MAIN Health Pain Teething Pain

It can be viewed as milestone to make any parent proud, but the arrival of baby's first teeth can sometimes be a grueling, "drooling" period for many parents during baby's first year.

Other common symptoms of teething pain may include runny nose, low fever, general crankiness or crying, or biting or chewing on clothing and toys (or just about anything nearby, including their hands or fingers) by babies cutting their first teeth.

When babies begin teething

Babies may begin teething from four to seven months, with the two bottom teeth appearing first, followed by the two front upper teeth. From there, surrounding teeth begin to emerge including the molars and eye teeth, until all baby teeth are present and accounted for by about age 3.

As with every childhood developmental milestone, not all babies follow a set timetable. Some teeth may already be visable from birth, while some babies may take up to a year to begin teething.

Easing the pain of teething

Years ago, mothers simply made a cold rag available for their babies to chew on and so relieve common teething pain. Today, there are a variety of specially-made teething rings which can be cooled in the fridge. (Smart moms will also have a few extra rings chilled and ready for whenever baby begins to fuss.)

Cold soft foods such as apple sauce, bananas or yogurt will also help sooth a teething baby during the day. Also ask your doctor about administering infant formula pain relievers, or pain-numbing gels applied to the gums, to help baby sleep through the night.

Elsewhere on the Web, surf around for more helpful tips on herbal or homeopathic pain relievers, advice from medical professionals, as well as time-tested advice from sometimes sleepless parents on the front lines in the battle against teething pain ...

Cutting a New Tooth - Tips Helping Baby - Quick guide to age-old remedies including baby formula pain relievers, cold teething rings, tips on calming and de-stressing baby, plus links to related advice on teething myths, toddler teething and molars, a review of pain medications, natural remedies, and more.

Is My Baby Teething? - Complete list of typical symptoms, table illustrating baby or toddler age and tooth development, discussion on common remedies, and related links to more on child development.

Berkeley Parents Network - Advice about Teething - Archived discussion on "teething hell" for new parents, with an exchange of tips & information on traditional and natural remedies and links to related forum posts.

Homeopathic Remedies for Teething - Brief discussion on symptoms and a list of traditional herbal & other remedies including belladonna, chamomilla and more with dosage instructions.

Hyland's Teething - Product Information - The popular natural remedy creating good buzz among parents with ingredient list and dosage instructions.

kellymom.com - Teething - Covering the concerns of breastfeeding moms, with links to additional information.

also see in Pain -> Toothaches

also see in Health -> Child Development

This information is intended as reference and not as medical advice.
All treatment decisions should be made by medical professionals.