A baby will begin teething around the age of six months, some children are born with teeth and others do not have any teeth come in until they are one year old but six months is the average. The first teeth to come in are usually the lower front teeth followed by the upper front teeth. As the tooth is working its way through the gums it can be very painful for your baby. Teething as we know it can cause parents a lot of anxiety as they try to reduce the pain for their baby and help their teeth come through successfully.
Through the years many different symptoms have been attributed to teething including crying, ear aches, rashes, tempers, runny nose, fever, dirty nappies and many more. Although most parents believe these signs of teething to be very true to what they have dealt with during teething, there is no hard evidence to prove these symptoms are a result of teething. Never the less parents for years have been trying to find ways that will help sooth their baby’s pain that comes during teething.
There are many chew toys on the market like teething rings, teething necklaces and other teething toys that are design to help soothe the baby by letting him chew on something. Some of these teething rings can be put in the freezer to chill so that the cold can work by numbing the gums and relieving the pain. There are also teething gels available that contain anaesthetics that can be rubbed onto the gum relieving the baby’s pain. For a teething fever that sometimes occurs when a baby is teething, infant doses of Tylenol can be taken or you can give the baby a cool bath to help bring the fever down.
The main goal to help a baby with teething is to soothe the gum area until the tooth is able to come through the gum. Once this happens the pain usually subsides until the next tooth is ready to come in. It is important to start taking care of your baby’s teeth as soon as it comes through the gums. You can begin by gently brushing the tooth or teeth with a baby toothbrush at least once a day. You should also eliminate as much sugar as possible from your baby’s diet. This will help prevent tooth decay which even from an early age is important.