Last updated on January 23rd, 2019 at 03:08 pm
It’s the middle of the night and my toddler of 21 months woke me up crying and pointing at his mouth and cupping his cheeks as if to say that he cannot sleep because it hurts.
But what can I do? I cannot take away his pain even If I wished it to be mine instead. So I just did what every mother would do at the moment. I hugged and breastfeed him until he fell asleep…
What a sad scenario.
And what is the cause of this sad moment? A TEETHING BABY.
Teething is the eruption (usually referred to as cutting) of tooth from gums.
I hate this part of baby development. It leaves the baby in physical pain and the parents in emotional pain.
Not every child gets sick or experience down time whenever teething. From my discussion with other mommies, it varies per child. Some, like mine do get fevers while others continue as normal and surprise! there’s new teeth showing.
To keep track and be aware of your child’s teething schedule. See this photo from www.mamanatural.com
What are the signs that my child is teething?
- Decrease Appetite
- Red and Swollen Gums
- Interrupted Sleep
- Cranky and Fussy Behavior
- Less Active
- On and Off Fever not exceeding 39°C (for 2-3 days)
- Others experience a case of Diarrhea too
Please note that as these symptoms can be a result of teething it is never safe to assume that this is always the case. We need to have our child checked by a doctor and have their laboratory cleared of any health issues.
What can I do to ease my toddler’s discomfort?
Something Cold
Let your baby bite on something cold to mildly numb the mouth and help ease the discomfort of swollen gums. From freezed washcloth, sliced cucumber, carrot, apple or any of their favorite fruit. You can also whip up some smoothies and give them cold water to aid them with hydration.
Put Pressure
With clean fingers, put pressure on your baby’s swollen gums while slowly massaging it. The baby may struggle at first but with the right pressure it will do wonders in his aching gums.
Soft Food Intake
Since the mouth is sensitive during this phase resulting to decrease in appetite, We have to be mindful of providing them with nutritious soft foods. Come in the soft bread, soup, mashed potatoes and the likes.
Boost Immune System
Help boost the immune system by providing vitamins to help fight off other illness such as cough and colds that may ride on your child’s vulnerability.
If you are breastfeeding, do so as the baby demands for he needs it now more than ever as source of hydration, nutrition and comfort.
See more of my breastfeeding related posts here:
Distraction
A busy kid somewhat slightly forgets his pain so comes the need for entertainment. Either a teether, playmate, toy or any activity that will keep him occupied to take his mind off the pain. If the baby is weak and has less energy then a simple book reading will do.
Parents never want to see their children in pain and teething causes great distress to growing babies. There are a number of products on the market to help soothe a teething baby, many of which contain an ingredient called Benzocaine. Did you know that Benzocaine can cause serious injuries, especially to children under two?
It is our responsibility as parents to be mindful and ensure the safety of the products we give and use to our children. After all, we are their best advocate so we should be aware of anything that may be harmful to them.
Do Teething Caused Fevers In Babies?
From past experience of my son’s teething phase, I claimed that TEETHING CAN CAUSED FEVER. Some kids get it and some do not. I beg to differ from some doctors who said that teething never caused fevers.
All parents are worried and hope to find the best and fastest solution to take away the discomfort of teething to get their toddler back to his usual self. Who would want a weak moment like this? We just need to be present and let them know that we are here to take care of them. It’s the best remedy and solution.
I created this post as a help to myself and fellow parents to be guided on their child’s teething phase. I hope I am able to answer your questions.
How about you, Mommy? What are your thoughts and experience about your child’s teething? Let me know in the comments and let’s share parenting ideas.
12 Responses
This was super informative! Thanks for sharing.
I hope she feels well now. The tips I’ve mentioned are all tried and tested by this mama. Hope it worked with your baby too😊
This is so helpful! my baby is 11 month old and she is having difficulty sleeping because of her growing teeth! I just felt sorry that I can’t do anything to make the pain go away. We’ll try these tips! Thanks!
I guess we’re lucky as the teething phase wasn’t that bad. There were some crabby nights, but nothing a little Tylenol couldn’t help!
I used these tips as well when my girls were babies and teething. It can be hard when you are unable to console their pain.
I guess by 2 and a half they’re done with teething as they already have a complete set. My son is almost 2 and he’s just missing around 4 more.
I wish I had this for when Milly was teething im hopeing she is done now as she is over two and a half
My son is teething right now. He’s 2 and getting his molars. With his other teeth, he would drool tons and have a decreased appetite but otherwise was ok. With the molars, he has developed a fever and is cranky and not himself. It’s so hard to see them hurting. Thank you for the tips. Rachel from https://www.explorekidtalk.com/
It really is hard to see them sick and not their usual self. We just need to take care of them and let them know that mommy is here. I hope your child is well with his molars now. Thank you for reading my post.
Nice post!!!
Hope your son is dealing well with his teething. Frozen yogurts are perfect to ease his swollen gums😊 Thank you for reading my post. I hope you find it useful. Have a blessed day always.
So true! My son is nearly 2 1/2 and his second molars have been coming through in the last 10 days. He’s had all of the symptoms you mentioned including the runs. His favorite foods hurt his gums now, so I’ve been allowing him frozen yogurt popsicles.