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Tips On Teething
At some point usually between 3 and 7 months, you will notice your baby starting to get his or her first tooth. This can be a difficult time for some children while others breeze right through it. As the tooth pushes its way through the gum, you might notice the gum around the area to be swollen. Your baby might also start drooling a lot as well as have trouble sleeping and eating.
They can also have diarrhea, diaper rash and fever. Overall, crankiness usually sets in. By the time all of their baby teeth are in, they will have a set of twenty teeth. Sometimes it can take almost up to their third birthday before all twenty have fully erupted. While there are no cure-alls to make your baby feel completely better, there are a few things you can do to ease their pain.
Tylenol or Ibuprofen is not something I would recommend using every day but on occasion it may provide better pain management for your child. You will notice that your baby has trouble when certain teeth come through and not others. For instance, many kids have trouble when their molars come through. Some people believe that there is a correlation between your child teething and them getting sick because sometimes they develop a fever.
There really is no clear evidence to suggest this theory to be true. Many moms would disagree. It’s possible that teething may lower their resistance allowing them to be prone to random viruses and infections. But, nobody knows for sure. If you do notice that your child has a low grade fever along with symptoms of teething, have your pediatrician evaluate them. Otherwise, you can give them a dose of Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
Teething Gels can be used to help too. However, they don’t taste well and they wind up numbing the mouth and throat. One of my sons screamed for hours after I applied teething gel to his gum. He didn’t like the feeling of his mouth and throat being numb.
The best things you can do to make your child feel better is to give them something cold for their mouth or something to chew on. One sign that your baby is beginning to teeth is when you notice them wanting to bite or chew on things. The counter pressure helps them to feel better. Buy a teething ring for your baby.
Many times babies will fuss for a few minutes and then settle themselves to sleep. Some woman believe that the cry it out method is the best. I don’t agree. If a baby is crying for longer than 15 minutes, they need you. If it isn’t something obvious like a dirty diaper than perhaps they are still very much attached to you and need your reassurance. Be patient with your baby.
They make teething rings that have liquid inside of them. Put them in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes to get them cold. Some moms like to give their child frozen bagels or other frozen foods to chew on. I don’t recommend this because these can be choking hazards. They do make a mesh food holder that you can put food in like frozen bananas. You should check it frequently to make sure there are no holes or ways the food can come out.
What has worked the best for my boys is wetting a washcloth and sticking it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Its gets nice and cold and I know it doesn’t pose any danger for them. Also, any crushed ice or crushed slushy will help. Again, you just need to make sure whatever you give will not cause a choking hazard.
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