The major teething symptoms to pay attention to:
- Irritability or fussiness - the mouth of a baby aches as the tooth presses on the gums and tries to come out. Due to the pain your baby may become irritable and cry all night or day. While some babies get irritable for a short period of time, others might remain unhappy for a long period of time (days or weeks). Kissing and cuddling your irritable baby will soothe him.
- Drooling - teething stimulates drooling and a baby can drool a lot while he or she is teething. A teething baby starts drooling all day, due to which chaffing and rashes occur. Fasten a bib so that clothes don’t get wet and clean the mouth and chin with a soft cloth to prevent chaffing or redness.
- Incessant chewing - the pressure that an emerging tooth creates on the gum can be relieved through counter-pressure. To relieve themselves from the pressure in their gums teething babies bite and chew objects around them.
- Swelled or sensitive gums - when a tooth is about to emerge, it may cause gums to become more sensitive and getting red or swollen. Teething can cause red and swollen areas on gums. Gently rubbing the gums with clean fingers helps to soothe them.
- Lack of appetite
- Sleeping problems
- Ear pulling
Many parents believe that their teething babies have loose stools, a running nose, or a fever but most pediatricians don’t think that teething is the cause of these symptoms.