has an ear infection.
Assistance for Baby Teething
Parents want to help their babies during this whole teething process. There are over the counter medications that can be used to help alleviate the pain, and these can be discussed with a physician.
Other ideas include a baby teething ring. These are often placed in the refrigerator to allow them to be cool. The baby places them in their mouths and the cold helps with the teething pain. Rubbing the gums with a cold wash cloth can also help and some babies like the sensation of their parents rubbing their gums with their fingers to relieve the pain.
Baby teething can be a long procedure for some babies. Paying attention to the symptoms can alert parents that the teething process is beginning, and prepare them for the next steps in the series of events.