Teething is an inevitable part of every baby’s development and it can be a nerve-wracking time for parents. However, there are some methods that you can use to ease this heavy period. What helps with teething? The answers to these and other questions about milk teeth can be found here.
When do babies start teething?
Some babies are born with their first teeth. Others start teething before they are 4 months old and some as late as 12 months. But most babies get their first teeth around 6 months.
The lower incisors usually break between the fifth and seventh month
What helps with teething? First signs
When milk teeth come through, sometimes there is no pain or discomfort whatsoever. At other times, however, you may notice the following symptoms:
- The gums are inflamed and red where the tooth comes through.
- Your baby has a low-grade fever of less than 38°C
- There is redness on the cheek
- It has a rash on its face
- It rubs its ear
- It’s drooling more than usual
- It chews on things a lot
- It’s more restless than usual
- It doesn’t sleep very well
Some people think that teething causes other symptoms, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or coughing, but there’s no evidence to support this.
Babies often rub their ears when teething
In what order do the milk teeth appear?
The following is a rough overview of the order in which babies’ teeth usually erupt:
- Lower incisors (lower front teeth) – These are usually the first to erupt, around 5 to 7 months.
- Upper incisors (upper front teeth) – These usually come in around 6 to 8 months.
A cool teething toy is one of the best things you can do when teething
- Upper lateral incisors (on either side of the upper front teeth) – They erupt around 9 to 11 months.
- Lower lateral incisors (on either side of the lower front teeth) – These show up around 10 to 12 months.
As your baby grows more teeth, introduce the toothbrush
- First molars (back teeth) – breakthrough at around 12 to 16 months
- Canines (between the lateral incisors and the first molars) – emergence at around 16 to 20 months
- Second molars – These come through at around 20 to 30 months.
Most children will have all their milk teeth by the time they are between 2 and 3 years old.
A sweet smile
What helps with teething? Methods to relieve the pain of teething
What works for a friend’s baby may not work for yours. You may need to try different methods to make your baby feel better.
- Massage the gums. Putting pressure on your baby’s gums can help ease the pain. After thoroughly cleaning your hands, lay your baby on the bed and gently massage the gums with your finger. This can help your baby relax and fall asleep. If your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, you can try massaging the gums again.
Relieve teething pain naturally
- Leave the pacifier or teething toy to cool. If your baby uses a pacifier, you can also use it to soothe their gums by cooling them. Make sure the pacifier is clean and put it in the fridge. Cooling can help numb the gums and soothe soreness. You can do the same with teething toys. You can put all solid teething toys in the fridge.
Teething without pain
- wet cloth. Freeze a clean, wet cloth and give it to your baby to chew on. This will help reduce inflammation in the gums. You can also massage the gums with the cloth.
- cold food. Serve cold foods like applesauce, yogurt, and chilled or frozen fruit (for babies who consume solid foods).
Cold food such as yoghurt can also have a calming effect
- Teething Cookies. You can offer teething biscuits from the age of 8 to 12 months. But pay attention to gum hygiene. As your baby grows more teeth, introduce a toothbrush.
- pain medication. As a last resort, you can talk to your doctor about giving you over-the-counter pain relievers. These medications help relieve the pain and get the baby to sleep. Your pediatrician can advise on the right dosage and the best type of pain reliever.
Most children get all of their baby teeth between the ages of 2 and 3
Bring your baby some quick relief
