By Jan de Lange

Teething can be an especially tough time for babies and their parents. It can be painful for babies and stressful for parents. From about five months on, you can expect the first teeth - usually incisors, bottom before top - to start cutting. This can lead to increased crying, a loss of appetite and other new behaviours.

Pain and fever

This is the big and obvious one. Teeth pushing up into the gums from the jaw can be very painful for your baby. It can lead to inflamed gums as they’re torn little by little as the teeth cut through. This mouth pain can cause crying, an urge to chew everything in sight, drooling and red cheeks. Ear pain is also common and you may see your baby pulling at their ears when they’re teething. This can cause severe discomfort.

Slight fevers are also common during teething. A temperature above 37° is considered a fever but seek medical attention for anything over 39°. Sugar-free pain remedies can be very helpful both in alleviating pain and managing fever. Ask your pharmacist about a suitable paracetamol or ibuprofen medicine. Children under 16 should however avoid aspirin.

The nappies, oh the nappies!

Teething often brings with it nappies that contain particularly loose and acidic stools. Change nappies frequently while baby is teething and have plenty of wipes on standby. Some bum-cream can also be quite helpful. While it’s ideal to try and avoid nappy rash during teething, the acidic stools and frequent wiping might make it unavoidable altogether. Cream and some bare-bum time can help manage those sore rashes.

Loss of appetite

With their gums being quite sore, your baby might lose some of their appetite. Have plenty of soft foods like yogurt, soup, avocado even bananas ready to ensure that they do have some food options that are softer on the gums available. This will help prevent weight loss and them waking up hungry in the middle of the night. You can also give them blocks of ice to chew on, or make ice lollies from breastmilk. The icy cold will help numb those sore gums. If you’re breastfeeding, let your baby nurse on demand as the sucking motion provides some relief for the pain.

While teething can be more than a little nightmarish, there is little outside of pain relief parents can do. However, tons of TLC around this time does present a great bonding opportunity for you and your baby as they tackle this important milestone.