Teething is one of those baby activities that if adults had to endure, would have resulted in some major fix: I don’t know what it would be…maybe pulling the teeth… who knows?  I just know that adults would not have put up with this teething thing.  But adults often don’t do too well with the baby’s teething, either. Most babies start to drool profusely around 4 months of age.  This isn’t a sign the child is necessarily teething.  The average age for teeth to erupt is between 6 months and 14 months.

So, enter a study from the journal Pediatrics, looking at some of the adult concerns, and whether these are valid.  The studies show that teething does not cause fever more than 100.4 F.  Teething doesn’t cause mouths sores or blisters in or around the mouth, or cause appetite loss or diarrhea that lasts more than a day or so.  In the past we used to have numbing medicine to put on the gums.  It hadn’t been shown to work, but many people used it a lot, and there were a few babies that were harmed because the med was over used.  This is why it has been pulled from the market for use in infants.

Some parents will give lots of Tylenol, whenever they think the baby is fussy, around 4 months of age, thinking that any fussiness must be due to teeth.  This isn’t a good idea either, especially if you can’t see any little white tooth buds.  So, what can you do for the teething baby?  Some authorities suggest letting the baby bite down on a cool washcloth.  Some try those frozen teething bars, but I’ve never had any parent tell me those help.  Some use teething biscuits; just be sure little pieces wont’ break off to cause a choking hazard.  So, hang in there; it seems like forever, but this “too”th will pass.