Is your baby Teething???

Babies can start teething anywhere from 3-4 months to some cases where the first teeth show their glimpses only after the first birthday celebration. But there are some signs which assure that they are on their way.

When Nevan started teething, he changed from a good-boy baby to an all-time troublesome chap. It took us (me & my hubby) five days to understand why is he behaving in this weird manner and then bingo...another couple of days and we had our 'New Comers'. Well there are some kids who are brave enough to take this in their stride and show no different behavior and you suddenly discover a white tiny thing in their mouth.

Teething overall is a very painful process, imagine as an adult something cutting through the skin and coming out; it would be maddening. And I really applaud how our lil champs take this law of nature and grow on.

Out of my experience, I have listed down Ten symptoms showcasing the presence of teething process:

1. Drools all over: When your baby starts drooling more than he/she usually was, that means teething is getting triggered from within......I sometimes wonder, where does Nevan store so much of drool inside his little body!!!
2. 'Crankiness' on my mind: When your good baby turns into a lil monster who wants things his way, wants to be carried around always, is ready to shout and cry for every small thing and has suddenly developed the biggest attitude problem.....you need to 'Just keep calm and check his mouth for some whites'.
   
3. Am hot hot hot.....Fever: With all the pain and crankiness also sets in some low grade fever. It might differ for all babies but you can feel the body temperature of the baby soaring upside. To add on to it, my grandma says, that if you feel that the baby's head is emitting some heat that's a sure shot indication of teething. ( Old mamma's belief.....after all we can't ignore them all)
4. I wanna eat it all up: When teeth start making their way out everything starts making it's way in (inside baby's mouth). Just anything the baby can lay his hands on, ends up straight into his mouth. So Nevan is happy to chew on all the things....including his toe's thumb!!! Give cooled teethers to your baby for immediate relief.
   
5. Red is the color in vogue (in my mouth): I believe, red & inflamed gums are the actual certain signs of baby teething. The area of teething is usually red, swollen or seems bruised. It can further be associated with faded white lines which ensures that a tooth is on its way. But it may still take a few more days for it to actually erupt.
6. Oh these Sleepless nights!!!: The teething fairy not only works all day but also all night, hence the pain and the discomfort might affect the night sleep of your lil one (even if he slept well at night previously). Try and soothe the baby back to sleep as much as possible.
7. Before mamma starts pulling my ears, let me try it on my own: Our gums, ears & cheeks share a same nerve pathway, so when the gums are in pain the baby feels the irritation in his ears & cheeks too. Hence you will notice a teething baby will keep on pulling his ears and also rub his face (cheeks, chin, etc) trying to soothe himself.
   Ear pulling & crankiness are also symptoms of ear infection, pls consult your pediatrician in case of any doubts.
8. Potty Potty Baby.....: Diarrhea is a very common symptom in teething. Again the impact may vary from child to child so much so that some may not have it at all...but diarrhea must be catered to very cautiously with consultation of pediatrician.
   
9. Rash: The prodigious amount of drools from your baby's mouth usually leads to a rash. The rash develops due to contact of saliva with the skin around cheeks, chin and neck. Patting the drool may avoid it to an extent, moisturize the area in case of excessive dryness.
10. Am on hunger strike: The simplest and quickest way to sooth a crying & cranky baby is by feeding him either through bottle or breast-feed. however the sore gums make sucking a difficult process. Even for a semi-solid baby, eating or swallowing becomes a concern with all the discomfort in their cheeks. Hence, the child is unable to sooth itself completely by feed and the not so full tummy's instigates it further.

The baby goes through a very painful process while teething, so just take it all with lots of patience and love (not that we won't but being new parents sometimes takes a toll on us....so hang it on Mumma & Papa, there are still many things to come!!!)

If there is any other point which I may have skipped out, pls keep me posted about your suggestion.

Pictures: Courtesy - Google Images