TEETHING

Your beautiful five-month-old baby boy, who has been the most perfect little angel since birth, has suddenly turned into a cranky, fussy, drooling, chews-on- everything-in-site little monster! He is now keeping you up half the night, and needs to be held, bounced, and nursed all day long. Welcome to the wonderful world of TEETHING! Here are some practical tips to help you and your baby get through this stage:

• Bulging gums – you can actually see the outline of the teeth as they are bulging inside the gums. The middle bottom teeth are usually the first place this happens.
• Drooling – it will seem like someone left a "drool faucet" on inside your baby's mouth.
• Fussing – baby often will become cranky and more difficult to console.
• Night waking – most babies sleep fairly well between one and four months of age, but now the honeymoon is over! Beginning around four months of age, baby may start waking up much more frequently at night.
• Biting – baby will start chewing on everything he can get his hands, or gums, on – his fingers, your fingers, toys, and especially the breast.

• Anything cold – here are a variety of cool favorites:
  • Frozen teething rings
  • Ice – rub an ice cube along baby's gums.
  • Frozen juice slushy or popsicle
  • Cold spoons
  • Frozen bagel or banana
  • Frozen washcloth
• Medications
  • Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen– these are both safe and effective pain relievers to help your baby, and you, get some sleep. Click on these for dosing.
  • Teething gels– there are various over-the-counter gels, pastes, or liquids that numb the gums. Pat the gums dry with a washcloth, then apply a small amount only on the area of the gums that is bulging. There are several drawbacks to these, so we suggest you only use them as a last resort:
    • They taste terrible
    • They travel throughout the mouth in the saliva and can numb the tongue and lips
    • It is easy to use too much
    • Baby may swallow too much

There are several symptoms most babies exhibit during teething. DON'T WORRY. These are only temporary.

• Drool rash – your baby may get a red, raised rash on the face, lips, chin, neck, and chest. Gently wash with warm water and pat dry. A lanolin ointment is a good treatment.
• Diarrhea – this is generally mild and does not require any special treatment.
• Cough – the abundance of saliva often drips down baby's throat and can cause coughing or gagging.
• Fever– baby may experience low-grade fevers less than 101. If your baby has a fever higher than this, click on fever for more info.