I mentioned in my previous post quickly about teething. Its another step in growth for our babies, another step to independence too. Yep, that means as they get more teeth they are growing up and soon will want to feed themselves and eat from the table not that yummy baby food (that was said in sarcasm, in case you didn't know). My youngest son is 10 and a half months old right now and wow, time is flying that's for sure. Some days its doesn't seem to go fast enough either for the both of us, with these darn teeth trying to come in and there isn't alot that I can do to make them come in, all that is possible for me to do is comfort him and try the best to sooth his pain.
Children usually start teething around the age of 3 months, some younger, some older, and some are even born with a tooth or two (Wow, I couldn't imagine that, but its true), and teething usually last till the age of two or so. That's along span of time but remember that they aren't teething 24-7 for those two years, its on and off. I remember when I had my first son, I had heard so many horror stories from parents and teething infants. I think teething was the one things I worried about from the time I was 6 months pregnant until I realized my boy was now 4 years old and it was already over (he is 6 now and I can hardly remember the days he was teething). For many children cutting teeth is horrible for them, they have all the side effects that go along with teething, yet for the next child you don't realize they have cut a tooth till one day they decide to take a chomp outta your finger! Some teeth come in in a matter of a day while others seem to move up and down for what seems likes weeks, before they break their way through the gum line and show that pearly white off to all who can see it.
Most (and I must point out this out, MOST) children's teeth come in the same. All is a pattern which usually follows something like this: the two lower middle teeth; next, the four upper middle teeth arrive, and after that come incisors, the furthest forward molars and finally the back molars. The first teeth may be the easiest for many babies because the teeth are sharp and thin, so they make it through the gum tissue with less trouble than the broad molars do. Now I must admit not all children's teeth come in this way, like some youngest son for instance, he cut is left top front tooth first out of the 4 front middle ones. I must say he did look a little funny for a few weeks until he got the bottom ones and then followed the other top three. A tooth to the side all by itself?!?!?
Some signs of teething are obvious; drooling, wakefulness, crankiness, crying, biting, chewing and tender gums are a few. Other signs of cutting teeth may be a little less obvious: they refuse food or may not be drinking milk; he or she may have a rash around the mouth; saliva irritates the delicate skin. There may be a runny nose, the mechanics of which escape me, but if you've ever eaten a hot chili, you know that your mouth floods with saliva, your eyes tear up and your nose starts to run. Because the baby is drooling and swallowing more drool than you ever thought possible, you may notice loose stools in the diaper. Loose bowel movements may be a part of teething, but if there's anything more than an extra-poopy diaper, if there is fever, mucous or blood in the stools, or if the diarrhea is violent, you should take your baby to the doctor for help because the diarrhea probably isn't related to teething. And if your child is experiencing even the mild diarrhea associated with teething, there may be diaper rash, too. And you thought this couldn't be more fun!
The pain of teething is normal, and often not bothersome enough to disturb your baby's good mood or even sleeping habits. But, many parents discover that cutting teeth causes their infants to become restless and irritable, interfering with sleep as well as eating. When your baby can't sleep because of teething pain, there are several methods you can use to help comfort her. You can use topical medicines to anesthetize the sore gums; internal pain medications in pill or liquid form can reduce the pain perception at the level of the brain, homeopathic remedies can stimulate the body to produce its own pain relief and home remedies like cold foods, massage and things to bite on can either numb the gums or reduce the pain from pressure. You have a lot of options, and when your child is having a tough time with teething, you may want to try them all! Start with the simple things first: they often work best..
You can soothe sore gums by letting your child chew or suck on chilled teething rings, frozen baby bagels or popsicles, but when teething pain causes your child trouble sleeping, you may decide to turn to medicine to help you and your baby get some rest. Baby versions of both Motrin and Tylenol are available, and you can get your child's correct dosage of Ibuprofen you’re your pharmacist. Some parents find that their infants do better with one medicine than with another, so you may want to try one first and then compare their effects.
binkies in the fridge so you can swap for a cool one once in awhile. Lots of parents say that letting their child suck on a cold, wet washcloth helps, and even thought it's a homely sort of remedy, enough people swear by it that it would be wrong to ignore the advice. The other bonus is that the washcloth can absorb some of the drool that can otherwise drench an infant from head to toe. Pain gel is another option for daytime, deadening sensation in the gums and mouth for a relatively short period of time. But if it helps relieve the pain even for a little while, it may make the difference between sleeping babies and screaming ones. When your child is in pain, you want to do whatever possible to make it better: stockpiling medicine, oral gels, teething aids and tips from your friends may be able to help you through the worst of teething.
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