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Steps

1- Recognise teething. If your baby is teething, you may notice the following: Red and swollen gums, red flushed cheeks or face, heavy drooling, gum rubbing, biting or sucking, rubbing his/her ear on the same side as an erupting tooth, sleepless at night and wakeful during the day, not feeding as well, irritable and unsettled.

2- Work on lessening the pain. There are plenty of things you can try before resorting to pain relief products or teething gels. Perhaps try: Rubbing a finger or a cold spoon over your baby’s sore gums to numb the pain temporarily, give your baby a teething ring, giving your baby a dummy, letting your baby chew on hard non-sweetened rusks, breadsticks or frozen bread (if they’re over 6 months old), letting your baby chew on fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, such as cucumber (again if they’re over 6 months old)

3- Be aware of associated problems. Your baby may also develop a high temperature or diarrhoea just before a tooth breaks through. It’s best to treat them as separate problems to teething. If you’re worried, see your doctor. If your child is suffering from a rash under their chin from drooling, gently wipe the drool off your baby’s chin as often as you can with a soft cotton cloth. You could also smooth a barrier cream such as petroleum jelly on his/her chin. This will protect her skin from further irritation. Put some on at bedtime and before you take her out and about.

Tips

Watch your baby if you give her hard bread or vegetables to chew on. Don’t use raw carrots, for example, once they have their first tooth, as he/she may bite off lumps that might choke him/her.

It’s best not to give your baby teething gels just before a feed. They can numb your baby’s tongue and make it hard for them to suck properly.