Teething Symptoms for Infants

Are you worried as your baby is crying constantly? If questions like, 'when the baby will start teething?', 'how long it will take?' and 'how painful the teething process will be?' are lingering in your mind, then you should know the primary fact that the answers will be different for each baby. There is no fixed pattern for infant teething. The process of teething will be different for each baby.

So, when do babies start teething? Normally, the first tooth appears during the sixth month, although in some cases, it can be noticed as early as in the third month or as late as around baby's first birthday! Sometimes, there is no pain at all and cutting a tooth happens overnight without any teething signs, but for some babies it can be a long, drawn out, irritating and painful process.

Symptoms of Teething in Babies

Loss of Appetite: It is quite normal that babies will refuse to eat or drink. The pain in the gum will make them refuse food.

Disturbed Sleep: Due to constant pain in the gum, your baby will not be able to sleep.

Drooling: Drooling can be considered as one of the main teething symptoms for infants. Drooling clearly indicates that the teething process has started. Teething induces drooling. Remember, excessive drooling can cause facial rash as well. So, you need to find out the drooling causes and eliminate them.

Cough: Teething stimulates production of saliva and excessive saliva may accumulate in the mouth which might cause coughing and might also lead to a gag reflex sometimes.

Constant Biting: Teething in babies will make them gnaw and gum down everything and anything in sight - toys, fingers, shoes. The biting and gnawing action counters the pressure of the gum with that of the object and temporarily helps the baby to get rid of the pain.

Swollen Gums: Swollen gums is perhaps the first and most common telltale baby teething symptom. Reddened and swollen gums may have bumps over them, from where the teeth are about to appear. An outline of the teeth emerging from the gum can also be seen. The intolerable gum pain is difficult for the baby to bear and the baby might be very irritable and cranky as a result. But with more and more teeth coming in, the baby gets used to the pain and calms down.

Diarrhea: As mentioned above more saliva is produced during the process of teething and the ingested excess saliva loosens the stool, resulting in loose motions. You should consult the doctor immediately if diarrhea lasts for more than two stools and follow the suggestions on foods for toddlers with diarrhea.

Rubbing of Ears: The baby rubbing or pulling its ear is also one of the commonly observed teething symptoms in infants. Particularly, when the molars erupt, the pain will radiate through the mouth into the cheeks and can be experienced in the ear. You can easily mark that the baby will constantly pull and rub the ear which is on the same side as the erupting and hurting tooth.

Other Symptoms: Fever, known as baby teething fever, constant crying, runny nose, crankiness and increased irritability are some of the other common symptoms.

These days, teething tablets for infants are available everywhere; but you should consult the pediatrician before trying baby teething remedies suggested by others. You can give your baby 'pain relievers' prescribed by the doctor. Teething rings are safe objects for biting. You can massage your baby's gums with clean fingers or wet cloth to relieve gum pain. A clean wet cold cloth is good for the baby to chew on. It can absorb excess saliva also. You should keep a clean cloth handy to wipe your baby's chin, to prevent skin rash that might appear as a result of drooling.

You are expected to try different remedies until you find what provides the best relief for your child. Just keep it in mind that the teething symptoms for infants should be managed skillfully and patiently, as the teething process will come and go just like so many other things with newborn babies.