questions about teething

when did your kids start teething? What did their gums feel like? How did they react to it? What were the symptoms? And what all did you do to treat it?

I noticed lately that Joey has been lacking in the sleep area like hardcore and that he eats a bit less that usual. Well the appetite I chalked up to the fact that we switched his bottles from fast flow to slow flow nipples. But he has also been a bit fussy every now and then (well more so than usual). And when I say he's losing sleep, I mean he will sleep for a max of maybe 30-45 minutes after feeding and playtime. Which sucks for me b/c sometimes I definitely need the rest and it's usually the time when I eat and do laundry and dishes. So I have grown accustomed to bringing his bouncy chair into the kitchen with me. Anyways, so I felt at his gums one night and I wasn't sure what to think. His top row is a little rough, but the bottom not so much. When you look at the upper gums, you can definitely tell where the teeth are under there. There's a curvature in his gums that looks like teeth up in there, you'd have to see it. But he also has been chewing on his hands a lot and drooling a bit. Now, I understand that chewing on his hands is also a way to explore them b/c he's so fascinated with them, and I'm sure this will almost always lead to a little bit of drool. Should I call my doctor and schedule an appointment for after christmas to check it out? I'm just so curious!

Bekah - We've been experiencing the same behavior here! The lack of sleep, short sleeping periods, hands in mouth, drool, eating a little less and we actually went ahead and bought a high chair (it reclines a little) so Brenden isn't stuck on the floor in his bouncy while I'm making breakfast, cleaning the kitchen or doing laundry. It's been a while since I've experienced "teething" but I think for Dawson it didn't start until he was about 5 or maybe even 6 months months old...I do know for sure that he ran a low grade fever which Brenden is not doing now. Maybe it's "pre-teething"???? It's amazing to me how Brenden can be acting a certain way and I can get on here and the other babies are doing the same things! I didn't have anyone with a baby when I had Dawson and I must say being able to come here helps feel assured Brenden is doing just what he should be! I'm not a FTM but I've been there and after seeing my first born go thru so much in his early days (medical wise) I don't call the doctor unless my kiddos are screaming in pain, their skin is red (and benedryl doesn't take it away), or the fever is high and I can't get it down by cool baths, tylenol/motrin, and light clothing. Then of course there are obvious reasons....seeing a bone, way too much blood, ect! Anyway, hopefully this too will soon pass!

We have a little bit of that going on. But, Dominic has a little cousin that was born Aug 28th.. so she's 3 going on 4 months and she is already teething. I thought it was too early for that as well, but her Grandma (my SIL) said oh yeah.. she started at about 3 months. I know a few kids who had teeth as early as 10 weeks.. so it's possible. I wouldn't do anything major for it yet. You might see if he seems to like a cooled teething toy, or they make these little white pills that are homeopathic teething soothers.. you can't really "overdose" on them and I'm pretty sure you can use them at any age. It's worth a shot to see. They dissolve really easy and you can just rub them on his gums and see if it helps. If it doesn't.. well at least you'll have them for when he does start teething and you can move on to somthing else.. Good Luck!

Bekah- From my experience Elijah my ODS got his first tooth in the day before he turned 6 months old and my DD she got her first in at about 8 months old or so so she was a bit of a late bloomer.lol But he very well may be teething possibly. I think the first tooth usually comes in on the bottom.... I'd have to get the kids baby books out to be sure but I think its the bottom first Jeremiah is doing the whole chewing fist thing too and there is a bit of drool but not alot. and sometimes he only sleep 30 min to 1 hour throughout the day other times he will sleep a few hours that usually only happens in his swing though. I'm not sure even if Joey is teething that it would warrant a dr visit but you do as you see fit cause you re his momma.

Gnawing on hands, fussiness during eating,drooling(sometimes causes a rash around the mouth) are teething signs...But they also start producing more saliva around 3-4 months because it helps aid in the breaking down of baby's first foods...ODS had 2 teeth by 10 weeks...His always came in 2(he had 12 teeth by 12 months) at a time and one day there would be nothing, next day you'd see the white bumps pushing through the gums, then the next day there'd be 2 little teeth...he also had low grade fever and slept most of the day until they popped through...We used tylenol about an hour before feeding and then put orajel on his paci a few minutes before he'd eat...We used those homeopathic tablets and put one or two right into his formula...Middle DS took forever to get his teeth...He was 5 months old when he got his first ones.He got one at a time and it would take about 2 weeks for each one to finally break through the skin...Once its through the skin it doesn't bother them(until they bite their little tongue)He HATED baby orajel and if we used it he would totally refse to eat and would just scream until he puked...The tylenol and homeopathic tabs were what we used for him...He had 6 teeth by 12 months then he got all four molars at once...That sucked big time...BTW I DON'T recommend those baby biscuits that you can buy because as baby chews and gnaws on them they can break off and choke...That happened with ODS and we didn't think he was gonna make it...Those spoon type things that have the mesh screens on them are kind of neat but a pain to clean...Hope that helps chica!Good luck...Oh and like 98% of kids get the bottom middle teeth first then the top two...So far mine followed that rule but occasionally a LO gets a top tooth first...

Teething Tablets.....I USED THEM WITH DAWSON and LOVED them with every ounce of my sanity!! You can get them in the baby section at Walmart! I used to just rub them on his gums and they worked for a LONG time and you can use as many as needed!!! I had forgotten about those....

Michelle-Those are the same reasons I call the doctorLOL

Shannon my DH wants to call the doctor for EVERYTHING! The first time I clipped Brenden's nail too low he screamed "hurry! let's get in to the ER" at the site of a drop of blood! Silly man! I'm sure I called him that as I was dabbing vaseline on the snip.

Not my DH he's the opposite...He always thinks I'm overreacting when Ive brought my kids in to the ER...When Middle DS was having breathing issues I wanted to take him in, he rolled his eyes and said ok...well turned out he had pneumonia....Go figure...