9 Signs Your Baby Is Teething and How to Help

Is your baby drooling, irritated and chewing on everything? These may be signs your baby is teething, and it’s important to know how to spot them and how to help soothe your baby safely.

In this article, we explain the teething process and highlight the most common teething symptoms. We also give practical advice on easing your baby’s pain and discuss what may help and what should be avoided.

What is the Teething Process?

From about 3 months of age, many babies start growing their first incisors (front teeth). Most of the time, teeth will erupt in pairs, but it’s not the same for every child.

Once your baby is ready to start teething, the gums swell as teeth emerge. Hormones are released in the body that signal the gums to separate as cells die off, allowing the teeth to push through. 

It can be very painful because the gums become swollen and tender. What can make it worse is sucking, which causes more blood to rush to the gums and intensifies the swelling.

The 5 stages of teething:

1. The First Incisor (front teeth) will usually erupt between  5-12 months
2. The Second Incisor (sides of front teeth) generally erupt between 9-16 months
3. The Canines (sharp side teeth) erupt between 16-23 months for most babies
4. The First molars (back chewing teeth) usually erupt between 12-19 months and can be very painful
5. Finally, the Second Molars (at the back) will erupt around 20-33 months

It takes about 33 months in total for a baby’s teeth to appear. Thankfully, your baby will not be in pain or discomfort the entire time.

Teething is only painful for 5 days before “eruption day”. After that, their gums remain tender for the next 3 days (Macknin et al, 2000).

An easy way to know how many teeth your baby should have is by subtracting 6 from your baby’s age in months. By the time your baby is 12 months old, he or she will have a total of 6 milk teeth. 

If your baby does not have most of their teeth (20 primary teeth) by the age of 3, you should visit your paediatrician and a dentist.

What are the Signs Your Baby is Teething?

Knowing how to identify teething symptoms will help you find ways to manage and ease your baby’s discomfort and know when a condition requires medical attention. 

The 9 most common teething symptoms include:

Irritability

Your baby will be noticeably fussy and irritable

Fever

Your baby may develop a fever (38 C or higher)

Drooling

You may notice excessive drooling, which could also cause coughing 

Chewing

Your baby will be chewing on their fingers and toys; older babies might bite you

Ear-pulling

Many babies rub their cheeks and pull their ears

Diarrhoea

Many people believe that teething may cause diarrhoea, which is believed to be caused by an excess of saliva

Skin rash

You may also notice skin rashes and red cheeks

Disrupted sleep

Most babies will wake more frequently during naps and at night when they are teething

Loss of appetite

Inflamed gums will almost certainly cause a loss in appetite because it is painful to chew

How to Ease Teething Symptoms?

You will notice that your baby’s gums will actually swell and get inflamed when they are teething. Please be mindful of whether these methods are safe for your baby’s age.

Younger babies shouldn’t be left to chew on anything that can choke them, and older babies should not be encouraged to bite chewing toys – not people!

There are a few ways you can help ease your baby’s pain and discomfort during teething:

• Wash your hands and apply a benzocaine-free teething gel or powder to your finger, and then gently massage your baby’s gums with your index finger if they will allow it.
• Offer frozen or chilled fruit, like bananas, and ice lollies, but this depends on the weather.
• Offer a clean, chilled washcloth for your baby to chew on
• Buy a bib with a silicone corner
• Clean, BPA-free, food-grade silicone toys to chew on. You can also put them in the fridge for 15  to 30 minutes (but don’t freeze them).
• Chamomile ice lollies or offer cooled chamomile tea in a cup (sucking might be painful)
• Use benzocaine-free teething gels
• Pain relief medicine like Calpol, Baby Panado or Neurofen, but please use these only when it’s absolutely necessary.

How to Manage Teething Symptoms

You can also try these methods to relieve the discomfort:

• Keep your baby’s chin and neck as dry as possible by using clean, dry bibs throughout the day to avoid irritating the skin and causing a rash.
• Be sure to change your baby’s nappies often if they have diarrhoea. If it seems excessive, contact your baby’s paediatrician. 
• If your baby is waking up a lot, be sure to offer cuddles and comfort
• Try playing white noise or underwater sounds to assist with sleep
• Make sure your baby is warm enough at night and offer a pacifier
• Offer a comfort teddy to help keep your baby calm 
• Distract your baby is they seem upset at something specific

What are the Best Teething toys?

Most infants and toddlers will chew on anything and everything when they are teething. Luckily, there are several different types of teethers you can offer.

Treated Wood

Wood might not be the most chewable material for your baby, but it is smooth and free of toxins, making it a suitable alternative to silicone toys.

Silicone

We also suggest getting a dummy clip with silicone beads, which is convenient for your baby and keeps a pacifier close by at all times. 

Some bibs have chewy parts, which is also a great option for babies who are drooling a lot and need something to chew on. 

You can also buy teething mittens, which are tiny gloves that have silicone fingertips for your baby to chew on.  

Fruit feeder

Another great option is offering a fruit feeder pacifier that is filled with cool fruit, which will be delicious for your baby and soothe irritated gums. 

What Should be Avoided when Soothing Teething Pain?

Be cautious when using the following methods:

• Teething necklaces
  • Worn cautiously, as they could be a choking hazard.
• Hard objects
  • Objects that can damage or irritate your baby’s gums more and should be avoided. Avoid letting your baby chew on keys, jewellery and most other everyday objects they might find around the house. 
  • Some plastics also contain harmful chemicals, like BPAs (Bisphenol A). Look for toys that are BPA-free.
• Sugar
  • Sugar is known to cause tooth decay, so avoid giving your baby anything that contains sugar to prevent the milk teeth from rotting away. 
  • Be mindful when offering food that may contain artificial sugar, like any sweets, biscuits, chips or juice. 
• Aspirin
  • Never rub Aspirin on your baby’s gums or administer baby Aspirin because it can increase the risk of bleeding in the brain, stomach and intestine, and may cause stomach ulcers in infants. 
  • Baby Aspirin is also linked with Reye’s syndrome, which is the swelling of the brain and liver damage.
• Gel teethers
  • Some teethers contain fluids or gels that can be frozen
  • We advise against using these types of teethers because the material could be punctured, which may release potentially harmful chemicals
• Benzocaine teething gels/powders
  • Some teething gels contain a local anaesthetic that can cause methemoglobinemia (a potentially fatal blood disorder) if it is swallowed and should not be used for infants or young children.
  • Since 2018, companies have been prohibited from using Benzocaine in teething gels
  • Avoid products like Prodol and opt for Dr Talbots natural teething gel, Pure Beginnings organic teething gel or Nuby teething gel
• Bisphenol-A
  • BPA is an endocrine (hormone) disruptor which can be harmful to the brain and prostate gland of infants and children
  • Some research also suggests that there is a link between exposure to BPAs and type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and high blood pressure

When should you consult your baby’s Paediatrician during teething?

Teething comes with many uncomfortable symptoms, but some symptoms could require medical attention in more severe cases. 

If you spot any of the following, please contact your paediatrician immediately:

• Signs of an ear infection
  • Doesn’t respond to noise or sounds, loss of balance, fluid coming from the ear, severe pain and a high fever
• Severe diarrhoea that lasts longer than a week
• An extremely high fever of more than 38 C that does not go away after 24 hours and causes shivers
• Extreme pain that prevents your baby from sleeping or moving normally
• A loss of appetite and extreme dehydration
• Severe allergic rash not caused by saliva on the skin on areas not related to teething
• Extreme fatigue
• Complete loss of appetite

We also suggest contacting your paediatrician if your baby experiences delayed teething, with no teeth or slow eruption by the age of 12 months. 

Most children should have at least 4 teeth by the time they turn 12 months old. However, delayed teething may be caused by low birth weight, premature birth, genetics or poor nutrition. 

Delayed teething may cause more serious dental issues in the future if it is left untreated, so please visit the dentist and your paediatrician if you are concerned about your baby’s teething progress.

Final Thoughts

Teething plays an important role in the healthy development of babies. It is an exciting time for parents and babies because, with more teeth, babies can try all kinds of new foods. 

Although teething is not painful the entire time, the symptoms can be very uncomfortable for babies, so it’s important that you are able to recognise signs your baby is teething.

Thankfully, there are a few things we can do to ease the pain and discomfort of teething, so make sure to stock up on some teething toys, natural teething gels and pain relievers for your baby.

Remember to avoid using teething gels that contain Benzocaine, do not offer plastics that contain BPAs and painkillers should not be given consistently to babies for more than 48 hours. 

Keep enough dry bibs on hand and remember to be patient with your baby if they are more fussy than usual. 

Babies tend to chew on anything they can fit into their mouths, so be careful not to leave any hard or small objects around your baby to avoid choking or damaging their gums. 

Milk teeth come in stages and the entire process takes around 33 months, but if your baby shows signs of delayed teething, seek advice from your paediatrician and visit the dentist. 

Remember that all babies are different and develop at their own pace. Be mindful of your baby’s symptoms and keep an eye out for any severe or unusual symptoms that might require medical attention. 

FAQs