Learn about handling teething babies, teething
blues in a baby and first tooth of a child.
Handling Teething Babies
There is no fixed time when the teething will begin
babies or even one way to how those pure white milk teeth will appear.
Some children may start teething as early as three months and the
process may continue up to the age of three years but it is usually
before four to seven months that the first tooth of the baby makes its
appearance. The process differs too and it can be very hurtful for some
babies and easy, worry and pain free for others. In some kids, you won't
even known how that tooth came into being suddenly while in others, we
can see symptoms weeks before the actual emergence of the tooth in the
form of sore and swollen gums. Sometimes the swelling recedes but there
is no tooth at all. Here, we are mentioning some of the teething blues
that mostly indicate that your tiny tot is getting ready for his first
bite:
- Instinct to chew and gnaw: An emerging tooth pushes
beneath the gums to come out and may feel itchy or funny to the baby
who uses his chewing instinct to get over this worrying sensation.
Chomping and biting things also create a counter pressure on the
area, which gives certain relief to the gums. Thus, children often
chew and bite on anything that they can lay their hands on including
mom's breasts while breastfeeding and that really hurts.
- Swollen gums: With the eruption of a new tooth pushing
the gum from beneath incessantly in a struggle to gum, makes the
gums look red, swollen, puffy and bruised before it actually
emerges. As soon as the tooth appears, the gums will be back to
normal.
- Increased irritability and fussiness, especially at night:
The maximum discomfort related to teething occurs because the tooth
moves through the bone and gum that occurs in stages and is more
active at night, making the baby more irritable and fussy than
daytime.
- Baby pulling his/her ears: Just like ear infections,
sometimes pain in jaw during teething gets transferred to ear canal
and the baby starts pulling his/her ears in an attempt to get rid of
it.
- Drooling: Drooling is normal in infancy but if a baby
suddenly starts drooling heavily, it may be a first sign of
teething. However, you can be skeptical about this because all
drooling newborns may not start teething. In case of older babies,
saliva formation and drooling can be so heavy that baby may gag on
it or rashes may form on baby's chin, chest or neck due to
constant contact with wet clothes. You can prevent these rashes by
trying to keep the skin dry with the help of a bib or a layer of
petroleum jelly or both.
- Change in Feeding Habits: While teething, some babies may
want to be breast or bottle-fed once again as their gums are swollen
and inflamed and spoon hurts them. Others start nursing eagerly but
pull back and cry as sucking may cause pressure on their gums and
ear canals that irritates or causes pain to them. Still others may
like to eat solids (sometimes more than usual) because chewing on
food items creates the counter-pressure that feels good and helps
relieve pain in gums.
Babies
With Sore Gums
The most common problem while teething that causes irritation and pain in babies is swelling of gums and itchiness in them, as teeth push the gums from beneath, causing them to bulge. Sometimes, the pain in jaws becomes so severe that it gets shifted to ear canal too. Babies cry and wail and are inconsolable and the helpless parents are at a loss about what to do to soothe their little darlings.
Cavity Control
in Toddlers
In modern society, especially in America, tooth decay incidents have left even common cold and influenza behind as most infectious disease in children. Most kindergarten students suffer from contagious condition of baby teeth and most common reason behind is lack of information or negligent parenting style.
Sippy
Cups & Cavities
Just like bottles and pacifiers, sippy cups can damage kids' teeth too. Constant toting by toddlers can make them cause tooth decay. Yet, sippy cups can prove to be quite helpful as a transition tool to bottle from cup for young children and also lessen the amount of mess that children create while drinking from bottles as they come with removable valves that regulate the rate of flow of liquid.