Teething Bites

There is something wonderful about teething. It's one of the first tangible signs that your baby is becoming independent. I was actually amazed to find out that teeth start developing while the baby is still in the womb. In fact, a baby is born with their full set of primary teeth, they are just buried below the gums. Who knew?

In most instances children start teething anywhere between 3 to 12 months and finish up at around 3 years of age. Olivia held out till she was almost 1 to cut her first tooth. While most babies cut their first tooth between 4-7 months, Olivia decided to take her time. One thing is for sure, teething was painful for her. Since the teeth are buried beneath the gums, it takes a lot for them to twist and work their way through. The older your child is when they begin teething, the more aware of the pain they are in my experience. Many experts disagree with the pain factor. Some believe there is no pain involved in teething. I disagree..then again, I am not an expert. Only a parent who has experienced a teething baby can say there is pain involved and I am one of those parents.

The first sign that your baby is "cutting" teeth is swollen gums. This can start weeks before they actually cut the tooth. Another symptom of teething is excessive drooling. I can honestly say Olivia didn't drool excessively while teething, which made me believe she would never get teeth! But we did notice gum swelling and sensitivity, irritability and ear rubbing. Here are some other symptoms of teething:

• Decreased appetite
• Diarrhea
• Biting or gum rubbing
• Sucking
• Waking up at night
• A rash on the face

Now experts do not always agree on some of the symptoms sited above, but every child is different. Olivia had a decreased appetite and the day before and during cutting a tooth, she always had diarrhea. Some experts believe the diarrhea can be caused by the excessive saliva in the mouth. Since Olivia didn't drool much, we assume she swallowed much of her excess saliva to cause her diarrhea. But since experts cannot agree, I guess we will never know.

Another symptom that experts don't agree on is whether teething causes fevers. Ask any mother whose child has experienced teething (and show me one who hasn't) and I am sure there will be differences in opinions on this subject as well. The thing to remember is, don't chalk all symptoms up to teething. If you are unsure, always speak to your pediatrician. While I was doing research, I found that experts seem to disagree a lot on the topic of teething. So asking your pediatrician's advice is the best course of wisdom.

The first teeth to appear are usually the central incisors on the bottom. They are the teeth in the middle of the bottom gum. Next, the four incisors on the upper gum appear. The next 2 lateral incisors on the lower gum appear along with the four molars shortly afterward. The cuspid teeth, better known as the canine teeth are the next to come through both on the lower and upper gums almost simultaneously. It's usually not until a child turns 2 1/2-3 that they cut the second set of their 4 remaining molars. These are the last teeth to appear in a toddler.

The easiest remedies to assist you with teething are the good old teething ring, preferably one that is hard and attractive to your little one. Teething rings you can freeze or stick in the refrigerator are great too. (A word of caution when using liquid filled teething rings, these most often should not be frozen since they can burst and leak, so be sure to read the instructions before freezing.) Teething rings happened to be a lifesaver on many occasions with Olivia. Since she was older when she first started cutting her teeth, ice pops helped greatly. It was funny to hear the pediatrician suggest them. They may be messy, but they did the trick. Another great idea, one that a co-worker suggested to my husband, is to fold a baby face cloth, wet it, place it in a Ziploc bag and freeze. He would pull it out of the bag and give it to Olivia for hours of soothing. Even when it was warmed up, Olivia loved the texture of the face cloth on her gums. It is the most inexpensive teether! The fact is, anything cold, hard or textured is going to soothe sore gums and usually numbs them enough for your baby to be somewhat comfortable.

Check back with us, Olivia isn't done teaching us the teething basics. But to keep you informed for now, take a look at the links below. You will find them very informative and interesting...we did!

http://www.babycenter.com/0_developmental-milestones-teething_6574.bc

http://my-teething-baby.com/teething-ring.php