Is Your Baby Teething?

Ask any parent about the problems they had, or perhaps we should say lack of sleep, during the teething process of their child, and they will probably just shake their head and tell you that you are in for a long couple of months. Since a baby is not actually able to tell you what they are going through, we have put together some signs so you know that crying that is taking place is actually due to teething and not something else.

In most cases, your baby will have that first tooth peek through when he or she is about six-months old. Some of the most common signs you will see when a child starts teething are excessive drooling and extreme irritability, but there are also some other signs that will confirm your child is getting his or her teeth.

Because every child is unique in how he or she is able to deal with this new pain, you need to look for a variety of things to confirm teething has begun:

· Sleeping Habits Altered – due to the pain in the gums, many babies will have difficulty not only falling asleep, but also remaining asleep once they have finally dozed off. If your child has not been able to keep to a steady schedule for his or her first six months, this is definitely a sign that his or her teeth are starting to come in, assuming there are no other health problems with the child.

· Not Eating – just as an adult does not want to aggravate a tooth when he or she has a bad toothache, a baby will lose his or her appetite during the teething process. Any contact only exacerbates the pain, so the cause of your baby turning his or her head at the six-month mark is more than likely the first tooth coming in.

· Rubbing Cheek or Ear Area – as you know as an adult, pain does not always appear from the area from which it originates. That being the case, you may see your child constantly rubbing his or her cheek or ear from the pain of teeth coming through.

· Biting and/or Gnawing – Putting a little pressure on those new teeth will sometimes help relieve the pain of new teeth coming in. So, when you see your six-month-old trying to gnaw on your finger, it might be time to invest in a teething ring.

It is never too early for your children to see a dentists, so if you suspect his or her teeth are starting to come in, bring your baby with you next time you visit the dentist. He or she will be able to provide the best advice for a course of action to lessen the pain and hopefully help those teeth come in nice and straight.

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