They always said your baby would grow up fast. Who knew teething would be one of the headache milestones. Fun fact: adults have up to 32 teeth! That’s 32x the fun lols
Growing teeth is a gradual process and as parents it’s good to note that signs and symptoms and start up to one month before the actual teeth “cuts” through the gum.
Signs your baby is teething:
- more irritable that usual
- tugs and the ear lobe
- drools more
- runs a fever/temperature
- has watery diarrhoea (as he/she swallows the excess mucus)
Sample the chart below to see the different milestones for teeth:
Without further ado, 5 Hacks to Sooth your Baby:
1. Warm baths + Body Lotion
As simple as it sounds, it may just do the trick. Try body lotions with lavender or chamomile which can soothe and calm jittery nerves.
2. Chilled Teething Ring/Frozen fruit+veg
Throw the teething ring into the fridge for half an hour and that will provide soothing cold relief for inflammed gums. Another one is a cold carrot or an apple core
3. Teething Gel
Bonjela or generics of it will give fast relief. Apply every three hours as required. Only use from 4months+
4. Analgesics
Panadol and Nurofen for infants are a mainstay. Keep these handy. Use either one first, if no relief after one hour add the other. Keep in mind that Panadol can be given every 6hrs (max 4 times per day) and Nurofen given every 8hrs (max 3 times per day)
5. Amber
Amber is a long fossilized tree resin formed millions of years ago. I’m personally kind of skeptical but if all of the above hasn’t worked for your child…then it won’t hurt to try. Comes in beads on a string for use as a bracelet or necklace. When buying these make sure individual beads are glued to the string to ensure safety such as when the string breaks-minimizing choke or slip hazard.
Bonus tip
rub on some Sudocrem or Pawpaw around the chin area to form a nice barrier against excess drooling which can macerate the skin (sudocrem is the better of the two at this).
Teeth Care and Maintenance (aka user manual)
Under 1.5 years
Clean gums daily with a dampened cloth or face towel. Gaps in gums are hotspots for food chunks and thus bacterial growth.
At 1.5years
Start a low-flouride toothpaste once daily
At 2 years
Low-flouride toothpaste brush twice daily.
At 6 years
Use adult’s full strength fluoride toothpaste twice daily
Handy tips:
Avoid putting bubs to sleep with the bottle in mouth. Milk after all contains natural sugars (including lactose) which bacteria just love and will cause teeth decay. Once I saw a young boy no more than 7years of age have four teeth removed because of this.
Make going to the dentist a familiar experience by bring baby along to your own dental appointments. Once bubs has his/her own teeth, they can be individually booked in.
See your doctor if:
- bubs is inconsolable
- runs a high fever for two or more days
- Is age 18 months and has not had any teeth come in.
- Has visible signs of tooth decay.
- Has permanent teeth coming in before the primary teeth are lost, resulting in a double row of teeth.
- Has a small jaw or a birth defect of the mouth or jaw, such as cleft palate.
- Has any facial injury that has damaged a tooth or gums.
Further Reading:
https://www.babycenter.com.au/a6574/developmental-milestones-teething
Indiana State Department of Health
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/tc/teething-when-to-call-a-doctor