Teething

At this stage in your baby’s development, her teeth have started to push through and grow. The buds of her teeth developed initially when she was still in the womb but now they’re starting to push through her gums to form real teeth.

What can I expect when my baby’s teething?

A lot of babies experience quite a lot of pain when they’re teething. Sucking on a bottle or breast can make the pain worse as blood rushes to the sensitive area, so your baby may start to reject the breast and the bottle while they are teething.

To be sure that your baby’s teething wash your hands, then run your finger over her gums to feel for a new tooth. If teeth are on their way through it’s likely that you’ll be dealing with some sleepless nights, red and swollen gums, heavy drooling, feeding problems and a rather cranky baby. You’ll probably also notice that she’s more interested in chewing things she can get in her mouth. This will include your fingers, toys or anything else that comes near!

Which teeth will come through first?

The first teeth you’ll see come through will probably be the two upper central incisors. The lateral incisors will then follow. Don't worry if there are some gaps between teeth at the moment; teeth often come through the gums at odd angles, and any spaces commonly disappear after all 20 baby teeth have broken through.

When will teething start and how long will it last?

The average age for teething to start is at five or six months. Some do start as early as three months of age and some as late as twelve months. As to how long each tooth will take to come through, it’s impossible to predict. You may even find that the teething period for one tooth can last up to several months.

The large molars at the back of the mouth won’t come through until after your baby’s first birthday, and these will again be a bit stressful and painful for your baby. All twenty new teeth will probably have arrived by the time she’s three years old.

The good news is that, for most babies, the first few teeth coming through are the worst, so although this stage of life can be stressful at first, it will get better and there will be a bit of a gap for recovery between the first set of teeth and the large molars coming through.