Infant Teething

The process of infant teething defers from one baby to another and it does not have any specific pattern which can help determine the start of the teething, its duration and the severity of the symptoms. Some infants might go through several days of grueling pain until their teeth appear, while for some, the teething may start overnight and without any pain. There have also been cases when parents did not have any clue until they came to notice the appearance of the first tooth. Average cases reveal that the first tooth occurs during the first seven months after the birth. However, there are also cases wherein, the tooth appeared in the first three months itself and in some cases, the arrival took about a year. Before I brief you on the infant teething symptoms and remedies, you may be interested in knowing about which teeth would come in first and how many would there be?

Infant Teething - Age, Type and Position of the Tooth

At the age of 6 - 7 months, you may expect the incisors. There would be two teeth at the central bottom and two at the central top. When your baby's age is between 7 - 9 months, then there will be two more incisors on the top and bottom, making the total number of teeth count to 8. In between 10 - 14 months, first set of molars will appear for chewing. Canines will appear during 15 - 18 months and when your baby is 2 - 3 years, it would be time for the arrival of the second molars.

Symptoms

Infant teething is related to several arguable symptoms. This is because not all babies undergo the same types of symptoms and different babies have different experience.

The first symptom of infant teething problems which you should watch out for is your baby getting irritable more than ever. This is because of the sharp little tooth, which is trying to rise to the surface. So this might make the gums painful and sore. This symptom is followed by your baby showing signs of drooling and coughing. The coughing though, is nothing to worry about until it is accompanied by a cold or a fever. If drooling becomes severe, your baby may suffer from chin rash due to constant contact of saliva with the skin. As your baby is teething, it might be common to see him chewing down at anything which he might get on his hands. This act actually relieves the pressure off the gums. Other symptoms which might be prominent are cheek rubbing and pulling of ears, probable onset of diarrhea, mild baby teething fever, poor sleeping due to the pain and cold-like symptoms.

Infant Teething Pain Remedies

Give your baby something soft to put down his gums on. Chewing and gnawing provides the baby with counter pressure which would bring great relief from the pain. Wet washcloths or terrycloth toys fresh from the fridge or freezer, teething rings, rubber teething toys, parents fingers (if washed), etc., have been popular with all babies and toddlers. Providing the baby with a cold cup of water also helps, especially if he is drooling a lot and suffering from diarrhea. The idea of feeding your baby with cold food such as chilled applesauce, yogurt, etc., is also one of the well-known remedies for managing the symptoms of infant teething.

You may also avail certain teething pain medications in order to manage the symptoms. However, get such medicines only after having been advised and prescribed by your baby's pediatrician. It is also advisable that even before you follow such infant teething remedies, which have been cited above, it would be wise on your part to exchange some professional and beneficial advice from a pediatrician. So, hold on to your little sweetheart until he/she outgrows the teething process and be ready to prepare some mouth-watering dishes for your new member at the dinner table!