Teething at Eight Months – What to Expect

Your baby has started teething at eight months and you are suddenly full of questions. All your girlfriends who had babies around the same time have already experience the joy of seeing that first tooth poke through, but your baby has just started showing the telltale signs of cutting teeth. You must remember that though the average age for beginning the teething process is seven months old, it can vary greatly. The age of the mother and the father when they began the process significantly affects when their child will. The first tooth could arrive earlier than three months or later than a year, but such extremes are uncommon. Beginning at eight months is perfectly fine and no cause for worry.

Now that your little one is showing signs of teething, what can you do to keep them healthy? To begin with, your child should see a dentist when the first tooth comes in. If not, they definitely should go by the time they are twelve months. Early examination will allow you to take any steps necessary to prevent dental problems in the future. One concern could be Early Childhood Caries, once known as baby bottle tooth decay; this could develop once your child’s diet includes more than breast milk.

This can be prevented by not allowing your child to fall asleep with a bottle containing anything besides water. Only offer juice in a cup with meals and snacks. Children should be weaned from the bottle by twelve to fourteen months. Thumb-sucking causes alarm in most parents, but it is perfectly normal for infants; babies even sucked their thumbs in the womb. Prolonged thumb-sucking can become an issue though; after the age of three, a risk of crooked teeth and overbites develop. A pediatric dentist can help you with weaning your child from the thumb if it becomes an issue.

Keeping your child’s mouth clean is important too. From birth until they develop teeth, you should clean their gums with an infant toothbrush or soft cloth. Once they cut teeth, brush twice a day with baby toothpaste. Be sure not to use too much because fluoride is not safe to ingest; a smear is enough until two years old and a pea-size is appropriate from two to five years old. It is vital to keep your baby’s teeth healthy; a big part of that is starting a routine early which helps to instill the importance of good dental hygiene in your child. This is especially significant as their permanent teeth grow in, usually around six years old. Hopefully you feel a little more prepared for everything that comes along with your baby teething at eight months.