teething

[squeaky]

when does this start? what to do? beth has been crying heaps for the last 2 days, real maniac screaming and stuff. not her normal cry. think it might be teething.

[Pampered]

It's hard to say when teething starts...some babies are even born with teeth! I know some who got their first teeth after their first birthday. I personally think it starts at about 4 or 5 months old. She is a bit young to be teething, but nothing is impossible. It is normally accompanied by a runny tummy....

[Ameniatha]

and fever....and sometimes they will drool more than usual.

If she wants to keep putting things in her mouth, thats a good sign too...you can check her gums to see if they look tender.

Baby's usually teeth in the bottom first, the front two...

If she is teething you can get her a teething ring which can be kept in the fridge. The cool ring will sooth the pain of the teething.

[squeaky]

i dont do nappies so i wouldnt know about the runny tummy stuff, she is sticking her hands into her mouth alot, will check the drooling status. what do tender baby gums look like?

[Pampered]

Sore, red, inflamed.....sometimes you can see the teeth just under the gum, and feel them under your finger if you rub it on their gums....

[Jillibeans]

Originally posted by squeaky
i dont do nappies so i wouldnt know about the runny tummy stuff, she is sticking her hands into her mouth alot, will check the drooling status. what do tender baby gums look like?

Gee Squeaky you're lucky, how do you manage that one -no changing of nappies. :thumbs:

Teething rings are good, we also gave our daughters biltong to chew on as the salt helps alot. You also get teething powders or gels which numb the gums

[Jemlet]

Sometimes just the teeth moving in the gums is enough to cause distress. Teething powders work very well. Good Luck !

[eteechah]

Originally posted by Jillibeans
Gee Squeaky you're lucky, how do you manage that one -no changing of nappies. :thumbs:

Teething rings are good, we also gave our daughters biltong to chew on as the salt helps alot. You also get teething powders or gels which numb the gums

EEK!

Salt can kill babies! don't give your baby salted biltong. In SA one can get unsalted biltong, that is good to use for teething.

(because a baby doesn't drink much water (if any) and their kidneys can't filter out salt very quickly, it can build up in the tissues, and can be fatal. That is why one should never use salt in a babies food, until they are at least 1 year old, and even then, only very sparingly.)

[Jillibeans]

Originally posted by eteechah
EEK!

Salt can kill babies! don't give your baby salted biltong. In SA one can get unsalted biltong, that is good to use for teething.

(because a baby doesn't drink much water (if any) and their kidneys can't filter out salt very quickly, it can build up in the tissues, and can be fatal. That is why one should never use salt in a babies food, until they are at least 1 year old, and even then, only very sparingly.)

Sorry Eteechah, my girls are 15 and 12yrs old now and they were both brought up with biltong to chew on, and I know many other SA children that were also given biltong - no problems with any of them. Both my children also drank water as babies!

[eteechah]

Originally posted by Jillibeans
Sorry Eteechah, my girls are 15 and 12yrs old now and they were both brought up with biltong to chew on, and I know many other SA children that were also given biltong - no problems with any of them. Both my children also drank water as babies!

That your children are ok does not detract from the fact that salt can and does kill hundreds of babies a year - to advise someone to give
salted biltong to a baby is really silly. How would you feel if you did that and their child died as a result?

There may be no ill effects, but do you really want to take that gamble?