I think my babe is teething. But, it seems a little early. However, I know that teething can sometimes take a few months, and usually, they are miserable months indeed. I have to admit that I love the gummy smile. It is one of my favorite parts of the baby stages. Smiles with no teeth are the best. My daughter didn’t have any visible teeth until she was 10 months old, and my other son didn’t have any until around the same time as well.
But, the signs are all there. He is fussy for no reason, drooling, hitting his gums against stuff, sucking on his fingers (a new habit), hitting toys against his gums, and wanting something in his mouth at all times. I have noticed a change in his sleep patterns, too. He is waking up more often, and seems to not sleep as restfully as normal. For example, I will hear him cry out on the monitor and then he will quickly go back to sleep. But, I will hear this multiple times through the night.
We don’t really give our babies tylenol when they are teething unless it is an absolute necessity. I guess we just like to take a more natural approach to soothing our kids. However, we don’t want them to suffer, either. Sometimes, giving them tylenol is the only thing that can help.
I remember when my daughter was cutting her first two teeth that she had been sleeping great for months, then all of a sudden, she was up a couple of times every night, wanting to be held, and not wanting us to leave the room. As first-time parents, we were confused. But, when that first tooth broke through, we were relieved to have our sweet baby girl back that slept through the night!
Teething can be a difficult time in your baby’s life and yours. It seems that everyone wants to blame every behavior at this age on the teething, and after having three kids trying to cut teeth, I can see how this can be true. Teething is no laughing matter. It can throw a wrench in that perfect baby routine you have! But, if you can just hang on for a few weeks, I promise, you’ll have your sweet baby back in no time.