And the shrill of dad’s whistle blew to signal the end of play and time for baby to hit the sack. It’d been a long and hard fought day, with dirty nappies, a biting incident and (what looked suspiciously like) a couple of teething red cheeks. Only the post-match analysis could reveal if the baby had actually started teething already…
When do babies start teething?
At the mid-way point in the first season of fatherhood, your baby’s first teeth may start to come through. Around 6 months old is relatively normal for the first teeth to be cut through, however, this can range from 3 months all the way up to the end of the first year. Teething may actually start a couple of months earlier than 6 months, although you probably won’t see a tooth for another couple of months. Some babies are born with teeth (good luck with the breast-feeding!). By the time your little one is 3 years old, they will usually have all their 20 primary teeth. Usually the bottom front teeth, called incisors, come first.
Symptoms of teething
Bedtime woes: Teething can scupper the bedtime routine that you’d just nailed. Teething can cause discomfort, which can lead to difficulty sleeping. That’s a shame. On the plus side, it’s now time to brush that single tooth.
Dribbling skills improve when teething: A sign of teething is that your baby starts to dribble more.
Seeing red: Your little one might start to get red cheeks from time to time. They also might be a little more grouchy when teething.
Chewing and gnawing at things: It’s common for babies to bite or gnaw their fist, a toy or anything else they can get their hands on.
Sophie: The solution to help with teething
Whilst there’s nothing you can do to help move the teething process along, there are some tips and tricks for making teething a little more bearable.
Keep it cool: a cold and clean plastic spoon or cloth could help with soothing the toothing… I mean seething the teethin… oh just forget it.
Try a teether or teething ring: When your baby is cutting her first teeth, she might be interested in trying out a teether or teething ring to gnaw at. We’ve gone for the range of Sophie The Giraffe teether.
We recommend Sophie The Giraffe – a favourite among little teethers. Perfect for soothing the toothing… I mean seething the teethin’… oh just forget it.