If your baby is around 6 months of age and is keeping you up at night, they are probably experiencing teething pain.  If you’ve ever tried to console a teething baby, you know it isn’t easy. When those baby teeth start erupting, so does the baby! If you’re a first-time parent, you need to know it is normal for a baby to be uncomfortable during teething. We refer to this as growing pains.

 

The age a child begins teething varies from as early as 2-3 months to as late as 36 months.  Believe it or not, we actually teethe until our wisdom teeth come out around the age of 18.  As we get older, we just become better at handling teething symptoms.

 

If you’re not sure your baby is teething, here are some classic signs.

 

• Problems sleeping

• Biting behavior changes

• Irritability

• Refusing to eat

• Drooling

• Bringing hands to the mouth

• Sore or tender gums 

• Chewing on hard objects 

 

Contrary to popular belief, teething does not cause fevers. If your child is experiencing a fever and is also teething, please make sure you have the child evaluated by their primary physician as teething is usually not the cause.

 

As a parent, you want to do whatever you can to help relieve the pain and soothe your baby.  After all, a sleepless, cranky baby affects the whole family.  Here are some tips to soothe sore gums:

 

• Gently rub or massage the baby’s gums with your finger

• Give the child a firm rubber teething ring chilled in the refrigerator

• Offer a cold washcloth

• If your baby eats solid food, try hard foods that your baby can gnaw on such as carrots or cucumber but beware of pieces that might break off and act as a choking hazard

• Over the counter pain medications such as Tylenol or Motrin can be used

 

We do not recommend soothing gels or creams that are marketed as relief for teething symptoms. These products usually wash off quickly and also contain anesthetic agents that can become harmful if too much is swallowed.