Teething…it’s the word that pops up in most of my consultations, and many conversations I have with Mom friends.
“My baby has been waking quite frequently during the night, she must be teething.”
“My baby hasn’t been napping longer then 20 mins, he must be teething.”
“My baby has been so grouchy, he must be teething.”
“My baby has been crying over everything, she must be teething.”
I admit there are days that I have blamed teething for the reason why my baby was grouchy or irritable and had a bad night but I want to let you know that most of the time it’s not actually why they are acting that way
Here’s the thing…teething can be a cause of those things but not for weeks and months on end. If your baby hasn’t been sleeping well or irritable for a couple of weeks, it’s not going to be because of a tooth trying to come through. There’s something else that is causing those night wakenings, resisted naps, grouchiness, etc.
Studies have shown that teething will only affect your baby 4 days before the tooth comes through and 3 days after the tooth has come through. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10742315 Some babies may not even be affected by teething at all. Some it will just be an annoyance, and some will experience pain.
If you are 100% sure that your baby is teething and it’s not been going on for weeks, then talk to your doctor about pain medications. You can also find many natural alternatives to help your baby through those teething days as well.
Here are some things we found helped our baby’s:
-Advil/Tylenol -Cold cloths/objects -Teething toys (like the one pictured from “Loved by Teething” https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/LovedByTeething) -Amber beads
The next time your baby pops a tooth out, make note of the symptoms he/she had. This will help you be sure the next time a tooth is about to erupt. And remember if it’s gone on for over a week, then let’s set up a time to chat about what may be causing your little one's sleep disturbances so you can both start to get some much needed rest! You can schedule your FREE 20 minute consultation here!
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Sleep Easy!