Your baby is crying out, and you just cannot identify why.
You have an idea your baby is in pain, but what is causing the pain?
Is it cold? An ear infection? Or something else?
Teething symptoms can start as early as 6 months, and they usually last for a couple of days.
From the time your baby’s first tooth emerges, the symptoms will be there, and they will last until your baby grows all of its teeth.
It is worth noting that teething is a different experience for every child.
But it is your responsibility as a parent to recognize the teething symptoms and help your baby through a painless experience.
When do symptoms appear?
Babies develop their tooth buds before they are even born.
And as these buds cut through the baby’s gums, teeth appear.
All of your baby’s teeth do not appear at the same time.
This is the order of which teeth appear:
- The central incisors, or the teeth right in the middle of the jaw on the top and bottom appear between 6 and 12 months
- The lateral incisors, teeth located next to the central incisors appear between 9 and 12 months
- Your baby will grow its canine teeth, or also known as cuspids when he/she reaches age between 16 and 22 months
- The first molars appear between 13 and 19 months, while the second molars appear between 25 and 33 months of age
By the time your baby reaches three years old, he/she should have all of his/her primary teeth.
The process of getting the teeth can be effortless for some, and excruciating for others.
It all depends on the baby.
Even in minor cases of pain, children show some of the teething symptoms.
The challenge is these symptoms usually appear 2 to 3 months before a tooth surface.
And because of that, it can be brutal for the baby, and for the family.
The discomfort and pain it causes will result in a cranky baby, and parents suffer.
Signs your baby is growing teeth
As mentioned previously, the symptoms of teething usually start earlier than the tooth emerges.
These symptoms can last for just a few days, or for as long as several months.
Sometimes, they appear just before the new tooth is emerging.
And for some lucky babies and parents, there are no signs at all.
The trick is that there is no single set of symptoms.
Some babies drool, others are irritable, and some might have trouble sleeping.
That is why it is important that you know and recognize all of the symptoms and signs of teething.
Biting more than usual
If your baby is experiencing this symptom, you can say he is becoming a vampire.
Your baby will bite and bite on anything that touches.
This includes plastic spoons, toys, and your breasts.
If you notice this symptom, your best course of action is to get some teething toys for your baby.
They will calm the biting and also keep your baby away from things that are not for biting, like your breasts.
Excessive drooling
You can expect some drooling when your baby is little.
This is because your baby is learning how to swallow its own saliva.
However, this is only when your baby is a newborn.
But when the teething starts, the drooling comes back.
Or, in some cases, drooling never stops.
During teething, your baby’s body is producing more saliva to lubricate the tender and bulging gums.
If your baby’s drooling never stops, you will notice the difference in the amount of drool.
Disturbance in sleep patterns
This is one of the most irritating and annoying symptoms for parents.
Teething will cause pain and discomfort in your baby.
Therefore, your baby will nap less and wake up earlier in the morning.
Definitely not the most fun time for parents.
Fussier than usual
This symptom is even more noticeable at night.
Your babies usually slept through the night, but now they wake up several times for comfort.
Because there are fewer distractions in the night, your baby feels the teething pain even more.
And because your baby is getting less sleep, you can expect him/her to be fussier than usual.
Decreased appetite
Babies act like adults in some cases.
When you are in pain, food is usually the last thing on your mind.
The same goes for babies.
When they feel pain, especially in their mouth, they do not want to eat.
Food might trigger their sore spots, and they avoid it as much as they can.
What you should do is try to keep feeding your baby despite the resistance.
Your baby needs food for development and growth.
Fever, rashes, cough, and diarrhea
These teething symptoms have not been officially recognized by doctors and pediatricians, but some mothers detect them.
Mothers detect a slight fever, usually under 100 degrees.
In addition, because of the extra drool, your baby might develop rashes on their face and cough.
Some babies develop diaper rash and diarrhea.
Pulling of ears
Your baby might be just several months old, but he knows how to create counter pressure.
One thing that babies do is pull their ears and rub the area around their jaw.
This is their way of creating counter pressure that eases the pain and throbbing caused by teething.
Should you worry your child is a late teether?
We talked when your baby develops its first teeth.
But not all babies grow their teeth at the same time.
This might cause some mothers to worry.
The first teeth usually peek when your baby is between 4 and 7 months old.
However, it is perfectly normal for the teeth to show up later.
There is nothing wrong when your baby’s teeth are slow to appear, but his bone growth, skin, and hair are normal.
However, if you do not notice any teeth at the time your baby reaches 18 months of age, talk to your doctor.
Some pediatricians say there is even a potential upside about being a late bloomer.
Teething or cold – Difference in Symptoms
As you can see by the symptoms, some of them are very similar to when you have a common cold.
It is important to make the difference between teething and cold and distinguish symptoms.
Being that some of the symptoms of teething are a runny nose, crankiness, loss of appetite, mild temperature, rashes, and so on, they might make you think your baby has an illness.
The easiest way to detect whether the symptoms are due to teething or cold is to look at the length.
The longer the symptoms last, the less likely is that they are caused by teething.
Your baby will experience teething symptoms for one or two nights.
But if those symptoms persist for more than three or four days, it is a sign of illness.