Five Months and Already Teething

You have noticed recently some changes in your baby’s behavior, but have you considered that your five month old baby may be teething? Teething can start any time from three months to twelve months. The signs can begin two or three months before the first tooth appears. The symptoms vary among babies, as does the severity, but there are a few behaviors that are considered common for babies cutting teeth.

Drooling is the most obvious sign because it can go from nonexistent to an endless river down your child’s chin. Make sure you wipe their face and neck constantly throughout the day or a rash might develop. Biting is another cue that your baby may be getting some pearly whites soon because it helps relieve the pressure from their gums. Watch out if you breastfeed; occasionally your nipples may be what they decide to gnaw on.

You can expect some fussiness too. As those teeth push their way through, it hurts and your child might vocalize the pain through whimpers or even screaming. Your infant may also lose their appetite. Even if they have been great eaters before now, they could begin eating only a little or refusing to all together. Sucking can make the pain worse so just keep trying to feed them; if this last more than a couple days, you may want to call the doctor. Be ready for another sleepless night because while cutting their first tooth, and maybe a few more, your baby may be kept up by the pain. Diarrhea and fever have also been linked to teething; these symptoms should be mentioned to your doctor to be safe.

Watching your baby suffering is hard to do, but there are a few things you can do to help. The simplest one is to find your child something to chew on to help counter the pressure in their gums; something cold is helpful because it numbs the pain. There are a lot of choices of specially designed teething toys and biscuits, but a frozen washcloth can be heaven to a teething baby.

Cold food and drink is also helpful. You could also rub their gums with a clean finger, but not all children like this. If the grumpiness gets worse, ask your doctor about infant pain relievers, but be aware of the pain relief gel; too much could numb the throat and weaken the gag reflex so your baby could choke on the additional saliva. Your baby will probably be miserable, so most importantly be extra loving when they start teething at five months.