Teething Questions....

[Andrea S]

Did your baby sleep more when they were teething? How old were they when they started and how long before I can see proof that DS is teething and not just being fussy. DS is 4.5 months old and has been attacking things with his mouth for the last 2 weeks including trying to eat my nose, the last couple of days he has been really fussy and sleeping more during the day and spitting up more I thought I felt a bump on his bottom gums, but I am not sure.

Andrea & Andrew 8/14/2002

Sounds like teething to me. Though, I saw similar signs (or thought I did) in Lola from about four months on,and she didn't get her first tooth until she was nine months old.

I think the duration between showing teething symptoms and seeing a tooth varies from kid to kid. All of Lola's teeth seemed to appear overnight and aside from copious amounts of drool we sometimes had no idea she was teething until we saw the tooth. Lola's M.O. seems to be that she becomes cranky and fussy after the tooth has broken through the gum...and indication to me that a tooth can continue to be painful until it has fully surfaced.

Tylenol and ibuprofen have made naptime and nights easier for us during the process. If you've never given either, ask your ped for the recommended dosage.

HTH,

Our daughter, Lillie Anne, started teething at about 4 months. She is now 9 months and has 8 teeth! Your son is probably teething. I do remember her sleeping a little more at that time. Lillie really didn't start to experience teething pains until about 6 months -- the first couple of teeth were easy! Good luck and I hope it goes smoothly!

Winifred & Lillie Anne 3/21/02
Winifred & Lillie Anne

Hi -

My daughter, Maeve, started these things at 4 months as well (never drooled before then and all of a sudden a fountain!) She has always slept a lot, so I can't judge if that increased. But, she did get a bit more fussier when she was getting close. She would take big pauses when eating (she was using a bottle) b/c it would bother her gums and she occasionally woke one time in the night and cried (rare b/c she sleeps 12 hours a night). Also, she was fussiest with feeding in the a.m. b/c I think that it was the most sore in the morning. Anyway, this was all fairly mild until two days before she cut her first tooth (New Year's Day, so just last week!) at a few days before 6 months old). Those two days she was pretty durn cranky when she was hungry, tired, or even eating. She just cut the other one today and she didn't seem to be as bothered this time.

Can you get a look at his gums? I thought I felt teeth at 4 months, but it was ridges in her gums (they are, of course, there but working their way up). Right before her teeth popped through, I could see a little blister-like area where her tooth was pushing up against the gum. Wasn't red, purple or swollen (which some are), but just clear and raise and could see the white edge of her tooth. It was hard to get her to let me look but that's how I knew she was REALLY teething.

Unfortunately, I think it's every baby for himself on this one. I doubt any two babies have teethed the same. So, invest in drool bibs (and Sassy makes a nice teething bib - long and has soft plastic corners and center on the bottom - if your son is young, he - like my daughter - probably won't be able to hold a teething ring or toy up to his mouth for sustained amounts of time) and just keep things clean since anything and everything will go in his mouth from now on! :) :)

Good luck!

Alexa

p.s. My daughter was always fussy and slept more before a growth spurt! Then, during the growth spurt days she would sleep less and the regulate back to normal. Then, we'd notice that she was eating more and had grown out of her clothes! Maybe it's that?!