How can I tell if my 5 month old is teething and is there any thing that will help her?

Answer 1

With your clean finger you can gently press around on her gums and see if you feel anything or see if her gum might be a little red. You can give her frozen chew toys, which my boy wasn't big on, but they seem to work for most kids. Youc an get these pacifier things at target where you can put a peice of frozen fruit in it and she can suck on it with out choking on anything just getting natural fruit juice while it being very cold and in her mouth. My boy loved it I used frozen watermelon. They are like 5 bucks for a pack of two at target. I don't know what it's called but it looks like a pacifier without the nipple it's a mesh netting instead. Hope this helps. You should also check with your doctor if she's not teething to see what's going on. Giving my son a bath also helped calm him down.

Answer 2

Most babies cry when you touch the area that is getting teeth because it's uncomfortable for them. The area will also be red and if the teeth are really close, there will be a white spot where they are coming up. Excessive drool, crankiness, sleeplessness and a low grade fever are signs of teething. Your baby may also have a loss in appetite since the breast, bottle or even solid food may hurt too much to come in contact with.

Some people recommend Orajel, but I found that it wore off quickly with my son and it wasn't worth it since it could only be given 4 times per day. What has worked the best for us is Baby Tylenol.

Also, to help the teeth push through and sooth the sore gums, you can dampen a cloth and put it in the freezer and then rub your baby's gums with it, or you can buy simple teething toys and let your baby chew on them, this gives your baby the opportunity to control the pressure.

Answer 3

The gums will usually be a little red and swollen. There is a product called Hyland's Teething Tablets they are homeopathic and safe with no side effects. They work instantly and dissolve instantly in a babies mouth. We use them on our kids and they stop crying and being fussy within a few minutes. Some doctor's don't recommend orajel because its easy for infants to ingest it. You can find the teething tablets at walmart or your local drugstore.

Also some of the water filled teething rings have been recalled because of bacteria in the water. You can check at consumer reports.com

Answer 4

When my son started teething, the first sign was him shoving his fingers in his mouth to comfort himself. This was followed by excessive drooling. If you take your finger and feel the gums, you may feel the hardness of a tooth near the surface. You may also see whiteness which is both the tooth, and the skin pulled taut. This will soon be followed by the thin scratchy feel of the edge of the tooth breaking the surface.

Some, but not all babies will also be cranky/irritable, and their sleep patterns may change (more awake periods).
They may also get diarrhea which is caused by swallowing drool.
Fever can also accompany teething.

I took my baby to the dentist when his first teeth came in and she recommended against using the numbing agents such as Baby Orajel and Baby Anbesol, as they can hinder the baby's ability to swallow.

She suggested teething towels, facecloths (wet corners and refrigerate or freeze), cold liquid and jelly filled teethers, and teething beads that are easy for younger babies to hold.

Our pharmacist also recommended avoiding the numbing products, explaining that chewing is the best relief during the day, and at night if swelling occurs from the cheek pressing against the mattress, or if your baby gets a fever, then administer the proper dosage of baby Tylenol.

We have tried every type of teether available on the market, but our son has rejected them all, chewing only on his soft terry bibs. If he's not wearing a bib, he will slip his mouth inside the neckline of his shirt and chew on the cloth until I either give him a bib or a small soft towel.

If your baby focuses on the pain, it will seem worse. Distracting our son with toys at those times works beautifully. He forgets all about his teeth and giggles and plays.

Once the teeth break the surface, your baby will probably be curiuos and feel the teeth with her hands and tongue. You may think she's still teething when her hands are in her mouth, but she's probably not in discomfort as much as she is unsure about these new additions in her mouth.

Answer 5

A teething baby will drool,sometimes run a low-grade fever and be fussy for no apparent reason. Try this, give your baby an appropriate dose of infant's Motrin and then wet a white,clean, wash rag. Put it in the freezer for about an hour or so(until it gets stiff)let your baby chew on it. If you decide to buy a teething ring, make sure it's filled with a non-toxic substance,also Baby Orajel works great. When my four daughters were teething they preferred the frozen wash rag to their teething rings-go figure?

Answer 6

Feel the gums (with your thoroughly cleaned finger), the first teeth are usually the bottom front. You may be able to feel the hard ridges of a tooth under the surface. If they are chewing their fingers, or your shirts when being held, chances are, they're teething. I used oragel, but my pediatrician also recommended dipping my finger in a little bit of whiskey and rubbing the sore area of the gums with it. People have varying opinions about advice though. If all else fails give him/her a small dose of infant's ibuprofen. I say ibuprofen and not Tylenol because it's better with inflammation.

Answer 7

If a baby is teething there are usually several signs. General crankiness, swollen gums, red gums, excessive drooling, chewing on everything, slight fever, etc.

If you want to help her, give her infant tylenol (according to doctor's directions of course) to help with the pain, also you can get some of those teething rings that you freeze...having something cold to chew on can provide her some relief. There are also over the counter teething gels that you can put on her gums to numb them temporarily.

Answer 8

Each kid is a little different. Some will drool like a sheepdog, be crabbier than usual, have cold or flu-like symptoms with congestion or have loose bowel movements.

Our middle child had a HORRIBLE time while she was teething. We were desperate for some relief when we finally tried the teething tablets in our grocery store's organic section. OMG. They were an absolute godsend. I always thought they were a bunch of BS, but was pleasantly surprised that they worked exceedingly well for us.

Good luck!

Answer 9

crankiness is one of the first signs of teething you can try any number of otc remedies or before the teeth come in give the baby a carrot(cleaned of course)from the fridge or buy some new white wash cloths sterilize them wet them and freeze them then give them to the baby(only do these 2 things while you are near the baby) or buy a teething ring that you can freeze and if all else fails wash your hands good and rub the baby's gums slight pressure on the gums seemed to help my kids

Answer 10

If your baby is trying to chew her fingers or anything else, she is probably teething. Try taking a clean wash cloth and putting a small ice cube in the middle of it and twisting to cloth around the ice. Let her chew and suck on the ice cube safely inside the cloth and the cold with pacify her gums and make her more comfortable. Anything cold: ice cream, cold pudding, or cold cereal will also help. If she runs a slight fever, give her a little childrens advil to help with the pain and fever. Expect a LOT of drooling.. and good luck to you and your little one.