Help! My baby is already teething!

I remember the day my baby girl Ines, four months old, started teething like it was yesterday. The mixed feelings of unconditional love and pain as I saw her shaking her head, drooling and yelling “Mamaaaaaa!!!!!”. She was irritable during the day and sleepless at night. I cuddled her as much as I could. As we all know, mummy cuddles have a real soothing effect. No panic. I called the GP and he gave me his diagnostic: “Your young baby is teething”!

He explained: “Your baby was born with twenty primary teeth below the gumline. Children usually have their full set of baby teeth in place by the age three. If you wonder whether there is a logic behind, well, yes, there is an order of appearance!

The first and second teeth are located in the middle at the bottom followed by tree and four exactly above the first two teeth”.

He also, he told me not to worry if my baby lost appetite, and recommended the following tips to soothe my baby:

• Get a teething ring which your baby can chew on. The best ones are the solid ones that you can place in the fridge as cold relieves the pain. Don’t place it it in the freezer, as this could hurt your baby’s gums.
• Rub your baby’s gum with Bongela or another teething cream (make sure this is sugar free) or simply rub with a clean finger
• You can also try a pacifier

May I suggest too… Get a Sophie the Giraffe! Babies love to chew its ears, nose and legs! Sophie is typically French, elegant and a must-have! 

A gentle gum massage can also be very effective. I used to place Ines in my pregnancy pillow, gently touching her face and hair and rubbing her gum right and left, right and left, and right and left. She used to smile back at me and she always asked for more. 

And so, this is how Ines at the age of two and half, got all her twenty teeth and at least ten times more cuddles than ordinarily.