My Top Tips For Dealing With Teething Babies

I hope my experiences with children will help all parents whether new or experienced, with the ups and downs of bringing up a child, and subsequent rewarding challenges which inevitably all parents will face.

My Background

Firstly I will tell you about my background. I am a mother of seven children aged from between 9 and 29 years old. I have also ran nurseries for 25 years, and been heavily involved with the day to running of the rooms, involving caring for babies from 5 weeks up until 5 years. I also have a grandchild, and can honestly say that I have never stopped learning, and no doubt will never stop learning about children and their care. This can be a very stressful time for both babies and parents.

An important thing to realise is that all babies are different and teething will occur at different times. For example some children are born with a tooth, and others do not get their first tooth until one and over. Most will have all their milk teeth (or primary) by the age of two and a half. There are 20 primary teeth of which ten are in the top row and ten at the bottom. The first permanent 'second teeth' come through at the back at approximately the age of six.

How did I notice when my babies were teething?

This wasn't as easy as it sounds. Often they dribbled, and were very miserable and I noticed that nappies were loose, although once my little one had tonsillitis, and I was blaming it on teething. always to be objective and rule out other things before I jumped to teething. A red cheek was a sign, and wanting to chew something always made me aware it could be teething. Waking in the night was often another sign, and being hard to settle another.

Teething tips

My biggest tip is to relax. This is not going to be easy, but take it as it comes. If children need more attention, forget housework, just to minimum. Try and get a break from your child when everything gets too much, and try to catch up on lost sleep as much as possible. Teething gel and teething toys do work but I found there were times I had to give paracetamol, or ibuprofen. I always checked with pharmacist first, before giving it to my baby.

The most important thing about teething is that it will not last, those teeth will come through. Just be patient and remember the calmer and more relaxed you are, the better it is for the baby.

For more of my parenting advice, you can view another article on Introducing Solid Foods To Babies