For some children, teething can cause a host of problems while other children get through it without as much as a whimper.
Child experts seem to disagree about whether teething can cause other symptoms such as diarrhoea, irritability, or fever. Regardless, parents know their children and usually report these symptoms when the child is teething. Whether these symptoms are a coincidence or not, there are things you can to do alleviate discomfort of teething.
The usual symptoms of teething are:
- Drooling
- Fussiness
- Swollen sensitive gums
- Biting
- Refusal to eat
- Sleep disturbances
- Nappy rash
To ease the pain and discomfort of teething, provide your child with things he can chew on such as frozen teething toys, hard baby toast, or a cold teatowel. Make sure that whatever you give them is not small enough to be a choking hazard.
You can also use a number of over the counter remedies such as a topical pain relief gel or teething tablets. If your child needs additional help, you can administer small doses of children’s pain reliever that contains paracetamol or ibuprofen. (Never give your child aspirin. Aspirin is associated with Reye’s syndrome which can be a life threatening condition.)
