All About Teething

Unless you are the parent of one of 2,000 babies born with teeth, you are probably going to be staring at that adorable gummy smile for at least three months. Unless you are the parent of a child with an extremely rare condition that results in the child not ever growing teeth (a type of agenesis), you will deal with teething at some point.

While the tooth buds developed in your womb, your little one will not likely show his first pearly white until between four and seven months.

Pain
Most parents dread teething because of the expected pain for the child. The truth is that some children really do not feel any pain at all. For some children, a tooth sprouts overnight without bothering the child at all. Of course, for others, it is an incredibly painful and drawn-out process. Some theories state that teething does not cause any symptoms at all, including pain. I do not personally know anyone who does not attribute their child's fussiness, wakefulness, etc. around this age to teeth breaking through those adorable gums.

Dealing with pain
There are few things sadder than watching your baby cry and not being able to do anything about it. (I have to admit, though, sometimes I do find it adorable through the sadness!) So what can you do to help to alleviate some of your baby's pain?

There are well-known teething toys like Sophie the Giraffe. There are also sterile water-filled teethers, soft tube teethers, and vibrating teethers meant to massage. Of course, you may find that your child's favorite teething toy is his (or your) fingers. Some children, like mine, do not have a preference - they will chew anything in their reach.

You will often hear people talk about a frozen washcloth working well, but do keep in mind that sucking on a frozen washcloth, means consuming water (and possibly some laundry detergent).

Also on the market are teething gel and teething tablets. My mother-in-law insists that nothing works like rubbing whiskey on the child's gums, but I have chosen an alcohol-free childhood for my son. (There is more on the whiskey idea all over the Internet, but it is strongly advised against for obvious reasons.)

Symptoms
A rise in the child's gums is common, but can be there for several weeks prior to tooth eruption and may not appear at all in some children.

Fussiness - the soreness of the tooth rising closer to the surface may cause some fussiness. This tends to be the worst for the first teeth and the molars. Of course, you might be the lucky parent who never sees an increase in fussiness or the unlucky parent whose poor baby is sore (and therefore fussy) throughout teething.

Drooling - teething stimulates drooling. Again, the amount will vary baby to baby.

Coughing - your baby may cough due to increased saliva production.

Chin rash: extra drool = extra irritation to the skin. Be sure to keep up on your wiping to help prevent this.

Gnawing - As discussed above, teething babies very often like to gnaw on anything and everything. Biting causes pressure above the gums that helps relieve the pressure from under the gums.

Cheek rubbing - Pain in the gums may travel to the cheeks, especially when the larger teeth (molars) begin to erupt.

Ear pulling - Same as the cheeks, but keep in mind that this is also a symptom of an ear infection so do not dismiss it.

The medical community disagree whether two symptoms are actually teething symptoms - diarrhea and low-grade fever. If diarrhea lasts more than two bowel movements, or fever lasts more than two days, be sure to contact your doctor.

Sleeping less (and less well) - Teething pain does not stop for nights and naps. Your baby may wake more frequently due to pain.

Does my baby need a dentist?
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentists recommends that your child see a dentist when the first tooth appears, but no later than his first birthday. There are pediatric dentists, who specialized in school in the dental treatment of children. It may seem silly to take a child with one tooth to the dentist, but baby teeth help children learn to speak clearly and chew naturally and they help to form the path for permanent teeth. Further, going to the dentist early in life and having a positive experience can prevent odontophobia in later life and establish good dental hygiene patterns for your child.

What's best for your child?

As parents, we constantly ask ourselves what is the best course of action, product, etc. for our child. We talk about it with our significant other, our parents, and our friends. We analyze it with strangers on Web forums. Even the seemingly obvious answers are not simple.

Breast milk vs. Formula - Let's start there. We all know that "breast is best" - breast milk provides benefits that science can prove but not replicate. What if, though, breastfeeding causes the mother a tremendous amount of pain or stress or conflict with her spouse. Is it still the best for the child? In those cases, formula may prove best for the child because a child can sense stress. They are little sponges and a happy mommy makes for a happy baby.

Staying at home vs. Working - For a long time, people touted the benefits of a child having one parent stay at home. More recent studies are starting to show that children benefit from having two working parents, too - just for different reasons.

TV vs. No TV - There is a happy medium on this one. Educational TV. Experts still say, though, that no TV until age two is optimal for brain development and learning skills. Some people swear by "My Baby Can Read," "Baby Einstein," and other educational programs like Sesame Street.

There are so many other debates that are ongoing, sometimes raging, about raising children. To me, the funny thing is that people with much less information that we have today have been raising children since the beginning of time (literally). The human race has continued and the majority of children turn out just fine.

I was reading the latest Jodi Picoult book last night and this sentence caught me: "If you worry about being a good mom, then you already are one." Indeed. If you think about these things, wonder if you are making the right choices, and act in what you believe to be in the best interest of your child, you are a good parent. Remember - we don't have to be perfect. Just good enough.

Milestones - the pebble in our shoe

Throughout the first year, babies check lots of proverbial boxes. It is really easy to get caught up in the "What is my baby doing?" game, but really important to remember that children develop at all kinds of different rates and, chances are, your baby is coming along just fine. If your baby is not doing something you think he should be doing at a certain age... well, that's why nurse's lines exist, right? Ask your pediatrician's office for advice. Most likely, they will tell you that your baby is well within normal range for a particular skill. If they are a little concerned, they will be able to give you some "drills" to practice with your baby to work on that particular skill. As with anything, a little time and patience will take you a long way when dealing with milestones.

As for that mommy who can't stop bragging about what her child is doing today? Ignore her. Easier said than done, I know, but really - ignore her. One day your child will do something ahead of his time and you can take the high road... or brag incessantly!

For those of you who are wondering what "typical" behaviors are for children at any given age, see below. Just remember that the ages mentioned are really averages. If you have a question about what your baby is (or isn't) doing, I'm happy to do some research and find out what the literature says about it. Just shoot me an email or comment here.

One month of age:
Makes jerky, quivering arm thrusts
Brings hands within range of eyes and mouth
Moves head from side to side while lying on stomach
Eyes wander and occasionally cross
Prefers black-and-white or high-contrast patterns and prefers the human face to anything else
May turn toward familiar sounds and voices
Prefers sweet smells
Recognizes the scent of his own mother’s breastmilk

Three months of age:
Raises head and supports upper body with arms when lying on stomach
Opens and shuts hands
Pushes down on legs when feet are placed on a firm surface
Brings hand to mouth
Takes swipes at dangling objects with hands
Grasps and shakes hand toys
Follows moving objects
Recognizes familiar objects and people at a distance
Starts using hands and eyes in coordination
Smiles at the sound of your voice
Begins to babble
Begins to imitate some sounds
Turns head toward direction of sound
Begins to develop a social smile
Imitates some movements and facial expressions

Seven months of age:
Rolls both ways (front to back, back to front)
Sits with, and then without, support of her hands
Supports her whole weight on her legs
Reaches with one hand
Transfers object from hand to hand
Responds to own name
Begins to respond to “no”
Distinguishes emotions by tone of voice
Babbles chains of consonants
Finds partially hidden object
Explores with hands and mouth
Struggles to get objects that are out of reach
Interested in mirror images
Responds to other people’s expressions of emotion and appears joyful often

Twelve months of age:
Gets to sitting position without assistance
Crawls forward on belly by pulling with arms and pushing with legs
Creeps on hands and knees supporting trunk on hands and knees
Gets from sitting to crawling or prone (lying on stomach) position
Pulls self up to stand
Walks holding on to furniture
Stands momentarily without support
Bangs two cubes together
Puts objects into and takes objects out of container
Tries to imitate scribbling
Responds to simple verbal requests, including "no"
Uses simple gestures, such as shaking head for “no”
Babbles with inflection
Says “dada” and “mama”
Uses exclamations, such as “oh-oh!”
Tries to imitate words
Finds hidden objects easily
Looks at correct picture when the image is named
Imitates gestures
Enjoys imitating people in play
Shows specific preferences for certain people and toys
Repeats sounds or gestures for attention
Finger-feeds himself
Extends limbs to help when being dressed