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My baby is teething. What can I do?
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In this article
What are the main teething symptoms?
Your baby's
may come through with no problems at all. However it can also be a painful, drawn-out process, which will be no fun for her and require lots of patience and comfort from you. Rest assured though, this uncomfortable period won’t last.
Red and swollen gums, heavy drooling, , inconsistent feeding,
and grumpiness are all signs that your baby's first tooth is on its way (NHS 2014a, NCT nd).
If your baby develops a
just before a tooth breaks through, it's unlikely that teething is to blame (NHS 2014a). Treat these symptoms separately, and take her to the doctor if you're worried (NHS 2014a, NICE 2014).
However, lots of babies do
because they swallow a lot of saliva, which can sometimes irritate their tummy.
Your baby may also develop a
on her chin and lower lip from dribbling. Gently wipe the dribble off with a soft cotton cloth, but don't rub as the area will be tender (NHS 2014a). Smoothing a barrier cream such as petroleum jelly on her chin may help to protect her skin from getting sore (BNF for Children 2014).
Why does teething hurt?
As your baby's teeth develop, they push up through her gums, and this can cause irritation, pain and swelling.
You may remember the ache your wisdom teeth created when they arrived. This is similar to what your baby is going through.
Your baby's mouth will generally be much more sensitive at this time. This is why your baby may temporarily
when she's teething.
How can I soothe sore gums?
Simply rubbing a clean finger over sore gums can temporarily numb the pain (NICE 2014). Giving your baby something clean and cool to bite on may make her more comfortable by providing a welcome distraction from any pain (NHS 2014b, NICE 2014).
Chances are your baby will find things to chew on herself. She may find teething rings helpful. If your baby has started on solid foods, you could also let her gnaw on a peeled, chilled vegetable, such as a carrot, or a hard crust of bread. Be sure to keep an eye on her though (NICE 2014). Avoid using anything that could be broken into hard pieces, as she could
on them (NICE 2014).
Anything cold will be soothing, so keep teethers in the fridge or give your baby a well-chilled, damp flannel to bite on. Don't give her anything from the freezer though, as it could hurt her gums (NHS 2014b).
Cold water in a bottle or, if she prefers, a feeding cup, may also help to calm her gums. If she's old enough for , offer her cold purees or plain yoghurt.
There will be times, however, when your baby will reject all of these offerings. This is when a cuddle is the best therapy you can supply!
Should I use teething gels or alternative remedies?
If you want to use a baby teething gel make sure you follow the instructions (NICE 2014). Bear in mind that the gel probably won't stay where you want it to. It's more likely to be moved by your baby's tongue and saliva (NICE 2014).
If your baby's teething before four months, check with your GP before giving her any teething gel or other remedies (NHS 2014b).
You could try homeopathic granules, though there's no evidence that they will work (NHS 2013a, NICE 2014). These come in small sachets that you pour into your baby's mouth. Check that the brand you are buying is sugar-free (NICE 2014) to protect your baby's teeth from
(PHE 2014).
Some mums find that amber necklaces or bracelets can help to relieve teething pain. The theory is that a tiny amount of oil is released on to your baby’s skin when they are worn. This oil is thought to ease discomfort.
Again, there is no medical evidence to back up these claims. Wearing an amber necklace or bracelet also carries the risk of strangling or
if the jewellery gets caught on something.
If you do use an amber necklace or bracelet, remember that they shouldn’t be sucked or chewed on, as this can cause choking if a bead is accidentally swallowed (Markman 2009).
How can I cope with teething at night?
During the day, your baby's regular activities will help distract her from the discomfort of teething. At night, the lack of distractions may make the pain more noticeable and your baby may .
Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether your baby’s unsettled behaviour during the night is actually due to teething.
If you think your baby is waking regularly due to teething, try to keep to her usual . If you change your usual approach, she may start to depend on your presence to be able to fall asleep.
If she cries out for you during the night you'll need to go to her, to work out whether or not she's in pain. Use your instincts to decide whether to pick her up to comfort her or whether reassuring words and strokes will soothe her back to sleep.
carries on being disrupted after her teething symptoms have gone, get back to her old routine as quickly as possible. A few nights of perseverance should soon get you back on track.
Can I give my baby infant paracetamol?
Before giving your baby
to ease teething pain, first make sure that the pain isn't caused by something else. It's easy to mistake an
for teething (NICE 2014). If your baby has a
you should take her to see a doctor.
If your baby is very distressed, you can give her the correct dose of infant paracetamol or infant ibuprofen. Always check the instructions on the packet, or ask your pharmacist or doctor if you are unsure. Never give your baby both paracetamol and ibuprofen at the same time unless advised by a doctor (NHS 2013c).
Your baby will probably be teething on-and-off for some time, so try to avoid giving her medicines too often.
How long does teething last?
There's no set date when your baby's
will arrive. Every child is different. She may be troubled for just a few days before a tooth emerges, or she may display all the symptoms of teething for months, with nothing to show for it.
Take comfort in the fact that the
are likely to be the worst. Problems associated with teething tend to subside, at least until the large teeth at the back of the mouth (molars), start to come through. That's unlikely to happen until after your , giving you and your baby time to recover from this difficult and stressful stage.
Now you know a bit more about teething, .
Last reviewed:&September 2014
References
BNF for Children. 2014. Emollients. British National Formulary for Children
Markman L. 2009. Teething: facts and fiction. Pediatr. Rev. 2;30;e59-e64
NHS. 2013a. Homeopathy. NHS Choices, Health A-Z
NHS. 2013b. Medicines for babies and toddlers. NHS Choices, Health A-Z
NHS. 2014a. Teething symptoms and how babies' teeth emerge. NHS Choices, Health A-Z.
NHS. 2014b. Tips for helping a teething baby. NHS Choices, Health A-Z
NHS. 2014c. Can I give my child paracetamol and ibuprofen at the same time? NHS Choices, Common health questions
NCT. nd. Teething. National Childbirth Trust
NICE. 2014. Teething. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Clinical Knowledge Summaries
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We want to make your experience easy and help you quickly find information that matters to you. By using our site, we assume that you consent to our use of these cookies. To learn more about our cookies, including how to opt out, please review our .Head lice | How to tell if you have head lice
Problems tackled: 36,716
How to tell if you have head lice
Only 1 in 3 people with head lice experiences itching. It is worse behind the ears and at the back of the neck. Itching is caused by an allergy to the saliva of the louse, and it may be several weeks before it occurs.
Seeing the lice
There are various ways of looking for lice.
Tip the head down and brush or comb the hair thoroughly from root to tip over a piece of white paper. Inspect the paper and the brush or comb closely for signs of life. You may see the skins that the young lice have cast off & these look like lice. This method is not very reliable because, in dry hair, lice move away from the area that is being disturbed.
A better method uses a &lice comb& (a special comb with narrow-spaced teeth), which you can buy from a pharmacy. Wash the hair, leave it damp and comb out tangles with an ordinary comb. Rub some ordinary conditioner into the hair. Then divide the hair into sections and carefully comb each section with the lice comb, starting at the scalp. Every now and again, wipe the comb on a tissue and look closely for live lice. This works better than the dry hair method, because lice stay very still when hair is wet, so they can be combed out.
If you have Afro-Caribbean hair, do not bother with a lice comb & it will be too uncomfortable. Instead, use lots of conditioner and an ordinary comb.
Look for nits
The nits are egg-cases, attached to the hairs. They are oval in shape. The empty egg cases (left behind after the baby louse has hatched) are white, and easier to spot. As the hair grows, the egg case will move further up its shaft, so the position of the nits on the hair gives you an idea of how long you have had them. Hair grows at about 1 cm a month. Therefore nits 1 cm from the scalp mean 1 month, 2 cm mean 2 months, and so on.
If you have never seen them before, it can be difficult to decide whether a white speck is a nit or not. Globules of hair lacquer and bits of dandruff can be confused with nits. And if you pull out a normal hair, you may notice the whitish thickening at its root, which you may mistake for a nit. A magnifying glass will help.
Look for black specks
Look for black specks on the pillow or collar, these are louse faeces.
Look for&bites
Look for tiny, inflamed bites on the scalp, or a rash on the back of the neck or behind the ears.
For more information, see our sections on and , or read Dr Phil Hammond's light-hearted . If your scalp is itching&but you cannot find any head lice, see our pages on and .&
Written by: Edited by: Dr Margaret StearnLast updated:
Monday, March 7th 2011
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head lice | How to tell if you have head lice
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