Baby And Teething

Teething In Babies

Doctors will tell you that children’s primary teeth appear in the following order; lower incisors, then upper incisors, followed by the first molars and then the canines.

The second molars complete the teething process, usually by the time your child is three years old. Babies generally start teething at around six months, but it is not unheard of to have children who both start teething at four months and have all their teeth by the time they are a year old, or others who do not have a tooth in their mouth until they are two.

The key thing to remember is that babies do not understand doctors, and so, if a tooth pops up before you think it should, it is no cause for alarm. The others will appear in due course.

Likewise, if your child is gummier than her peers, relax; her teeth will eventually make an appearance. Babies show all kinds of symptoms when they are teething. Some symptoms are at the site of the tooth eruption, while others are so far away so as to seem completely unrelated.

Firstly, around the gum area, where the tooth is emerging, it may be red and swollen. Some children’s gum even bleeds a little. Occasionally, one or both of your child’s cheek may be quite flushed and warm, and she may be irritable or fretful.

Other symptoms may include frequent, loose stools, an angry red nappy rash, as well as a slight fever and runny nose. Some mothers even report that their children become exceedingly clumsy while teething.

There is no explanation for this secondary set of symptoms, and doctors and other medical staff may be quick to dismiss them, but most mothers will tell you that they are very much part of the teething process, whether they make sense to medical practitioners or not.