Babies and Teething
Before my daughter starting teething, all I really knew about the teething process was that it was painful, caused irritability and was different for every baby. Beyond that, I didn’t know what else to expect.
I did a bit of research to help me know what to expect, but generally I only learned about the basic teething timelines and order in which teeth tend to emerge for babies. Let me share some of what I learned with you!
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The Basics on Teething
Teething typically begins between 6-10 months for baby’s first teeth, but can begin much earlier or start later. I was shocked to learn that some babies are actually born with teeth.
To be clear, babies are actually born with all of their baby teeth, however, they are beneath their gums and not visible until they emerge through the gums.
The first teeth to emerge are usually the two bottom middle teeth (lower central incisors), followed by the two upper middle teeth (upper central incisors) which usually show up around the 8-12 month mark.
After these, baby teeth tend to come in in pairs, and it can take up to the age of 3 for a child to get all of their baby teeth.
The last set of teeth to emerge are the molars, which are the largest and usually most painful and uncomfortable because of their size and location.
What to Expect During the Teething Process
All of that was great information to know and gave me a general idea of what to expect, but because there is such a range between children I still had no idea what to look out for or what to expect when it came to my child.
I had noticed my daughter drooling and fussing at times, but I really had no way to know for sure at the time if this was related to teething, a developmental milestone related sleep regression, or simply something else.
Now that my daughter has had her “first tooth” experience, I can look back and recognize a lot more clearly a lot of the tell-tale signs that she was well into her teething process.
Signs Your Baby is Teething
In this post I will share some of the most noticeable symptoms and signs that your baby’s first teeth are around the corner, how to help them feel better and other important tips that were helpful for us during our “first teeth” experience.
My daughter got her first tooth about a week before she turned 6 months, and her second came not long after, about 2 weeks later.
Once the first ones emerge, you will get a better sense of what to expect, and can still use a lot of this information for their future teeth.
Having a difficult time knowing if your child is teething or how soon that first tooth might emerge?
Check out these 7 signs that the first tooth is right around the corner!
#1 – Excessive Drooling
When I say excessive, I mean it! Babies drool, every parent will likely learn that in the first few months of brining a baby home, however, if your child suddenly starts drooling a lot and all the time, it is likely that they are teething and that first tooth will show up soon.
My daughter began drooling so much that she would soak the top half of any outfit I put her in in less than half an hour. I had to put a bib on her every day a few weeks just so that she didn’t soak through the clothes I put on her.
About 3 weeks her first tooth emerged!
#2 – Putting Everything In Their Mouth
Babies do a lot of learning about the world with their mouths. It is common for them to explore objects and their bodies by putting their mouth on it, but I found that this behaviour increased in the few weeks before the first tooth emerged.
One thing that stood out was that my daughter began to put her hands in her mouth, and seemed like she was pulling down or rubbing her gums. A bit of research taught me that this behaviour helped soothe the pressure caused by the teeth trying to make its way through the gums.
It is referred to as counterpressure, and babies will look for anything and everything around them including their hands, your hands, toys, and other objects to help them create this counterpressure.
For some great play and toy ideas, check out:
RELATED POST: 6 Types of Play to Expose Your Baby to in their First 6 Months!
#3 – Wanting to Bite Down on Hard Objects
Extending on #2, all of a sudden my daughter no longer put soft objects in her mouth, but it seemed like the harder the object the better. She would chew on hard blocks, hard teethers and even try to put the remote control in her mouth.
When I looked into this, counterpressure seemed to be the cause again. Teething pain typically happens because of the pressure created by the tooth pushing against the gums. The hard surfaces helped to relieve or offset some of that pressure, relieving some of the pain.
This behaviour increased in the 2 weeks before her first tooth was visible.
#4 – Sleep Disruptions
You’re probably thinking, oh no, just as we got over the 4-month sleep regression, sleep disturbances can happen again?
The truth is, babies tend to experience sleep disruptions whenever they hit developmental milestones. This can happen with milestones like rolling over, sitting up or even teething, which may all occur around the same 2-3 month span.
A tell-tale sign for us that our daughter’s sleep disruptions were related to teething was that she was harder to soothe. She would often hold her mouth or stick her hands in it.
Sleep disruptions happened for us for about 2 weeks prior to her first tooth emerging, and then also during the week it emerged.
#5 – Changes in Appearance in the Gums
The week before my daughter’s first tooth emerged I noticed that her gums looked very pink, almost red, and a little swollen around the area where the tooth would later emerge.
About 2 days before the tooth popped through the gum I noticed a white discoloration just under the gum. This was actually her tooth just beneath the surface.
The same occurred when her second tooth came out.
#6 – Sticking Out her Tongue
Days before my daughter’s tooth emerged from beneath the gum, I noticed that she was sticking her tongue out of her mouth very often, something she never did before.
It actually seemed like it was just sitting there, hanging out of her mouth at times.
A little reading revealed that this commonly happens when a baby feels something foreign or discomfort in their mouth.
#7 – Irritability and Fussiness
Finally, my usually happy go-lucky baby who rarely cries was noticeably fussy and irritable for a few days before and after her tooth emerged. Typically my daughter cries to indicate she is hungry or overtired, but otherwise she is usually a pretty easygoing girl.
All of a sudden she would cry and feeding and soothing tactics that usually worked wouldn’t soothe her.
This was likely because of the pain she was experiencing because of teething, which often lasts for about 7-10 days around the emergence of the tooth (about 5 days before, the day of and a few days after).
Now that I have shared with you what to look out for and what you can expect before that first tooth arrives, let me share some of what helped us get through the teething process.
Below I share some helpful tips and tools for the arrival of the first and subsequent teeth.
How to Help Your Baby While They’re Teething: Tools and Tips!
Tool #1 – Bibs
Great for that excessive drooling, to avoid multiple outfit changes a day. Your baby will probably use a few of these per day during the week or so before and after the tooth emerges.
TIP: These waterproof teething bibs worked best for us because we had to change them less often!
Tool #2 – Teethers
There are so many kinds of teethers, so you may want to experiment and get a few to find out which your baby may like to help them relieve some of the pain and pressure while teething.
My daughter loved these ones:
TIP: Want a simple teether hack?
Take a clean washcloth, soak it in water, put it in a freezer bag and stick in the freezer. When it’s frozen let your baby chew/suck on it. The cold plus the firmness helps to soothe their gums.
Tool #3 – Teething Oil or Gel
If your baby seems to be experiencing pain and discomfort, try a teething gel to soothe their gums. There are many types out there, including: cooling, non-medicated, or even nighttime formulas. Find one that works for you.
Check some out here:
Teething Oils and Gels
Some that we have tried include:
Daytime and Nighttime Combo Pack:
Cooling:
Homeopathic:
Tool #4 – Pain Reliever
If all else fails, and your baby seems to be having a difficult time, especially at night, when teething pain tends to be even more bothersome, you can try a baby pain reliever.
Our Pediatrician recommended:
Final Thoughts
I hope that this post has given you a bit of insight into what to expect from your baby as you look out for their first, and subsequent teeth.
Remember, teething is one of those necessary and unavoidable milestones that come and go.
Even though it can be hard to see your baby in pain and discomfort, the time will pass.
Best of luck during the teething process!
I would Love To Hear From You
What has been your experience with teething? What tools and tips worked for your little one? Share them with other Mamas in the comments!
Have questions for me? Leave them below or contact me here!
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