Ever since you held your little bundle of joy in your hands, they have had several milestones that have made you proud of them. By the time they are about six or seven months old, one of the major milestones to expect is the teething stage. Unfortunately, unlike other milestones, this will not be an easy time for the baby and you. This is a stage that may be accompanied by many sleepless nights, crying, and fever, among other symptoms. However, different children will have different experiences when it is teething time. Either way, bracing yourself with such information will help you prepare psychologically. On the other hand, it is possible to make the necessary preparations where possible. Below are some of these symptoms to expect from your child when they are ready to have their first teeth.
Drooling
When the baby is about to have their first teeth, then expect great waterways from their mouth. More often than not, you will find that their shirt will be dump and soggy. This is because the growing teeth stimulate drooling in your little one’s mouth. Therefore, get ways to help keep the baby dry and comfortable regardless of the high amount of saliva in their mouth. You may consider using a bib on the neck to help keep dry. Additionally, wipe the areas around the chin from time to time to avoid bad breath.
More Crying
The teething period is one of the most comfortable moments for your baby. First, the swollen gum where the teeth are about to grow may be painful. On the other hand, the whole mouth may feel uncomfortable, which results in crying as they try to express what they are feeling. Therefore, if you realize that crying has increased for your child during this time, then this should not scare you off. Instead, get remedies such as the use of pain killers and relaxers to help calm them down. Ensure that you have enough paracetamol for babies to help calm them down if the pain persists. After a while, the baby will get used to the growing teeth, thus reducing the cry.
As the teeth grow, they insert pressure on the gum, thus causing discomfort for the baby. For this reason, they will try to use possible remedies to help reduce the discomfort in the mouth, and biting is the most common. In this case, you will realize that the baby will take everything that they have around them in the mouth and start chewing it. If they have nothing around, then they will use their hands instead. For the babies who are still breastfeeding, you can expect that they will make your nipples sore as they will bite these too. Therefore, make sure that all toys around them are clean since they may be in the mouth from time to time. On the other hand, keep their hands clean to avoid germs in their body when they start sucking them.
Poor Feeding
As mentioned above, teething babies will look forward to having something in their mouth that will help soothe the discomfort. Unfortunately, when they have something in the mouth, the gum feels sore, thus causing more discomfort. For this reason, during this time, you can expect that your baby will be a poor feeder. This is more so for solid foods and will prefer taking only drinks instead. Therefore, consider small amounts as often as possible. However, if you realize that the baby is not eating at all, consult a doctor as this could be a sign of other complicated conditions.
Rash Around the Mouth
Teething is a stage accompanied by an increase of saliva in the mouth. As a result, it is possible to find a rash around the mouth and, in some cases, the chest and chin. Therefore, be on the lookout to help you wipe any drool on the skin before it causes such irritating effects. Additionally, when taking a bath, be careful how you handle this rash as mishandling it will cause the irritation to be even worse. On the other hand, avoid wiping the drool too often as this will also cause harm to the skin.
Fever
Whenever your baby has any health problem, one of the characteristics that help you know that all is not well is the fever. However, the fever that the baby will have when teething will not be as high. For this reason, a slight change in fever accompanied by other teething signs should not cause you to worry. Nevertheless, if the fever is severe and constant, consider contacting a doctor as this could mean that there are other serious health problems.
Having several teeth in the mouth will make the cute baby photos even cuter. However, the process of getting beautiful teeth can be daunting for both the baby and the caregiver. Above are some of the drawbacks that you expect when it is time for teething.
