When will my baby get his first tooth?
The first tooth breaking is a milestone for every baby and a very memorable moment for all parents.
I too was eagerly waiting for that day to saw Rithvik’s first set of brand new tooth. But at the same time I got very much worried hearing about teething pain told by my mom and others.
All I kept thinking about over and over was ‘how my little one going to tolerate the teething pain? Does teething really hurt him?’. I started surfing about teething and collected few home remedies to relieve the teething pain.
Much to my surprise, when Rithvik cut his first tooth at his seventh month has not showed much discomfort as we expected. He tried to bite on everything he get on his hands, pulled his ear, drooled (excess salivation) and got red rashes on his cheek.
What is Teething in Babies?
Tooth breaking through the gum line which occurs between the ages of four months to nine months is called teething.
Our babies tooth development begins when they are in the womb. Each baby is different; some will develop at early around four months while others develop very late around one year or so. It all depends on genetic transition.
It is said that “if you or your spouse had an early teething/late teething your child may also have the same teething time”
Babies have their full set of 20 baby teeth (called by other names like primary teeth/deciduous teeth/milk teeth) by the age of three years. Normally, two lower central incisors appear first, then the upper central and upper side ones.
Common Signs and Symptoms of Teething in Babies:
There are judgments like teething cause pain, common cold, fever and diarrhea, but there is no scientific evidence to support any connection between these symptoms and teething.
Some of the most common symptoms of teething in babies are:
- Sore gums
- Drooling
- Rubbing face or pulling hair
- Not eating properly
- Trying to bite on everything they can get in their hands
- Irregular sleep
- Rashes on cheeks/chin
Safe Home Remedies For Teething in Babies:
- Clean fingers or washed cloth:
Gently massage the sore gum with your clean fingers or a soft washed wet cloth.
Rithvik loves to bite our fingers. So whenever he seems very cranky we washed our hands with sanitizer and gave him our fingers to bite
- Sugar free teething rusk or biscuits:
Offer your baby some rusks/biscuits which provide relief for your baby’s sore gum.
Go for homemade rusks or the organic teething rusks and biscuits available in the market. You can also read the whole wheat home made biscuits for toddlers and kids.
- Chopped and chilled vegetables/fruits:
Offer chilled and cubed apple, pears, banana, carrots, cucumber etc. to your baby to munch on.
- Cold spoon:
Clean a steel spoon, keep it in freezer for a few minutes. Give this to your baby to bite.
- Breastfeeding:
If your baby is on breastfeeding go on feeding your baby quite often. It really works!
Rithvik cut his first tooth in his 6th month. I used to feed him a lot during that time and he seemed very comfortable as breastfeeding soothes the baby.
- Wipe the excess saliva:
Wipe the saliva with a clean cloth or tissue which drools out from your baby’s mouth frequently otherwise red rashes will appear on their cheek and chin.
- Baby teether:
Give your baby some a good quality teether to bite upon.
Wooden teethers, rubber teethers, silicone teethers and so many varieties of teethers are available in the market. Go for a good brand when it comes to teether.
To be honest my little one hates teether and whenever we gave him he just threw it away :P.
- Baby sippers:
If your baby has started feeding in sippers, offer some fresh cold juices in it. The best option will be orange juice.
- OTC pain reliever:
This should be your last choice if everything fails.
Try an over-the-counter remedy if your baby is especially cranky. Always consult your paediatrician or pharmacist before going for any OTC pain reliever.
Alternative Remedies For Teething in Babies as a Mom I Don’t Prefer:
- Teething Necklace (Amber/Baltic Amber):
Teething necklaces consists of beads made from amber which is fossilised plant resin from the Baltic sea.
For marketing purposes sellers claim that when amber touches the skin it releases healing oils, succinic acid etc which get absorbed via skin into the blood stream and thus helps in teething pain.
Many parents have given positive reviews about this necklaces that when worn by babies it really calmed their babies.
Whatever the case, I personally suggest not to use amber as it could cause choking and strangulation in babies.
Still anyone using or planning to use teething necklaces in future for their babies give your active supervision at all times when worn.
- Teething gel:
Teething gels provide quick relief from teething pain in babies. Avoid teething medications that contain the pain reliever benzocaine.
Benzocaine is a numbing agent used in teething gels.
It is reported in many scientific journals that benzocaine products have been associated with methemoglobinemia, a rare but serious condition that reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood and can be dangerous and even fatal to babies.
You can also read chemicals in baby care products you should be aware of.
So be very careful in choosing teething remedies for your baby.
Let me conclude by saying the famous quote of Mark Twain “Adam and Eve had many advantages, but the principle one was that they escaped teething “
Hope I provided you with some basic information about teething in babies.
Share us with your experience on when and how your little one cut his/her first tooth.
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