Teething Trauma! What No One Told Me About the First Year
Everyone has teeth. Well, except for those unfortunate souls who didn't have access to fluoride in their younger years or choose to play rough and tumble sports for their living. But, let's face it, other than brushing, flossing and the occasional visit to the dentist, do we really think of teeth be 
ing that big of a deal? I know I didn't. That is, until my baby turned 4 months old last year and we entered the terrible teething zone.
That's right. Over an 8 month period of time it was teething, teething and more teething. It's never ending! We've dealt with all the colds, a pretty bad stomach virus, separation anxiety, learning to self-feed, the first temper tantrums, and so on. I was warned about all that. What I wasn't warned about was teething. Now, 10 teeth and 4 molars later, I'm here to impart some of my knowledge of the process upon other new parents. I desperately hope that yours is one of those unaffected children who wake up suddenly one morning with a mouthful of teeth and you have no idea where they came from. But if yours turns out to be like mine, I hope you'll find my story and hints helpful.
According to my pediatrician, we are now well past the halfway point of primary tooth eruption. Babies have 20 primary teeth and usually they begin appearing anywhere between 6 and 12 months of age. Lucky for us, my baby's teeth began appearing around 4 months of age. About a week prior to that, he had just begun to sleep through the night (6 hours straight). So, naturally, that lovely learned skill took a back seat to teething.
That's right. Over an 8 month period of time it was teething, teething and more teething. It's never ending! We've dealt with all the colds, a pretty bad stomach virus, separation anxiety, learning to self-feed, the first temper tantrums, and so on. I was warned about all that. What I wasn't warned about was teething. Now, 10 teeth and 4 molars later, I'm here to impart some of my knowledge of the process upon other new parents. I desperately hope that yours is one of those unaffected children who wake up suddenly one morning with a mouthful of teeth and you have no idea where they came from. But if yours turns out to be like mine, I hope you'll find my story and hints helpful.
According to my pediatrician, we are now well past the halfway point of primary tooth eruption. Babies have 20 primary teeth and usually they begin appearing anywhere between 6 and 12 months of age. Lucky for us, my baby's teeth began appearing around 4 months of age. About a week prior to that, he had just begun to sleep through the night (6 hours straight). So, naturally, that lovely learned skill took a back seat to teething.
- Parenting
- Cutting teeth
- Teething Relief