I’ve always heard that you will know a baby is teething, when he or she begins to drool excessively. However, as many of you parents know, babies drool…a lot. I mean…A LOT! So, as you can imagine, when Joshua’s leaky faucet of a mouth was coupled with fussiness, I was sure I would be seeing some pearly whites very soon. After several weeks of waiting and waiting…still…nothing.
Joshua was four months, then five months, then six months. He had consistent days of drooling and intermittent days of fussiness. Often times, I didn’t know whether I should give him a cold teething ring and a dose of Orajel or a bottle and some tender loving care. I realized I didn’t really know what to look for. What does it look like when your baby is teething?
As usual, I turned to the internet. During my research, I found the most common signs your baby is teething are:
1. Drooling
2. Gnawing – biting, chewing and sucking on everything
3. Swollen, bulging gums
4. Irritability
5. Difficulty sleeping;
6. and Turning away food
O.k…so after reading this list, I was able to check off; drooling, gnawing, irritability and difficulty sleeping. All of which are characteristics of being an infant in general. Joshua was seven months, then eight months and still…nothing. At eight and a half months, I noticed something new. Instead of the flat pink gums, his gums were lumpy and had the knuckle effect going on. Now, bare with me for a moment. Hold your hand flat, then ball it into a tight fist. Did you notice the change in your knuckles? Well, that’s how Joshua’s gums looked at eight and a half months.
Woo Hoo! I could now check five things off the list. I was literally sitting at the edge of my seat waiting for the first glimpse of his little tooth to emerge through his bottom gum. Based on everything I was reading from other mommies, I should be seeing something in about a week. A week went by and guess what?! NOTHING! Uhg! I thought my child was going to be the child that ALMOST got teeth. My mom told me I didn’t get a single tooth until I was 13 months, but being a first time mother, I wanted to put Joshua in the mold of the average kid.
About a week before Joshua turned 10 months, he spiked a fever (about 101 deg F) and did what I thought he would never do…refused to eat. I was extremely concerned, as new mommies usually are, because the fever came out of no where and although I could get it to go down with Tylenol, it would go right back up. Just when I decided it was time to call the doctor, I noticed a little hole in Joshua’s bottom gum. A few days later, I noticed the top of a very tiny tooth. I couldn’t believe it. After months of anticipation, the moment was finally here and my baby had taken another step into the land of growing up.
I was so excited about Joshua’s new teeth (all two of them) I asked our dentist when would be the best time to bring him in. Basically, our dentist told me to chill out. It takes three years for all of the primary teeth to come in and they generally don’t want to see the children before their third birthday unless there are issues. However, he suggested I start a routine of daily teeth brushing, using just water or a baby-safe tooth and gum cleanser, just to get him used to the process of daily brushing. So far, Joshua is loving the process. I never get any complaints from him when I’m providing him the opportunity to put something in his mouth 🙂
BeaCea Mamas 
Top 2 next. Very similar to our boy, He is now nearly 13 months, 5 and a bit teeth, so things may get little more tough…