A teething baby isn’t usually a happy baby. The bad news is that they seem to be perpetually teething in the first two years or so. This makes it difficult to tell whether your child has a new tooth coming in or whether something else is wrong. Here are few things to look for to help you figure out if a tooth is getting ready to show itself.
Teething and colds have a lot of the same symptoms, so keep a close eye on the situation. When the teeth come in, they sometimes put pressure on the baby’s sinuses or ear canals. This creates the appearance of having a cold. These symptoms can be as mild as a runny nose or as extreme as a full blown ear infection.
Some people aren’t aware that baby teething can lead to ear infections. Sometimes a baby will develop this painful condition because the emerging teeth are placing pressure on the ear canal. This causes fluid to back up and become infected. An ear infection will need to be treated as soon as possible to prevent any permanent damage to the ear drum.
As well, your baby might experience fever when the teeth are coming in. But keep in mind that normal teething doesn’t cause a high fever. Never ignore a high fever in an infant. There’s a risk that he or she has an ear or sinus infection. You’ll need to take your baby to its pediatrician to be examined and see if a prescription is in order.
When your little one is teething, there will be several other symptoms you can look for. For example, red cheeks usually accompany this process. You might notice that one cheek is red and the other is normal; chances are the new tooth will emerge on the side that’s red.
Excessive drooling is one more symptom of teething. Babies are always drooling anyway, but when they’re teething it becomes extreme. You might even find that you have to change your baby’s clothes frequently because of the excessive drooling.
Teething can also be the explanation for unexplained, sustained periods of crying and misery. Excessive crying is one of the hardest teething symptoms to deal with. This is usually accompanied by difficulty sleeping. These behaviors can be very hard on both of you.
Most sources of baby advice recommend giving your child a carefully measured dose of infant pain reliever to provide some relief. But make sure you talk to the baby’s pediatrician before you give your child any type of medication.
