Nothing will relieve your baby’s fever faster or for longer than nurofen for children.
Teething
That first toothy grin will be a memory you'll treasure forever. However, teeth emerging through the gums is not always easy (for your baby or you!) and it can be a long, drawn out process.
Recognising the signs
Sometimes you can actually see the tooth emerging through the gum, or you may be able to feel it emerging if you run a clean finger along your baby's gum line. However, since the pain of teething can begin months before a tooth is even apparent there are other symptoms you may wish to look out for. These include:
- Dribbling
- Flushed cheeks
- Biting/chewing on anything they can lay their hands on
- Irritable/restless behaviour
- Disturbed sleep
- Loss of appetite
- Sore, red gums
- Rise in temperature
What can you do to help?
Teething can be a difficult time for babies. Here are some things you can do to help relieve their discomfort:
Cold foods and drinks
Cold helps to numb the pain, so chilled yoghurts, unsweetened apple puree or other cooled baby foods may help. Cool drinks have the added benefit of soothing the whole mouth so try cooling water in the fridge.
Infant medicine (analgesics)
Analgesics designed especially for babies can be used to help relieve the pain associated with teething and bring down a raised temperature. Nurofen for Children (contains Ibuprofen) can be used if your baby is three months old or more and over 5kg.
Rubbing their gums
Lightly massaging your baby's gum with a clean finger can be soothing and help alleviate some of the discomfort. You may wish to apply a topical teething gel for some localized pain relief.
Teething timetable
Every infant is different and the start and duration of the teething process can vary greatly between individuals.
Typically teeth appear at around the following times:
| » 6 to 12 months | The lower incisors (the teeth at the very front of the mouth) are generally the first to emerge; |
| » 9 to 16 months | two more incisors break through, top and bottom; |
| » 12 to 18 months | the first back molars emerge; |
| » 18 to 24 months | the canine teeth start to appear between the molars and incisors |
Finally, the second molar teeth break through in the lower and upper back of the mouth.
There is no need to worry if your baby's teeth appear particularly early or late (around one in 2000 babies are born with a tooth or two already while others won't get any until they are a year old) and rest assured that by around the age of three years most infants will have a full set of milk teeth (ten at the top, ten at the bottom). These will usually last until they are approximately six years of age, when these naturally start to fall out and are replaced by bigger, permanent teeth which quickly start pushing through. Fortunately the gums have already been cut so the painful process of the initial teething is not about to be repeated!
*Contains ibuprofen. Always read the label.
