When Babies Teethe

Your baby is now a few months old. You are probably already expecting the first teeth to announce themselves and become visible in the lower jaw. You might interpret the baby's restless behavior as a sign of this. While some babies seem to have their first teeth emerge unnoticed, other children experience greater discomfort, making it a challenging time for parents.

Milk teeth are already formed while the baby is still developing and growing in the womb. For most babies, the first teeth emerge around the sixth month of life. However, the exact timing of when they push through the gums varies greatly. It can take until the third year of life for all 20 milk teeth to emerge. Often, the teeth come in at about one-month intervals, but sometimes they push through simultaneously. The two lower incisors are usually the first to appear in the baby's mouth.

Teething is unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable or painful for babies. How your child reacts to the emergence of teeth depends on their individual pain sensitivity and temperament.

• Increased drooling
• Red, swollen gums
• Flushed cheeks
• Increased urge to put objects or fingers in the mouth and chew on them
• More frequent crying and fussiness

With attention, comfort, and loving support, you can help your baby through this phase. Babies themselves do not yet understand where this strange feeling comes from or why they are in pain. You can offer your baby a teething ring that you have previously placed in the refrigerator for some time. This cools the sensitive gums, which feels pleasant for your baby.

With increased drooling, waterproof bibs can prevent the baby from constantly being wet in the neck and chest area and needing frequent changes. The emergence of the first teeth is also a new developmental step: despite all the associated efforts, you can welcome and celebrate the new tooth together.

During the day, the teething baby is often more clingy or difficult to soothe, and at night, they may cry more frequently. Sleepless nights additionally strain the nerves. It's normal to feel quickly exhausted and somewhat helpless during this phase; you cannot take away the discomfort from your child or speed up the teething process. Try to support and relieve each other as parents, to possibly sleep or relax a bit during the day. Perhaps there is an opportunity to get support from relatives or friends, for example, for household tasks or caring for siblings.

Not all children react the same: some have hardly any discomfort. Others are restless, have increased drooling, and suffer from restless nights with little sleep. Teething is a process that does not happen overnight but requires a lot of time and patience until the milk teeth are fully present. First come the incisors, and lastly, the molars push through. Especially with the large molars, teething can again be accompanied by restlessness, painful gums, or feelings of tension.

• Teething ring: The pressure created upon contact can somewhat alleviate the pain
• Cold: Place teething rings in the refrigerator and offer them
• If the baby is already eating solid food, cooled foods like fruit puree are pleasant
• Closeness, carrying, cuddling: this provides your child with comfort and security

Brushing your baby's teeth regularly is important. Ideally, you should start caring for them as soon as the first milk tooth becomes visible. Special, slightly softer baby toothbrushes are well-suited for this. Alternatively, you can use a special finger brush for dental care at the beginning. The baby's teeth should be brushed at least twice a day. Dentists recommend the following order when brushing: first the chewing surfaces, then the outer surfaces, and finally the inner surfaces of the teeth.

From the 18th month, your child is likely ready to gradually learn how to brush their teeth independently. However, they will need parental support for many years.

Children love to imitate adults! Gently introduce your child to the topic of tooth brushing. You can use your baby's natural desire to explore objects with their mouth. A song, a funny rhyme, or a story could help. Approach the topic of tooth brushing together with your child—playfully and without pressure. A sand timer is a good companion: it can help your child soon estimate how much time they should spend on brushing their teeth.

Weleda's children's tooth gels are a natural cavity prevention solution for milk teeth. They are available with or without fluoride and are specifically designed to maintain the health of milk teeth and harmonize the child's oral flora.

Weleda Children's Tooth Gel is our natural cavity prevention for milk teeth: It is specially designed for the care of milk teeth and the harmonization of the child's oral flora. Adjusted in taste and consistency to the child's perception, it makes daily dental care easier for children and parents. It contains no fluoride and is suitable for use in combination with fluoride tablets and vitamin D for brushing. The mild overall composition contains no substances that burden the body if the gel is swallowed. The plant extracts in the tooth gel and the proven silica cleaning agent remove dental plaque and reliably protect against cavities.

Often, the skin on the cheeks and chin is red and irritated due to increased drooling during teething. Calendula All Purpose Balm contains no water and helps restore the skin's natural barrier function. The 100% natural formula includes waxes, organic plant oils, organic cocoa butter, and extracts from organic calendula and organic millet.