Teething is one of the many milestones in the first year or so of your baby’s life. Saying that, try not to fret if your baby hasn’t cut a tooth my six months – my little one’s first tooth (well teeth, hers cut through in pairs!) made an appearance at 7 months, and many babies don’t get a tooth until gone a year. Every baby and the rate it develops is completely individual. Commonly, (but as with everything else, it’s not set in stone) the first teeth to appear will be at the front bottom.

Tell tale signs that your baby is teething;
• Rosy cheeks
• The gum where the tooth is about to cut becoming hard and almost white
• Baby being grumpy
• More dribble than usual
• Runny poo and nappy rash. This happens because when your baby dribbles more during teething, they tend to swallow more saliva which makes their ‘parcels’ prone to more acidity.
• Chewing EVERYTHING that can possibly be chewed
• Interrupted sleep when your baby is usually a happy and sound sleeper.

If your baby has already been weaned onto puree’s or you decided to Baby Led Wean, then you could very well find that your baby goes off their food every so often and will be more interested in milk. My baby was breastfed (and still is) but I had her on puree by the time that she started teething and there were a few days where she would be more interested in my milk and refuse food. This could well be a form of comfort, so try not to worry too much, they won’t let themselves starve.

For all you mummies pulling your hair out because your baby is almost impossible to settle, have no fear! There are many different remedies that could help your baby through this achy and frustrating time. Calpol is one of the better known helpers – it’s a paracetamol based form of pain relief that should ease your baby and keep your baby cool. Bonjela is another good one; it’s in gel form and numbs the gum which is brilliant. Of course, then we come to the almighty teething ring…they can be bought in loads of different shapes and sizes, can be hard plastic with either a gel or water based filling – I can highly recommend these, they can be popped in either the fridge or freezer and give excellent relief. But be warned, don’t make the mistake my oh so wise (ahem) husband made with the gel filled teether and put it in your microwave to sterilise it! Last but by no means least, there is the organic solution to teething aches – refrigerated carrot sticks and either ice or an ice lolly. I made my own ice lollys by freezing juice (no E numbers in that!) and they do help quite a bit – if nothing else, they take your baby’s mid off their mouth for 10 minutes.

Ohh, and before I forget, tooth care comes into play as soon as you see that first tooth popping through! There are soft tooth brushes on sale especially for little ones along with low in fluoride tooth paste, so brush, brush, brush!

Even though it can be a tiring and emotional time for you and your tot while teething is going on, keep in the back of your mind that it won’t last forever and try not to be disheartened by the fact that in a few years, they will all fall out…sorry to be the bearer and all that. So, hang in there ladies!