On average, between the age of 1years old – 16 months and again at 20 months – 2 and a half years, your little ones will become a very whiney, fussy, tired and hungry little babies. This is the toddle teething time!! Your babies first year molars are starting to move, making their way up to poke through the gum. What your toddler is going through is the same feeling as an adult when your wisdom teeth
Very common symptoms in the first signs of teething are:
Red, swollen tender gums
- A little rash on their face with red flushed cheeks
- May have ear ache the same side as the tooth erupting on
- Disturbed sleep
- Decreased appetite
- Biting or chewing anything they can get their hands on to
- A lot of dribbling
- Very irritable and generally unhappy
- A slightly raised temperature
The best way to help relieve the pain of teething is giving your child something cold and hard, that will be able to stand the pressure of them biting down on. Put either a carrot or cucumber in the freezer even a cold banana cut in to pieces and give to your toddler to chew on, stay with you toddler to make sure they don’t swallow any. A cold spoon, either from the fridge just to suck. Even a cold wet flannel that offers different textures to distract them from the pain. Cooling down the dummy or teething ring, a solid teething ring is better than one filled with liquid as this doesn’t give the pressure needed. If your toddler has lost their apatite give them cool foods, such as yoghurts, fruits and food pureed. If your toddler breast feeds or drinks from a bottle, while teething is better for them to drink out of a cup. When sucking blood rushes to the swollen areas making it more sensitive.
If your toddler is in real distress you can use teething gels, they contain mild anaesthetic and a mild antiseptic which works well together to prevent the pain and prevent infection. You can give your toddler infant paracetamol or ibuprofen, these are effective painkillers that will make your toddler more comfortable very quickly.
Failing that, a loving cuddle always does the trick!!