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Signs That Your Baby Is Teething

Babies begin teething sometime between three and twelve months. Some will sail through the episode with nary a whimper. Others will experience a significant amount of discomfort – and they’ll let their parents know about it. While forecasting the beginning of your little one’s ordeal is all but impossible, there are several signs that will alert you. Here are four signs that your infant’s teeth are about to make their first appearance.

Seeming Loss Of Appetite

During teething, your baby’s gums will ache. If you’re breastfeeding, he might seem fussy or otherwise unwilling to feed. This is because the sucking can be uncomfortable for him. If he’s on solid foods, he might refuse his meal entirely because of soreness in his mouth. Technically, this has little to do with his appetite and more to do with dental sensitivity.

Small Fever

While breastfeeding, your little one gains an immunity to certain infections through the ingestion of antibodies in breast milk. That immunity begins to wane around the time his first tooth is making its debut. As a result, his vulnerability to infections increases. As his tooth pokes through the gum line, the affected area will often become inflamed. The inflammation can lead to a mild fever. This is usually nothing to worry about, but if the fever lasts for more than a few days, call your pediatrician.

Pulling, Rubbing, And Tugging

When your baby’s gums hurt, he’ll rub his mouth and cheeks, and tug on his ears. The reason is due to the nerves. His cheeks and ears share the same paths as his gums, so when his teeth are poking through, he feels discomfort in those areas, as well. When he rubs his cheeks or pulls on his ears, he’s doing so in order to relieve the soreness. While this is normal behavior for teething babies, contact your pediatrician if you believe the cause is due to something else.

Sleeplessness

Alas, babies don’t only endure teething discomfort during the daytime hours. When their teeth are struggling to make an appearance, they work around the clock. For moms and dads, that often translates into sleepless nights as their little ones cope with aching gums.

If your baby is fussy due to the soreness in his mouth and can’t get to sleep, there’s little you can do other than try to soothe him. You might be tempted to breastfeed your slumberless infant to provide comfort, but that’s a bad idea. Once he has finished teething, it may be difficult to break the late-night feeding habit.

Teething is an inevitable developmental period for all babies. It’s uncomfortable for both them and their parents. The good news is that it doesn’t last forever; a little patience, love, and soothing will help your little one eventually grin and bear his pearly whites.