What are the Symptoms of Teething in Your New Baby?
Babies can be pretty fussy when they’re teething. Unfortunately, during the first couple of years of their lives, they’re almost constantly teething. This can make it hard to figure out whether there’s a new tooth emerging or if there’s another problem altogether. To help you out, here are some of the signs that a new tooth is about to make an appearance in your baby’s mouth.
Teething and colds have a lot of the same symptoms, so keep a close eye on the situation. As the teeth are pushing their way up, they can cause pressure on the ear canals and sinuses. This can cause cold symptoms to occur. You might only notice some minor sinus congestion or it could be as severe as a painful ear infection.
You might be surprised to realize that ear infections are a sign of baby teething. Sometimes a baby will develop this painful condition because the emerging teeth are placing pressure on the ear canal. This causes fluid to back up and become infected. You’ll need to deal with an ear infection immediately in order to avoid damage to the baby’s hearing.
As well, your baby might experience fever when the teeth are coming in. But keep in mind that normal teething doesn’t cause a high fever. Never ignore a high fever in an infant. There’s a risk that he or she has an ear or sinus infection. You’ll have to pay a visit to the pediatrician, who will likely prescribe an antibiotic medication.
When your little one is teething, there will be several other symptoms you can look for. For example, red cheeks usually accompany this process. If one cheek is red and the other isn’t, look for a new tooth to appear on the red side.
Excessive drooling is one more symptom of teething. Babies are always drooling anyway, but when they’re teething it becomes extreme. The drooling might be so excessive that you have to change your baby’s outfits all the time due to dampness.
Teething can also be the explanation for unexplained, sustained periods of crying and misery. One of the worst symptoms of teething is excessive crying. And this will typically lead to sleep problems as well. These behaviors can be very hard on both of you.
Most people who offer you baby advice will suggest that you give your child some pain reliever to ease the symptoms. But make sure you talk to the baby’s pediatrician before you give your child any type of medication.