Teething Symptoms: Why You Should Relax

No one likes having an unhappy child. The crying, the fussiness – even the slight fever and drooling – all make for stressed parents. It doesn't have to be that way! There are several reasons you can – and should – relax when your baby or toddler has teething symptoms.

Since the beginning of time, the youngest of our species has been cutting teeth. While rarely babies are born with one or more teeth, it is highly unusual – most babies don't get that first tooth until between four and seven month of age. At the early end of the scale are those who get a tooth at three months, and some babies don't get any teeth until after they have their first birthday. Whenever it happens, celebrate that first tooth and write down the day you notice the tooth peeking through the gum.

Like most things, there is a natural order to which teeth come in when. First, the middle two in the bottom will appear, then the top middle two. Next the ones along the sides, finishing with the molars at the back. Toddlers with teething symptoms getting their molars can be more extreme, as those big teeth with relatively flat tops can hurt a lot as they cut through the sensitive gums. Usually the back molars – bringing the mouthful of baby teeth to twenty – are in by the third birthday. These teeth remain in the mouth until the permanent teeth start coming in about age six.

Despite the unpleasant nature of babies and toddlers with teething symptoms (especially YOUR child) this period won't go on too long. Despite the whining, fussing, and slight fever, the teeth will come in and the fussiness will go away. Maybe not as soon as you would wish, but it won't last forever. At the greatest, the time of teething symptoms for toddlers and babies is from about six months until about three years of age, with some months going by without any discomfort at all.

If your child gets his teeth early (generally considered before five months) that's just fine. The same goes for signs of late teething (generally considered to be the first tooth erupting after a year of age). There are plenty of old wives tales to explain what this means, but the bottom line is that – in a healthy child – the age of teething and teething symptoms in toddlers and babies is primarily heredity. If you were an early (or late) teether, chances are great your baby will follow that same pattern for developing teeth that you did. If you are still concerned, ask your pediatrician if it is something to worry about.

It is great to know that there are things you can do to comfort your teething toddler or baby. Chewing on something cold can help – like a teething toy or a frozen wet washcloth, or even frozen peas, as can eating cold things, like applesauce or pudding. Some parents don't mind using medicines, like acetaminophen. For those who avoid such things, there are homeopathic teething tablets that can help a lot.

When those things are not enough for your baby or toddler's teething symptoms, remember that often the best comfort for your baby is to be held in the arms of someone they love. You can hold them close and tell them that it will get better – as it inevitably does.