How to Tell if a Baby is Teething

It can sometimes be difficult to tell when your baby is teething. Some babies get a fever and runny nose, while others get their teeth without any symptoms at all. Your baby's first tooth will probably come in sometime around her seventh month. The symptoms surrounding teething can begin up to two months before your baby actually gets that first tooth. Here are symtoms that are common to teething babies.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Look to see if your baby is drooling. Some babies begin drooling as early as three months of age. Teething stimulates drooling in many babies.

2. Check for a rash on your baby's chin. Your teething baby may develop a dry skin rash on her chin. This is often due to the excessive saliva caused by drooling. Gently clean your baby's face during the day to prevent or treat the rash.

3. Listen for a mild cough. The excessive saliva can make your baby gag or cough. Be sure that your baby is not experiencing other cold or allergy symptoms. Once your baby begins coughing, he may actually do it on purpose for a while because he finds it to be entertaining and interesting.

4. Watch to see if your baby is biting. This is a common sign of teething. The pressure of biting down on something will help to relieve any pain she may be feeling from her teeth coming in.

5. Pay attention to your baby's feeding. Babies who are experiencing pain from a tooth coming in may refuse the bottle or breast. The suction that is created when a baby feeds or nurses may increase her pain to the point that she refuses to eat. In all likelihood, your baby will start eating again as soon as the pain eases. However, if your baby misses several feedings or you are concerned that she is not eating enough, contact your baby's doctor.

6. Look for ear pulling and cheek rubbing. When your baby experiences pain from teething, it can sometimes travel to his ear or cheek due to a shared nerve. This is particularly the case when his molars begin coming in.

Tips & Warnings

• While teething, some babies seem to be in severe pain, while other babies show no signs of pain at all.
• Some teething babies experience a low grade fever or diarrhea. Many doctors are actually unsure if these are related to teething.
• A low grade fever is a temperature of under 101 degrees.
• If your baby is in pain from teething, offer her something cold to chew on or something cold to eat or drink.
• If your baby has a low-grade fever for longer than three days, call your doctor.
• If your baby has diarrhea for more than two bowel movements, call your doctor even if your baby is teething.
• Be aware that many babies will also pull their ears when they have an ear infection. Call your doctor if you suspect an infection rather than teething.
• Check with your baby's doctor before giving her baby acetaminophen for her pain.

Resources

• Remedies for teething pain
• Ear infection versus teething

[miasavc]

on 9/21/2009 Excellent! My baby is going through this stage now.

[lotsnmore]

on 2/23/2009 Thanks for this!5*

[lotsnmore]

on 2/23/2009 Thanks for this!5*