Your Baby’s Teething Timeline

Let me begin by saying that I am blessed; my son had an almost painless teething cycle (a tad slow, though).On a bright, summer morning, of the 10th of july,2010, the Sun shone gleefully on my son and his beautiful first tooth.

A significant fact that we need to know is that our baby’s tooth buds start to develop even before she is born. The other important point is that there is no rigid timeline for the first tooth to appear. Now, I am known to be a hyper mum amongst my friends; someone who worries about anything and everything related to my son (yes, true that! Even a small change in the eating pattern freaks me out). So me being me, by the 6th month, I was all perturbed, because my precious baby had not flaunted even a single one of his pearly whites.

Consequently, like all over- anxious, first-time-mothers, I, too, did my fair share of research and discovered the following information-

1. Teeth tend to sprout over a period of months, generally in a specific order. In most cases, teething tends to occur between months 3 to 7. Our babies grow 20 teeth (primary or ‘milk’ teeth that we often call them), till the age of 3. The left and right teeth normally develop at the same time.
2. The lower, central incisors appear between months 5 to 10. The upper central ones between months 8th to 12th.
3. The lower, lateral incisors grow between months 9th to 16th. The upper ones develop between months 10th to 16th.

Next in line are the molars and canines. Our baby’s third birthday usually welcomes her last teeth.

Here, I would also like to include a few’ tell- tale’  signs that our baby has finally started teething:

1. Swollen gums- raw and painful (unfortunately, teething is ever so painful for most babies).
2. Excessive salivation, drooling.
3. The baby can seem ill, with mild fever and runny nose. But do be careful and observant; not all fevers are due to teething. Use your parental instincts, ALWAYS.
4. There may be a decrease in appetite. Again caution needs to be exercised; tummy infections cannot be ruled out.
5. Babies tend to be irritable and cranky; an expression of their discomfort.
6. Our baby’s gums feel sore, leading to a need to gnaw. I remember how I had got used to being bitten almost every single day by my son, when he had started to teethe. ☺
7. A few babies may acquire facial rash. I would like to reiterate the fact that we should not confuse all symptoms of ill health or discomfort, as those related to teething. Follow your gut at all times.

Though we really cannot do away with the physical pain associated with teething, we can try and alleviate it to some extent. Allow me to share a few tried and tested soothers. Mums, you can gently rub your baby’s gums, with clean fingers, exerting slight pressure. Try to give her something to chew on. Cold carrot worked best for my son.

Most important, love the baby to the moon and back ☺.