Teething is such a restless time, not only for little ones but for parents too. It can cause such worry and stress when you’re trying to figure out what’s best suited to your child, to soothe their teething troubles. Here’s what you need to know about teething.
What Are The Signs of Teething?
Signs of teething can vary, last different lengths of time and your child may not show any signs at
The common signs of teething are:
- Drooling
- Swollen gums
- Irritability
- Not settling well
- Not feeding well/being more fussy with food (milk)
- Rubbing face/ears
- Chewing on hands/objects more than usual
- Visible teeth below the gums
How Long Does Teething Last?
Teething lasts a very long time. Children develop teeth from around the age of 6months, up until around 4 years old – that’s just for the milk teeth! From around 6 years old, the milk teeth will fall out, to then be replaced by “adult” teeth.
An approximate timeline is:
4-7 months: Teething starts. Swollen gums and irritability are common during this first stage or the teeth coming closer to the surface of the gums.
5-10 months: Your little one’s teeth start coming through. Usually, the first teeth are the middle, bottom teeth (lower central incisors).
6-12 months: The top middle teeth (upper central incisors) come through.
9-12 months: Top and bottom teeth (upper and lower lateral incisors) next to the middle teeth come through.
12-19 months: The upper and lower molars usually come in about the same time. These are the teeth needed to crush and grind food.
16-23moths: Both upper and lower canines come through. These are the pointy teeth that help to tear food.
20-33 months: The second molars break through the gums.
2½-3 years: You little one should have (or nearly have) a full set of 20 milk teeth by around this age!
How Can I Soothe My Child?
Starting off with things that are suitable for younger babies, here’s my list of things that helped soothe my little ones during teething. Some of these things can be found in my “Teething Tips and Essentials” article too.
Bonjela teething gel can be used to slightly numb the gums – you only need a small amount though!
Teething rings are a great help too. Both of my little ones liked the kind that
Silicone teething jewellery (to be worn by adults and used under adults supervision). Chewing on silicone teething jewellery will help soothe those gums too. As these are commonly made by other mothers, please be wary and check out their safety testing first. I opted to make my own as I know the appropriate regulations for them.
Baby toothbrushes aren’t something you’d really jump into buying at the first sign of teething, but it’s good to be prepared! You can buy little brushed that you pop on your finger, that massage the gums and get your little one used to the “brushing” feeling.
A Gummee Glove is full of wonders to explore for gums, teeth and sensory development. Please be sure to only purchase through the actual company though, there have been many replicas that aren’t properly safety tested! They have a wide range of products, that are suitable from day 1.
Some Additional Facts About Teeth
- Children have one set of 20 baby teeth that start coming in from around 6months of age. They are later replaced by around 32 “adult” teeth by around 13 years!
- Babies begin to develop teeth during the 5th/6th week of gestation!
- Teeth usually come through in pairs!
Learning all about teething helped me understand the whole process a bit more, so I hope this is as helpful to you as it was for me!
