HELOO! First of all apologies for not posting as often as I should. Work and parenting are taking bunch of my time. Anyway, am happy today I got some few minutes to write something to you my dear reader and follower. Let’s talk about teething. It’s such a mile stone. As write this, my daughter is turning one today and she is still toothless! You don’t know how much I look forward to seeing her cute little smile with some teeth on it…Well, teething is such a milestone. I read that their babies start teething as early as three months and all I have been doing is count months, and keep checking the jaw for any sign…LOL! We just hit one year. Am not the only one though…So last week, she was sick and I took advantage of doctor’s appointment to know why these teeth are taking their sweet time in the jaw and I want to see them already. Guess what the response was;” Mom, I would not be worried about teething. As long as she is still under two years.” She further stated that the baby follows the parent teething schedule. So, if one of the parent teethed after one year, then the baby will take that… I have not researched on this so I won’t confirm if it’s true or not. But guess what, I had to call my mom and my mom in law to ask about our teething…and guess whose teeth came out past one year… my hubby’s. So yes. it could be true. All in all am ready for this teething journey and today I just want to share some tips on how to manage this stage.
The interesting part about teething is that when teeth come early, they are lost early. When a baby tooth is lost too early, the permanent teeth can drift into the empty space and make it difficult for other adult teeth to find room when they come in. Now you understand why some people need braces at some point in life.
Sign and symptoms of teething
- Swollen, tender gums- The gum become swore and tender. Normally you will notice that they are reddish in colour. This is a sigh that the teeth are about to rupture or cut through the gum so that they can come out.
- Fever-The temperature may slightly rise during teething. It’s important to keep monitoring the fever as it can lead to convulsion. The temperature should not go beyond 38.8 degrees celcius. To reduce this, sponge the baby with warm water and dress them lightly to cool them. If fever persists, take the baby to the hospital.
- Fussiness and crying- Teething is a painful process and can be uncomfortable for the baby. Some baby just want to be held or breastfed to just help them feel better. Whatever your baby want.. give.. she is the boss..at least for that teething period.
- Drolling- Your baby might start drolling and blowing bubbles. Drolling stimulates production of saliva that help in moisturizing tender gum making them feel better.
- Changes in eating and sleeping patterns- Some babies will not sleep and some will refuse to eat some foods. This is the best time to keep breastfeeding to ensure that your baby still get sufficient nutrients that they need for growth and development.
- Biting more than usual- You must have experienced some nipple biting while breastfeeding and you sometimes butt that little butt as a reminder that they are just babies and not vampires. They may keep putting everything including their fingers in the mouth.
Again symptom vary. Some children vomit, others diarrhea. Its important to take the baby to the hospital for checkup.
In what order do the teeth grow?
This is the order in which the teeth will appear. Note that this vary in timing. (Remember mine is toothless at 1 year)
- 6 to 12 months: the central incisors (the teeth right in the middle of the jaw on the top and bottom)
- 9 to 12 months: the lateral incisors (the teeth next to the central incisors)
- 16 to 22 months: canine (cuspids)
- 13 to 19 months: the first molars
- 25 to 33 months: the second molars
How do you ease baby’s discomfort during teething?
- Massage the gums with two fingers- Try gently rubbing or massaging the gums with one of your fingers. Ensure that your fingers are cleaned before you massage to prevent spread of infection.
- Cold wet cloth-Put a clean wet cloth in the fridge to cool and hand it over to your baby to gnaw it. This relieves the pain on the gums.
- Teething ring-Teething ring give the baby something to chew on and that pressure can help soothe aching gums. Cooling it in the fridge is magical.
- Cold fruits and vegetables- Peel and clean the carrot. Cut into into four long pieces. You can keep them in the fridge and then give the baby to try and bite. The carrot will have a cooling effect on the gum as well as apply pressure on the gum as they bite relieving the pain. You can do this with apples too.
- Paracetamol-You can give paracetamol but not round the clock to relieve the pain, fever and maybe help the baby sleep.
Teething remedies that are unsafe
Teething gel and Tablet- I know this is a popular teething remedy for most moms. However, this is not endorsed by medics. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises parents not to use benzocaine teething gels on children younger than two, except under doctor supervision. Benzocaine can cause methemoglobinemia, a serious condition that can cause death.
There you have it moms. That’s how you manage teething. Has your baby started teething? When did it begin and what was your experience? Please encourage a mom here camping and waiting for a year for the first tooth. As soon as it happens, I will address the nation. In the meantime, like and follow me on all my social media by clicking on the icons below…Don’t miss out on free training on motherhood. See you tomorrow for recipe Wednesday.Guess what I will talking about…Crunchy weaning recipes…you don’t want to miss that. Like my page right now!