Amaya tried feeding her 5 month old son another spoon of cereal. Again he turned his head and started bawling. Spit dribbled down the infants chin as he stuffed his fist in his mouth and started to chew. Tears ran down Amaya’s cheeks as she feared her son was badly ill.

Not so, the little fellow was simply feeling the pains of teething – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teething.

 Teething

·         Not a very pleasant experience for baby as first teeth need to cut through baby’s virgin gums

·         This induces the classic teething symptoms – of baby chewing anything including his fingers. A natural re-flex to soften and sooth the gums   enabling the new teeth to cut through

 Various Teething Symptoms:

·         A shift in behavior (becomes moody)

·         Lots of drooling

·         Swollen gums

·         Chews anything and everything within reach even his own fist and fingers

·         Loss of appetite

·         Develops fever

·         Has green stools (don’t always attribute this to teething, make sure)

Baby’s First Tooth:

My little tykes got their first teeth at 6 months; however some babies proudly sport a tooth by 3 months. Rarely some are born with the tip of a tooth peeking through the gums. So expect the pearly whites to make an appearance between 3-8 months. Babies in Sri Lanka also develop teeth early due to the high content of calcium in the red rice congee most have. By about age 3 your little toddler should have a set of around 20 ‘Milk Teeth’ – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous_teeth.

Record the dates the first chopper showed up and file away those memorable one toothed, photos.

 Help for Helpless Moms

First time ‘Ammas’, with a very cranky baby need not despair! Remember teething http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teething in babies is a natural part of development. Try some of these simple remedies used by many moms for relief of teething symptoms – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teething#Teething_symptoms.

·         Teething rings – Super convenient, sterilize and let baby chew to his or her hearts content. The soft plastic rings with sterilized water in them are best as they can be kept in the fridge and given cold for added comfort.

·         Hey nothing is better than chewing on chubby fingers. But Ammi, try soothing the sore gums with gentle massaging, however make sure your hands are well washed and baby is sitting comfortably on your lap. Achchi would say massaging with bees-honey or butter is best for babies in Sri Lanka, but given new research please check with your Pediatrician.

·         A wet sterilized wash-cloth cooled in the refrigerator is another option

·         Cool food is best at this time, yoghurts and cooled liquid food will be better accepted at this stage try a variety and see what baby likes

·         If swollen gums are severe your pediatrician will help with mild medicated gels

         So, don’t worry, teething is merely a developmental phase for baby. Some may breeze through it some may need some added comforting from                 Ammi.

Happy Teething!