Conference moira::parenting

Elise first molar came at about 14 months.  She's now 17 months, and all four
first molars are in, and two of the canines.  (It's been quite a haul, getting
all those teeth so fast).

    And then we have the other end of the spectrum with my 3 3/4 yr old,
    Ryan - he got the last of his 2 year molars at 3 yrs. 6 months!!
    

    What are the signs that a baby is starting to teeth and at what age
    does it normally begin?
    
    Sheila

    
    I noticed Michael starting to teeth by around 3 mos old. Just
    constantly gnawing on things, toys, binky, etc... He did this for 
    almost 3 mos. I thought those teeth would *never* come in! Just before
    they did, it got worse. He was constantly *vigorously* gnawing on
    things, and drooling alot. Also spiked a couple of small fevers. One
    of his favorite teething toys used to be "my chin". He would grab onto
    both sides of my face and bite down, and gnaw on my chin for as long as
    I would let him. Used to hurt! (even though the teeth weren't in yet)
    
    He finally cut the first one at 5 1/2 mos, and the second 2 weeks
    later. (no more chin!)
    
    You'll notice like I said alot of gnawing on things, fevers, and their
    gums start to get swollen a bit, and Michaels turned real white, due to
    the pressure underneath. Kind of bumpy too. (I was shocked they didn't 
    bleed when the tooth came through?). Michael used to also make this
    funny face, where he would puff up his cheeks and be like "humming"
    (actually, rubbing the gums together inside). It was funnny. Thats how
    I could always tell.  
    
    Michael teethed for "both" teeth seperatly. I figured after the first
    one came through, the next wouldn't hurt, but you could sure tell by
    the way he was acting that the next was on its way. 
    
    I think his top ones are on the way in soon. Been acting the same way 
    lately.  Already thinks he's "hot stuff" with the 2 he's got, biting
    the feeding spoon, nipples, cookies etc... its a challenge to feed him
    to get the spoon in and out without him stopping me!
    
    Good Luck with the teething, and hopefully it won't last for "months"
    like it did with us. Some people say their kids didn't even notice.
    
    Chris
    

    Chris:
    
    I think I'm in for a long... haul.  Tiffany is 3mos old and I believe
    she has started teething.  She rubs her gums with her fingers
    vigorously and has been very irritable.  She also had a slight
    temperature.
    
    Ready for the next phase!  Sheila

    
    Well, good luck. It wasn't actually TOO bad...it just seemed to last
    "forever". I guess I had visions of screeming all night, etc...but
    that didn't happen. Just seemd irratable at times...and constantly
    gumming on things.   Also, we used alot of Baby Oragel, and regular
    ole' brandy (fruit).  My pedi said the brandy had the same type of 
    alcohol that the Oragel has, but cheaper...  I still found the oragel
    worked better. Easiest to apply with a q-tip too. 
    
    I was amazed at how "vigorously" he used to rub.... it must of REALLY
    hurt. When it was my chin he was gnawing on, I swore it should of had
    bruises on it!
    
    Have fun!
    
    Chris
    

When my children were teething (and I really can't remember any problems :-) I
used my mother's remedy.  I tied an ice cube into a cloth handkerchief.  The
cold numbed their gums and they liked to suck on the few drops of water.

Cheap too!

ccb

    RE: 74.6
    
    Chris,
    
    Thanks for the suggestions. 
    
    Fruit Brandy...Huh!  I don't know about baby but Mom and Dad, maybe. 
    
    Sheila

    
    Sheila,
    
    Actually, the story the doctor told was something on that effect...
    
    He said the story goes: An elder pedi was giving a lecture one day to some
    pre-med students, and the question came up as what to tell patients
    about their teething children. The elder pedi said: "Tell the parent to 
    pour a shot of scotch into a shot glass. Then tell them to take a q-tip
    and rub a small amount on the babys gums"....Of course the next
    question was: "what do they do with the rest of the scotch??"
    To which the reply was : 
    	
    		"Tell them to drink it, they may be in for a long night!"
    
    
    Thats when the doctor told me to try fruit brandy (we used peach)...
    Tastes better than scotch...
    
    
    

    Is a lack of chewing another sympton of teething?  Alexandra won't
    even clamp down on her spoon even when eating something mushy like
    cereal.   
    
    She has all the other classic symptoms - white, swollen
    gums, chewing anything, bumps where teeth will be,
    rubbing nose and mouth, and evening crankiness but still 
    
    NO teeth are appearing at 9+ months.  i expect to see all of them
    at once.  

    
    Anna would not eat well at all just before a tooth would pop through.
    It definitely sounds like Alexandra is going to get quite a few teeth
    at once. Anna got one at 7 1/2 months, one at 8 1/2 months, one at 9
    1/2 months and then 3 within a week at 10 1/2 months. She just recently
    got number 7 just before her first birthday. When those 3 came all at
    once she really didn't eat that well at all. It was almost like she
    didn't want anything touching her gums at all, cause she didn't even
    like drinking from her bottle.
    
    Patty

    I've got another question concerning teething.  Once the tooth breaks
    through, how long until it's in?  Our 5 month old has just had his
    first tooth break through the gum, and I was just wondering how much
    longer it will take ...
    
    Thanks,
    
    Leslie

    
    My son just turned 7 mos yesterday, and cut his first at 5.5 mos, and
    I'd say its still only about 3/4 of the way "in".... He cut the second
    one 2 weeks later...  They are both the same height now though, but
    look like they still have a bit left to go to be fully "in".
    
    Chris
    

    My daughter is now 4 months old and has been teething for the last
    month and a half.  She has been sleeping through the night since she
    was 2 1/2 months old but for the past week has been getting up in the
    middle of the night again!  Can this be related to her teething?  She
    never wakes up screaming, just grunts and cries a little but definately
    wants to nurse.  There were some nights that she would wake up at
    3:00am and she wouldn't want to go to sleep.  She would smack her gums
    and drool endlessly!  Her sleeplessness is probably related to her
    teething but I am afraid that she is now getting in the habit of waking
    up in the middle of the night again.
    
    How long will she teeth before she gets any teeth?  I hope soon.
    
    Joyce

    
    Anyone notice their child not show an interest in their "cookies" or
    teething biscuits while they were teething? I think Michaels top teeth
    must be getting ready to come through. He's been a bit fussy, not
    sleeping well, not eating as per usual, and the latest, not wanting his
    teething biscuits.  I used to always give him one after his supper,
    while still in the high chair, and for 2-3 days now, he takes one suck
    on it and thats it! He used to devour the things! He seems to prefer his
    bottles right out of the frig this week too, not warmed up. And has
    taken a liking to popsicles.  
    
    Hopefully it doesn't take as long for these ones to come in as the last
    ones did. Could be a long 3 mos!
    
    Chris
      

    .14 Most definately, she is teething.  My pedi told me that they can
    teeth for a while before the first tooth pops through.  Rebecca got her
    first tooth at 5 months, and didn't get another one till 9 months.
    She now has 7 teeth at 13 months.  I think her molars are coming
    through now.  Have you given your baby teething rings?  Rebecca would
    always want to suck on a COLD face cloth, (still does sometimes).
    That might help!  Also, teething can cause ear infections too.
    Check for that maybe?
    
    Good Luck!
    
    Kim
    
    

    
    Patrick was teething for 3 months before his first tooth broke through.
    He's 15 months now, has 6 teeth with the canines about ready to break,
    and he's still teething. Oragel and occasionally Tylenol, when it's 
    exceptionally painful, have worked for us.
    
    CdH
    

    
    My pedi and my father-in-law (general practice) both told me not to use
    Oragel.  They say Oragel is a product to soothe the parents, not the
    infant.  
    
    

    
>    My pedi and my father-in-law (general practice) both told me not to use
>    Oragel.  They say Oragel is a product to soothe the parents, not the
>    infant.  
    
	Well, I would have a few choice words for them if they were trying
	to imply I was using some such product for my benefit as opposed
	to for the good of my daughter. 

	My daughter has started teething and on a couple of occassions when
	we tried to feed her she would cry cause of the pain, however, she 
	was hungry and couldn't decide what was worse the hunger or the pain 
	of trying to suck on her bottle. The solution was a little ambersol 
	for her gums, a minute later she inhaled an 8 oz bottle. We only use
	the ambersol when it bother her to take her bottle, which isn't 
	everytime.

	Try watching a hungry child cry cause it hurts to eat, and tell me
	it's for my benefit, I don't think so.

    There are however, much better products on the market than some of
    these commercial teething gels (which are filled with artificial color,
    sweeteners, and in some cases, alcohol).

    I was at the healthfood store this weekend and found some teething gel
    (and liquid non-aspirin) that does not contain fillers. I purchased the
    non-asprin but not the gel as I don't really use that stuff (it read
    almost as if it were Tom's of Maine material).

    	I have used some teething oil (cloves, peppermint, etc) but the
    best (And I mean best!) success that I have gotten is using Hyland's
    homeopathic teething tablets. They are always advertised in those
    Granola Mothering magazines and catalogs. I am no expert on homeopathic
    medicine but coincidence or not, when Spencer is having a tough time
    (he recently cut his third bottom tooth), I have used these tablets and
    he has found much comfort.


    			Wendy

    
    re:.19
    
    I think you misunderstood me.  I was saying these commerical teething
    gels do not do too much to relieve the pain for the children.  I was
    adviced to use Tylonal instead.  According to my pedi and FIL, these
    teething gel is the same stuff that dentists use to numb your gum
    before giving a shot on the gum.  So the effective period is only a few
    minutes.  I was concerned with the side effect of giving Tylonal to
    my 4-month-old too frequently.  But my FIL said as long as the baby
    does not have nutrition problem, Tylonal will not have any side effect.
    
    

    Re: effectiveness of teething gels/medications

    When my boy was going through this I experimented on myself first. I spread
    just a small amount of ambesol (sp?) on my gums. Wow!, really numbed out
    the whole space for 20-30 minutes. I would use it again in a second. I
    often wonder if "experts" that offer opinions have ever tried the
    stuff! 
    
    JR

    Yeah, my 4 1/2 month old just got his 2 bottom teeth....I
    think these people that say the 'gel' or numbing agents don't
    work have never tried them.
    
    Granted, they might not last a long time but it can quiet
    a screaming child for a few minutes and make them more able
    to tolerate the whole ordeal....try it...if anything, you've
    only wasted a few dollars...but chances are, your baby will be
    happier.
    
    Hubby gets canker sores all the time and he lives on the same
    kind of stuff....sometimes it is the only way he can eat when
    he has 6-10 at a time.....(he's now on antibiotics for them)
    
    
    Kristen

    re: .21

    Yes, I did misunderstand you, but from the context it wasn't hard to do. 
    However, the topical ointment works fast and provides only the relief 
    needed (i.e. the gums). I would still prefer the ambersol over her 
    ingesting tylenol, asprin or alcohol for that matter. If she doesn't need 
    to eat we can comfort her by holding, rocking or just walking around with 
    her.

    To each their own.
    
    

    
    We only use Ambersol at night.  We would try to comfort
    Ryan as much as we could during the day.   We would cool
    his teething ring in the refridgerator before giving it
    to him.  A cold wet face cloth works great too.
    
    My son had all four top teeth come through at the same
    time.  He was really a miserable little guy.  As I mention
    before we would use it at night and give him Tempura.  By
    the time the Tempura was beginning to work the Ambersol 
    would be wearing off.   This way he could at least get 
    to sleep.  I think it bothered him most at night.  During
    the day he had his toys and food to keep him busy.  But
    to lay in the dark in pain was really difficult.
    
    Now he is has two more teeth coming through on the bottom.
    This isn't bothering him at all.  In fact I didn't even
    know he was teething.  Perhaps after the pain he went 
    through last time, this is a breeze.
    
    I have read that an adult could not endure the pain that
    infants go through when teething.
    
    Jeanne
    
      

    The gel never appeared to have any effect on Kat when she was a
    toddler.  But then she had an exceptionally hard time with every
    tooth she got -- her temperature would go up to fever level
    sometimes. 
    
    --bonnie

    I too take exception to the statement made about the Oragel.  I grew up
    with the stuff.  I remember all too vividly the pain in the middle of
    the night when I had either lost a filling, or just plain needed a
    cavity taken care of-now!  It's the stuff a good night's sleep is made
    of.  Ambesol, I believe not only numbs, but may have an antibiotic
    quality to it as well.   FWIW, either of these will work as a topical
    anestetic on things like itchy bug bites, or the hurt associated with
    bee stings.  I've used these this way too.
    
    Someone mentioned cancers, my dentist recommended a half and half
    solution of glycerine mixed with peroxide.  It can be bought in the
    drugstores under the name of "gly-oxide" but is a little costly as most
    pre-made medicines are.  It helps the canker to heal quickly, in my
    case almost overnight.  (another thing I 'grew up" with!)
    
    FWIW, I have rushed several small children to the hospital after they
    ingested ambesol.  What I have learned, thanks to the ER staff and the
    poison control folks, is that it does contain alcohol (but for that
    matter so does most commercial mouthwash) but outside of drinking lots
    of water to dilute the stuff, it really won't hurt a child.
    
    Lyn

    
    Lyn,

    Do you know if the same is true for baby ambersol ? I don't use the
    regular, I use the one thats specificlly for babies.

    I don't understand your question fully.  Is what the same for baby
    ambersol?
    
    /L
    
    

    
    Okay, I need some advice from the seasoned Parenting Noters out there.
    Hope you can help. I'm not sure if I should put this note under
    "teething", "spitting up", or "sleep problems".....  Oh well, here
    goes.
    
    Michael is cutting his top teeth the last couple of weeks, its actually
    been MONTHS since he started, but I can see them now trying to break
    through the last couple of days, especially yesterday. It looks as if he 
    may get 2-3 at once! His gums looks AWFULLY sore. (didn't help either
    that at daycare he "tipped over" while sitting on the kitchen floor 
    FACE first and got his first fat lip :-(  )
      
    Then on top of this the last couple of days he's been "spitting" up ALOT.
    I mean,this is actually more like a vomit almost, kind of projectile,doesn't
    seem to even start to get digested before everything comes up. Its to
    the point that I was starting to worry about dehydration, but he'll
    still drink as much as I'll give him, so he's not refusing it? 
    
    And he was also up for 3 straight hours last night, and the only thing
    that would quiet him was a bottle (which I have been trying not to do 
    vis the Ferber Method), and then he preferred the juice to the formula.
    He'd fall asleep in my arms, but as soon as I would put him down in his
    crib, he'd start screeming again...  He hasn't been sleep right for
    about 4 days now.  
    
    I guess what I'm wondering is if I should chalk this up to a bad case
    of teething, or is he really sick???  He doesn't seem to have a temp.
    No Diarehhia (sp?) Is this spitting up just a side effect from 
    the teething....?
    
    Its so hard for me to tell. This is when being a "working mom" really
    gets to me....I feel I should KNOW whats wrong with him and be able to
    help him, but I don't get to spend enough time with him having to work
    and all, and have to rely on the reports from daycare, then try to
    figure him out from there. As much as the babysitter can TELL me 
    how he's ben, its just not the same as being there. Its so frustrating, 
    I feel so helpless.
    
    And I just had to recently take time off for my mother-in-laws funeral 
    etc, and don't really want/can't take any more time off...  I feel 
    so, so, so, so,.....ARG!!!!!!!!!!!   
    
    Any advice would be helppful....I think I will call him pedi this
    morning also...  Oh, and he is 8 mos old.
    
    Chris
    
    

    Waking up as soon as you lay him down could be an ear infection
    brewing. My son is 10 months and though he does not spike a temp, we've
    been able to determine ear infections because he bats at the ear, and
    screeches when we lay him down.  Teething for some babies is a fertile
    breeding ground for ear infections.
    
    FWIW, a friend commented that the only time her son would spit up was
    when he was teething. Perhaps the increased mucus in their system?
    
    

Please don't feel you have to know or understand everything about your child.
It just can't be done.  Having him in daycare can make you feel that you're
missing something, but in my experience, you aren't.  (At least when it comes
to symptoms, weird problems, etc, feeling that you're missing out as a
Mommy is another issue entirely).

When Elise cut her first tooth, she woke screaming several times a night for
3-4 days. We would Oragel her gum and give her Tylenol for the pain. 
Before that she was irritable on and off for a couple months.
She drooled a *lot*.  She occasionally spit up.  We found that it bothered her
more at night; during the day, at daycare, she had important baby stuff to do.

My gut feeling is that teething is causing your son's problems, but I would
call the pediatrician about the spitting up.  There may be some other problem
and at the minimum, s/he can reassure you there's nothing wrong.

    
    Re: .30
    
    I also forgot to add that he started a MASSSIVELY runny nose last
    Thursday, that I think may be associated with the teething, being as he 
    got a runny nose last time when he cut his bottom teeth...
    
    Still confused, waiting to hear from the dr's office...
    
    Chris
    

    
    It definitely all sounds related to teething. Anna (13 months) is
    presently working on her 1-year molars. Who knows when they are going
    to come, but she's working on them. In the past 6 weeks she has had a
    runny nose but no ear infection, an ear infection with no runny nose,
    a few nights of the fall asleep on Mom and then scream when put down,
    putting fingers in back of mouth and chewing, drooling incessently,
    etc. Since this is my first I have nothing to compare with, but my
    babysitter said her kids were the same way. She had all these symptoms
    with her first 8 teeth, just not as bad or as long. It got to the point
    that she would go through the teething ritual and we would say "tooth
    coming in 2 weeks" and we were almost always right. 
    
    Hang on and give your son all the cuddling he needs. Teething is tough
    on everyone in the family.
    
    Patty

    
    Sounds like teething to me too.  Iain is 10 months old and so far has
    5 teeth with 3 more "on the way".  When he is teething he will throw up
    usually in the evening (and usually all over me!) he drools and has a
    runny nose. The runny nose is usually clear not the yellowish-green
    stuff you get with a cold.  Sometimes he will even spike a temperature
    (like Sunday night) but it is all teething.  At first, I took him to
    the Doc because even though I felt it was probably teething, I didn't
    want to overlook something that might really be wrong.
    
    He has only had one mild ear infection so far.  Gradually we learned
    to tell the difference between teething behavior and ear infection 
    behavior. We have been to the Doc numerous times just to have Iain's
    ears looked at.  In the UK we don't have to pay for every visit to the 
    GP.  We give him paracetamol when it is really bad but try not to over 
    do it.  As someone else said, it is worse at night when he is tired. 
    During the day there is important baby stuff (love that) to do at the 
    creche.
    
    Teething is tough.  I'm glad I don't remember it!  The best medicine I
    think is love and lots of cuddles.
    
    LaDonna
    
                                                             

    
    Thanks for all the replies... I needed it!
    
    I called the dr's office and spoke with the nurse, and she said it does
    sound like teething also, but the fact that the runny nose was
    green/yellow this weekend made her want to get him checked to make sure
    it wasn't a sinus infection, and also to check his ears. (he's never
    had an ear infection yet.but you never know...)
    
    So...its off to the dr's for us at 4:15...  We shall see.
    
    Chris
    

    Chris, not to start a panic here, but did the vomiting coinside  with
    the face first fall?  The back of my brain here is shouting to me to
    rule out there *could* be some head injury.  Vomiting *can* be a
    symptom of head injury.  However everything else seems to point to
    everything *but* a head injury.  
    
    Colored mucous from the nose is probably a sure sign of an ear or sinus
    infection.  But at least run the injury past the pedi just to be sure. 
    You're probably dealing with a week or so of anitbiotics, probably
    picked something up with all the "kissy-huggies" at the funeral. 
    You'll probably come down with something soon yourself, either from the
    stress or from your "charmin child!".  What's it been about 7 to 10 days
    from the gathering of the relatives to the symptoms?  Sounds about
    right to me.
    
    Fortunately after going through H*LL with AJ's first tooth, all the
    others came in without ever being noticed.  Maybe this will be your
    case in the future too.
    
    At least let me send my good wishes your way, seems like you could use
    that right about now, you've dealing with an awful lot right now.
    
    Lyn

    Kat used to very reliably get an ear infection as a result of
    cutting a tooth.  First she'd seem like she had a cold, then her
    temp would go up and she'd throw up, and then the earache, and
    then after a few days on the antibiotic the tooth would erupt. 
    
    She was worst around 2-4 when the molars were coming in.  
    
    --bonnie

    
    Re: .37   Thanks for the well wishes, I needed them!
              No, the vomiting had started before his little "face first"
    	      into the kitchen floor.
    
    Well, I took Michael to the dr's yesterday, and the doctor covering
    (my least favorite), said that his nose and ears were clear. 
    That possibly the spitting/vomiting was a stomach virus, that she had
    seen quite a few of them this week.  ?????  I got more information
    about his teething from you people!  She said nothing about extra
    spitting when teething, etc... She told me to keep up the Tylenol,
    and that Yes, his gums were QUITE swollen.
    
    Anyways, the update on him: He seemed much better yesterday. He was
    still spitting, but not as much, he was in a good mood, and didn't seem
    to be "hurting" like the afternoon before. He kept his dinner down fine
    and popsicle. He was actually smiling for awhile! I thought all was
    well and that we might actually sleep thru, until 11:30pm. (he and I
    had gone down at 8:30-9:00)
    
    I think part of the not sleeping all week may not be TOTALLY teething
    after all. As I said, he seemed great all night, had tylenol, etc..so
    he shouldn't of been getting up in the middle of the night...so I think
    this may be becoming a habit now.  One that, if he's not in pain, I
    don't want to continue!  I gave him some more tylenol, and a sip of
    juice to wash it down, and then just tried rocking him, letting him
    cry, etc...until finally after 2 hours, in desperation of sleep, and
    the fact that I had lost 3.5 hrs the night before, I broke down and
    gave him some formula. But he only drank about 2-3 ounces, and was back
    asleep in my arms. So this proves to me he wasn't HUNGRY. So I take him
    back to his crib, and as soon as I go to put him down, he starts again.
    
    So....I think my panic the other night might of been a few things
    combined. 1) Teething 2) stomach virus & 3) a stubborn baby. 
    
    If he's in pain, I can understand it all, but I've heard that at 8 mos
    (today!) they start to form habits, and this up-all-night sleep habit
    is not one we can live with.  Think we're going to have to work on it.
    
    Thanks for the replies, I needed it! Theres so many things to figure
    out being a new mom, its nice to have this on-line support group!
    (wish you were all there at 1am to talk to!!)
    
    Chris
    

    	I just came from the Doctors and Spencer has a continued ear
    infection as a result of teething. Seems his gums are so swollen (five
    of his top teeth are all coming in at once) that they are
    pushing/trapping fluid in his ears causing the infections.

    	I mentioned to the nurse that lately we seem to be giving Spencer a
    heck of a lot of Tylenol, even the babysitter was reluctant to give him
    some yesterday because she said that it seems like that's all she does.
    The nurse practitioner suggested that I use Benedryl elixir three times
    a day instead. She said that it helps to reduce the swelling of the
    gums and that the results are remarkable and that if I used the
    Benedryl, I wouldn't even need the Tylenol.

    	Does anyone have experience with this? Last night, Spencer was so
    uncomfortable that he ended up being awake for most of the night (as
    were Marc and I), I'm not too keen on Benedryl because I get the
    impression that some people use it to "shut their babies up" but if it
    works and if it will make Spencer more comfortable, I'm willing to give
    it a try.

    				Wendy

    When Russell was about 8 months old, he wound up with the dreaded
    penicillan rash.  He had been given amoxicillan for an ear infection. 
    Anyway, the Dr suggested a small (1/4 tsp?) of Benedryl if the rash
    seemed to bother him.  We broke down at about 7:00 pm and gave him
    some, thinking it would help him sleep.
    
    In our case, this was a bad move.  Russell became very agitated.  He
    wanted to be held constantly, and would only sleep while laying down on
    top of mom or dad.  He also twitched in his sleep, which would wake him
    up, and start crying all over again.  This went on until about 1-2 in
    the morning.
    
    Now, I can't say for sure that the Benedryl caused this, but he was
    fine all day before. It could be that Russell just can't tolerate the
    stuff.  My suggestion would be to try a small amount during the day and
    watch for any reactions.
    
    marianne

    I wouldn't have survived David's teething, or Kat's either for
    that matter, without Benadryl.  It can be a godsend for difficult
    teethers.  
    
    Benadryl will cause agitation and sleeplessness in some kids, so
    keep an eye on Spencer if you give it to him.  And make sure not
    to give more than the pediatrician recommends; the bigger the
    dose, the more likely it will cause irritability. 
    
    --bonnie

    Hi Wendy,
    
    The last time Jessica was sick my doctor prescribed medicine for her
    cough and cold that contained codeine which the doctor said would help
    her sleep.  I told the doctor that I was concerned about the medicine.
    He told me that he understands my concern but that as long as I was
    giving the baby the medicine to help her sleep, not so that I could get
    rest, it was ok.  His comment to me was that if I was sick and could
    not sleep (which makes you feel sicker) I would not hesitate to take
    something for relief.  Why not give relief to your baby, why make her
    suffer.   
    
    Don't feel bad about giving Spenser medicine that makes him sleep. I'm
    sure the sleep will do him good.  I think that most parents are
    responsible when it comes to giving their children medicine for the
    child's good not the parents.
    
    Angie

     re: .42, I'd be willing to bet it was the Benadryl.  Benadryl is a mild
antihistamine (hence the suggestion of using it for an allergic reaction). 
One side effect of most antihistamines (Seldane being a notable exception)
is that they affect certain parts of the brain resulting in drowsiness. 
However, with some people, they depress some of the "control" mechanisms in
the brain.  With our daughter (who has ADHD, indicating that her "control"
mechanisms don't work quite right) a dose of dimetapp (an antihistaminic cough 
syrup) caused her to go ballistic.  She was, literally, standing up in her bed.
     re: .41 Bonnie, you were a bit lucky with Kat, for a slightly different
reason.  A lot of Benadryl elixirs have food dyes in them.
     For .40 I'd give it a try.  But if your child shows signs of
restlessness or agitation, discontinue it.  Or at least weigh it against the
alternatives; restless, agitated sleep may be better than no sleep at all. 
Benadryl, used to induce drowsiness, does not have any long term effects, nor
does it induce dependence that I know of.  Many people have been on 
antihistamines for years, with no bad effects other than the drowsiness (which 
may, as here actually be desirable).  If you're worried about excessive 
medication, theamount of benadryl necessary to provide relief may very well be 
less than theamount of other medication, such as acetominophen (Tylenol), that 
is necessary to provide relief.

Clay

    re: .44
    
    We never had any trouble with the Benadryl, but we discovered
    that little bit about the food dyes in medication through our
    experiences with Dimetane/Dimetapp back when they were
    prescription drugs.  We had just moved to NH changed doctors, and
    the new doctor prescribed the generic version rather than the
    brand name we'd always had before.  
    
    After two doses, Kat was totally nonlinear, and it took two days
    to clear up. 
    
    The next time she got an ear infection, we asked the doctor to
    prescribe brand name.  We said we'd pay for it ourselves, rather
    than the insurance, but the doctor and the pharmacist both
    insisted, "There is no difference in the two medicines." 
    Fortunately the drug companies were both more familiar with the
    issue and were able to confirm that the generic brand did contain
    both a yellow food dye and a preservative that the brand-name
    brand didn't. 
    
    --bonnie

My daughter had an awful time teething (and had 16 teeth at 13 months).  She
had a few ear infections, but mostly a lot of discomfort and sleepless
nights.  We were giving her a lot of tylenol and felt guilty about it.  Our
pediatrician told us to use it as we needed and not to worry.  After weeks of
not sleeping, we were at the end of our patience.  Our pediatrician suggested
that we use Triaminic to shrink the swelling.  I'll admit we thought he was
nuts but it worked!  You might try the Triaminic (or ask your pedi about using 
it) instead.

Good Luck!

    	Coincidence or not;

    		 We tried the Benedryl last night and Spencer slept through
    the entire night (with only one very minor crying spell).

    	Don't know if it was the Benedryl.
    	Don't know if it was the new antibiotics for the ear infection.
    	Don't know if he was just exhausted from the night before.

    	Don't care.

    		Looks like we'll be using it again for the next time (most
    probably tonight)

    	Thanks for the feedback on your experiences. Physiologically it
    makes sense to use an antihistamine, I had just never heard of it being
    used for teething. (Of course now, if we continue to have such stellar
    results, I'll be sure to pass the word on)

    			Wendy

    I take a benedryl before I go to bed at night to help me sleep and to
    help in the morning when the old allergies can really make you feel
    lousy.  It also helps me to get past my husband's snoring.
    
    I find I sleep better with the benedryl.  A friend suggested it - she
    asked her doctor and he felt there would be no problems (ie habit-
    forming drugs etc).
    
    -sandy
    

	A few months ago I noticed a small chip in Megan's top front tooth.
	Goodness knows when it happened (or maybe it has always been like
	this and I just never noticed)!

	I never really worried much about it until a friend of mine's daughter
	chipped her tooth and she freaked out!  So of course now I'm thinking
	"Gee.  Maybe this is something I should have worried about!"

	There isn't or doesn't seem to be any other damage except for the 
	very small chip at the corner.  Most people don't even see it unless
	I point it out.  

	I remember a discussion back in V3 about having childrens teeth
	sealed (bonded?).  My question is this:  Megan is 17 months old,
	so has a while before her permenant teeth come in.  Should do
	something about this chip?  Or is it no big deal?  I can't see
	her sitting still for a dentist at this age!


	Wendy

    RE:  .49
    
    If you have a good relationship with a dentist, why don't you call the
    dentist and ask?
    
    My hunch is that if the chip is small, you don't need to do anything. 
    My brother had a chip in an adult tooth, but the tooth never turned
    dark or hurt him.  Many years later he fixed it for cosmetic purposes.
    
    Again, if you have a good relationship with your dentist, the dentist
    will probably not charge you just to look at the tooth and give you an
    opinion.
    
    L
    

I have a small chip in two different adult teeth.  The dentist I had
when the chip happened said not to worry about it, so does the dentist
that I have today.  But I would second calling the dentist & asking.

Leslie

As someone who had VERY bad teeth as a child, I'd at least have the dentist look
at it.  When I have chipped teeth, the dentist often wanted to smooth the edges 
so nothing could catch on them and plaque had a harder time to stick.  Some
dentists specialise in small children.

I wouldn't "freak out" but I'd at least make sure there is nothing that is
going to foster cavities.

ccb

    Jake is now 8 months and has 3 teeth, one top and two bottom front.	
    So far he has suffered all the normal problems associated with
    teething, in particular biting everything, including me.
    He is such a lovable little boy, very affectionate and likes to cuddle
    and kiss me a lot - which I love.  The only trouble is that the kisses
    turn into bites, and they hurt.  Has anyone else experienced this - can
    it also be put down to teething?
    
    Maggie

    Iain will be a year old 4 August.  He has 8 teeth, 4 top and bottom and
    he is *very* good with them.  He has the same biting behavior that Jake 
    shows.  Ever since Iain got teeth top and bottom he has been trying
    them out on everything and everybody. (I must have said "don't bite"
    and "not in your mouth" a zillion times!)  
    
    Mostly he bites me, usually on the shoulder when we are cuddling.  His 
    kisses also turn into bites on the cheek and I am constantly reminding 
    him "don't bite" while he is kissing. After about 4 months of this, I 
    think he understands what it means because he often stops biting when 
    reminded.  Iain usually does the biting thing when he gets excited when
    we are playing or when he gets picked up at the creche.  
    
    When he bites me and hurts me I move him away from me, put on a *very* 
    unhappy face and say something like "OW! Don't Bite, Iain. It hurts Mummy."
    and continue looking unhappy.  He gets the message because he starts to
    cry.  I let him cry for half a minute or so before I forgive him and we
    cuddle again.  I also once told him, "It is socially unacceptable for
    people to bite people. It would be different if you were a puppy but
    you aren't."  I don't think this had much effect.
    
    I think this is normal.  Those new teeth must itch like crazy and the
    urge to try them out must be very hard to resist.  I try to offer an 
    alternative object to bite (like a teething toy) instead of me!
    
    LaDonna
    
    

    
    Has anyone had the problem of their children "grinding" their new
    teeth????  And what can you do about it, if anything???
    
    My son Michael, 9 mos, just cut his 4 top teeth in a span of about
    1 month. And since the last one came in (front tooth), he has started
    this new habit of "grinding" them together.   ARG!!!  We all just about
    cringe everytime he does it, have tried to tell him no, but nothing
    works. I also try to just ignore it, but its hard when I have chills
    running up my spine from the awful grinding.
    
    Anyone else have this problem? 
    
    Chris
    

yes, Elise ground her new teeth.  The best thing to do is ignore it or give him
something else to chew on;  if you react it will become a game.

It only lasted a couple weeks...

Pat

    Chris did the same thing with grinding his teeth, but as Pat said, we
    ignored it and he stopped in a couple of weeks. For awhile, we would
    tell him not to, but gave up.
    
    About teething and biting, Chris would bite the kids in daycare.
    But it only seemed to happen when he was teething. Instead of
    trying to make him stop, we continued to remind him not to bite,
    when we could tell he was going to, but we also sent a teething
    ring in with him, and told the teachers to give it to him if
    he was in a biting mood.
    
    He got over the biting once the teething stopped, and the teething
    ring did help. Now he is getting bit by one of the other kids and
    gets to see the other end of it. He doesn't like it, but we figure
    they all go through this stage and there is nothing you can really
    do except wait for it to pass.
    
    -Sheila
    

    Iain ground his teeth too when he got some on top and bottom.  He
    didn't do it a lot.  We ignored it and the novelty wore off after a
    couple of weeks or so.
    
    LaDonna

    Charlotte will be 11 weeks tomorrow - approx 2.5 months. 
    I swear yesterday she exbited many of the signs (according to the 
    "what to expect in the first year" book) of teething!
    I didn't put together all this unusual behaviour until the 
    evening, when we looked it up in the book.
    She was VERY cranky, wouldn't nap (only on my lap with the pacifier
    in her mouth), when on her tummy would turn her head from side to side
    endlessly, chewed on her hand, pulled at her ear and hair, pushed her
    tongue out a lot, and drooled (which she doesn't really do that often).
    
    Unfortunately, a lot of the suggestions for relief are intended for
    older babies who have already begun a more varied diet than breastmilk
    and formula. So far she doesn't seem TOO upset (actually slept last
    night like usual), but I wonder what I can do for her if she DOES
    feel worse. Ideas?
    
    Monica
    (I myself was teething at 3 mo. so its not a BIG surprise)

Well, Monica, I don't want to alarm you, but it can be mighty difficult to tell
the difference between teething and an ear infection.  So, if she's teething
early, it may not be teething.  Just keep that in mind.

A few things that can help a very young child - a cold, wet washcloth to
chew on, a small cold, fluid-filled chewie to chew on - note that you will have
to hold them for her, most likely.  Since it'll be her front teeth that bother
her, they don't have to be very far into her mouth.

Another thing - when they start teething this young, it doesn't mean the teeth
are coming soon.  It may just mean it's going to happen slowly.  Elise was
one of these; she started teething just after the colic stopped, but the first
tooth didn't cut through until 7 months.  (Aren't I depressing today?)

Pat

    I agree - it's SO hard to tell the difference between ear infections
    and teething sometimes.  Zach must have been teething from a month old
    on - his first tooth popped through at the end of his third month.
    He was incredibly fussy from the time he was born until he cut his
    first tooth.  Then he became a totally different (continuously
    pleasant) child.  It's still difficult for me to tell whether it's his 
    ears or his teeth that are bothering him, because he DOESN'T get a fever 
    when he's got an ear infection.  Nicole used to get a fever, so it was 
    always easy to tell whether she was teething or had an ear infection.
    
    Zach's currently cutting four more teeth..... ewwww - poor kid !
    
    -Joy
    

    Thanks for the good advice. I suspected that perhaps the teething
    may be just a movement of the teeth towards the gum and that things
    may not happen that quickly - but my mom points out that I got my
    first teeth at 3 mo. and that Charlotte up to now seems to be a 
    Monica-Clone. 
    I will definitely keep an eye out for the ear infection idea - is there
    something that will help me tell the difference between the two?
    
    And here she was finally getting over the colic.... *sigh*
    
    Monica

About the only thing I was ever able to notice was that an ear infection can
cause a true fever.  When it was ears, Elise could hit 102 degrees F.  But this
is by no means the rule.  Not all ear infections included fever, and not all
fevers are ear infections.

The "fever" that comes from teething rarely gets that high.  A teething baby may
hit 100 degrees F, but most doctors don't call that a fever, since it's easy
to raise your body temperature this much thru eating and exercise.

A fever isn't a great way to tell, as you don't want to wait until the infection
makes the baby that sick, if you can help it.  But sometimes you have to be
a mind reader to decide what's wrong.

The only other thing I did that sometimes helped tell the difference was using
a local anesthetic on her gums (Oragel, for example). If the pain was close
enough to the surface so the Oragel could work, she could get some relief.  If
not, it didn't work, and I *still* didn't know if it was teeth or ears.


BTW, Elise was colicky too.  I'll take ears and teeth over colic anyday....


Pat

    Well, Charlotte was sweating heavily yesterday evening, so we took her
    temperature, but it read normal. She seems cool to the touch but her
    hair is damp with sweat (especially if she is lying in our laps) I've
    got a call into the doctor's office (expecting a return call
    momentarily) but I still suspect teeth - she used to push her tongue
    out of her mouth as a new born (sort of a suckle reflex I guess) but 
    stopped doing this for sometime. Last Thursday when all of these other
    symptoms began, she started pushing her tongue out of her mouth again,
    as if to be rubbing her lower gums with it.
    
    
    Monica

    
    Monica.....Micheal used to sweat as your saying too when he was about
    her age. I never figured out what it was. I knew he wasn't over dressed
    or overly covered with blankets, and his head was cool to the touch,
    but his hair would get damp with sweat. Especially at the back of the 
    neck...  ?????   Can't offer any help...except to say "youre not alone"
    
    Chris
    
    

    
    
    	Spencer fell this weekend and ended up pushing one of his front
    teeth back into his gum (poor kid). We are taking him to a dentist
    today to get it checked out.
    
    	My question is how is the dental insurance worked out? Is he just
    added as a dependent under my name (I never notified the dental
    insurance people when he was born, I figured I had lots of time for
    that later :-(.)
    
    	Anyone have experience taking a really small one (10 months) to a
    dentist before?
    	
    			Wendy

Yup ... and for the same reason you are, Wendy  (fall loosened Juli's
front teeth).

Juli was "just walking" at the time (10 month'ish).  We, too, didn't
figure in the open enrollment period properly (probably believing we'd
never need dental insurance until 2-3 years of age -- first cleaning!).

Our dentist was EXCELLENT!  He saw Juli on a Sunday afternoon and DIDN'T
CHARGE US!  He gave me lots of information (things to look for - e.g.
infections, teeth reseeding, etc.).

Everything worked out just fine!!  Juli's teeth reseeded and did not
darken any.

We got her dental insurance on the next open enrollment and she's already
had her first cleaning -- and she did EXCELLENT then, too.

Good luck.

Dottie

    After some checking into, we got bit as well (no pun intended under the
    teething note).

    As it turns out, you have 31 days after the birth of your child to put
    him on your dental insurance plan (assuming you have the Digital John
    Hancock plan) as a dependent. If you do not do this by day 31 then you
    can only add the child as a dependent during the open enrollment time (I
    think that's in January). We let this one slip right through the cracks
    but you can be darn sure the next one will be signed up within a week
    of it's birth.

    As for Spencer, the tooth is pushed back but the dentist said that he
    was lucky for two reasons, one is his age, the bones are still
    relatively soft and there is *probably* no damage. He said that in
    another 6 months that might not have been the case. We still have to be
    on the lookout for tooth decay or gum inflammation.

    The other reason we are lucky is that his tooth got pushed in the same
    direction that it came in. It didn't change angle or is interfering
    with his bite.

    We did not get charged for the visit. (actually, yet one more reason we
    are lucky)

    				Wendy

    
    
    Since your child fell you might want to ask the doctors office to
    submit a claim to your health insurance carrier. A fall is considered
    an "accident" by most health insurance agencies and they will cover the
    dental work (usually 100%). I did this for my daughter when she chipped
    a tooth in grocery store.....(she was 2 at the time)
    
    
    jim s.

    I think another thing to consider is the cost of insuring a child
    verses the cost of any unexpected dental work.
    
    We plan on adding Gina during the next open enrollment.  That means for
    2 years, 7+ months, she was uninsured.  That means we would save 134
    weeks of paying for the dental plan per week.  How much is the dental
    plan per week?  If it's $5/week, then that would amount to $670.   I
    can't imagine needing that much dental work for her.
    
    We felt we could take the risk and use money from savings if we needed
    to.
    
    judy

    In talking to others about this, I think that we've decided not to add
    Spencer to our dental insurance until he is ready for his first
    checkup. *If* the child has an accident (like Spencer did) then (as a
    previous noter pointed out) it is considered medical and the medical
    insurance picks up the tab (and the kids are already covered under
    that).

    The only teeth problems I know of in children so young have all been
    related to accidents. It's definitely a gamble either way.

    			Wendy

The discussion on adding children to the dental coverage got me thinking,
so I just called Personnel and asked.  If you already have family coverage
on your dental, then when you added your children to the family coverage
for medical they were also added to dental so there is no additional charge
for them.  If, however, you do not have family coverage on dental, then 
you must add them and there will be a charge to upgrade from single coverage
to family coverage.  In my case, I have always covered my husband under both
medical and dental, so when I had the babies, I just added their names to
be covered, but there was no change in cost to either plan.

It should make no difference if you use John Hancock or an HMO for the 
medical coverage as the dental is covered separately.

Cathy

    Charlotte's still exhibiting all the signs of teething - more and more
    fist in the mouth and she's started chewing on her tongue (first time
    she did this I thought she'd put something in her mouth!).
    The most obvious sympton now is a lot of congestion. First I thought
    it might be a cold, but was assured by someone that her daughter had
    the same problem during the teething.
    Her breathing is noisy, her nose is running, especially after sleeping,
    and she's coughing and sneezing more. 
    Have others noticed this during their child's teething?
    She's now 3.5 months.
    
    Monica

    
    Keep an eye out for ear infections.
    
    Chris
    

    Monica,
    
    Neel who is just a couple of weeks younger than Charlotte is drooling a
    lot these days and chewing on his fists, attempting to get the entire
    fist into his mouth (it is a funny site). He has had 3 minor colds
    courtesy of "big sister" Avanti, but nothing lately (touch wood:-)). He
    also tries to chew on his tongue - he can really twist that tongue in
    his mouth. I am comtemplating giving him a teething ring to ease the
    pressure on his gums.
    
    Shaila

    ...the mind is the first to go....I spelt "sight" as "site" - must be a
    long week at work:-)

    
    I never noticed any coughing while Michael was teething, but the runny
    nose was a sure give-a-way..along with the fists/hands in the mouth.
    
    I have a question for everyone, WHEN DO THEY STOP DROOLING??? ;-)
    Michael is 10 mos now and I still have to keep bibs on him just about
    all the time. He's got 6 teeth, and haven't seen any more coming... ???
    If I leave the bibs off (which I like to do occasionally so he doesn't
    think its attached to him) he's drenched in an hour. Is this a "some
    babies drool more than others" thing????  
    
    Chris
    
    

    
    Iain had trouble with coughing and some congestion when he was
    teething.  He also seemed to sneeze a lot when he was a wee baby but
    not so much in the last 3 months or so (he's almost 13 mos). We've had
    a respite from teething for a month or so but he started up again last 
    week.  He was pulling his ears a lot and we even took him into the
    Doc's to have a look at them.  He's started drooling a bit again but
    not so bad as before.  I think he gave up being a real drool machine
    between 8 and 10 months.  This has got to be an individual thing.
    
    We found that giving Iain infant cough mixture helped his cough and
    dried him out so that his nose stopped running and he could breathe
    better at night.
    
    LaDonna

    Thanks for the hint, LaDonna - I may have to do this for her
    morning nap (lately she wakes up at 6 and after the feeding sleeps
    again until about 9:30 - but its been getting less and less, because
    she becomes incredibly congested at that time).
    I DO see some activity under the gums - real soon now, I think!
    Charlotte is just beginning the drooly baby thing - I am getting
    really used to having spit-epaulettes when I carry her around!
    
    Monica

    My son is 14 months old and he's been drooling buckets since he was
    3 months old.  He got his first 2 teeth at 5 months and has 12  of
    them now.  Looks like all 4 of the molars will come out any day.
    He has a constant drool line from his mouth ;)  I own about 40 bibs
    and they are not quite enough!  
    
    Eunhwa

    
    
    Has anyone had a child that has had their Canine teeth come
    in before their molars?    My son just turned 12 months last
    week and he is cutting his Canines.  The pedi told us that this
    was the first time they had seen this.
    
    Jeanne
    
    

    
    Michelle's canines came in before her molars.  Both the canines and the 
    molars came in just before she turned one.
    
    I recall thinking it strange when I saw a neighbor child around the
    same age who grew molars before the canines. For months she had a
    gap where her canines should have been.  I thought it was strange that
    her teeth grew in "out of order".  It never occurred to me that my
    daughter was the unusual one.
    
    When are the canines "supposed to" come in?

    
    The pedi told us after the molars.  Even my daycare provider
    thought it was unusual.
    
    It makes sense to me that they grow in that way ;-).
    
    Jeanne
    

My son's canines popped through first, but the molars were just behind
(about a week or two) them.  This was all in his 14th month. I don't think
there is a "normal" order for this!

-Cori

	Has anyone noticed an increase in sleep (and slight decrease
	in appetite) related to teething ?

	Emily, 4.5 months, has been a drooling machine since she was
	2 months old.  In the last week, she has begun sleeping in 
	marathon sessions (14 hours last Thursday night), and has
	decreased her feedings by about an ounce per feeding.

	She's also got a bit of a runny nose, and bit more difficulty 
	breathing.  I'd suspect a cold, but she had one at 12 weeks and
	there was no change in her appetite/sleep, and her nose was congested
	vs. runny.

	I'm curious because she's just started cereal, and I want to
	rule out any relation to the food (I know that could explain the
	decrease in bottle intake).  The runny nose started before the
	cereal, and she's still happy as can be (no tugging at the ears,
	no unusual fussy periods).

	I held her rattle for her the other day in church (so she wouldn't
	keep dropping it on the floor!), and it gave me goose-bumps the
	way she chomped on it!

	Karen

    Sarah (5 months) is going through the exact same thing.  Yesterday she
    had a 2 1/2 hour nap in the morning, a hour nap in the car on the way to 
    my mil's and then another hour nap at the restaurant.  
    
    She's been having cereal with fruit for breakfast and some veggies for
    dinner.  She's been eating this for about a month now so I know it's
    not that.  When she takes her bottle the past few days she has been 
    leaving about an ounce or two and this is from a child that would try to 
    suck the playtex liner up through the nipple.
    
    She's been drooling since 2 months, but this past week has been
    accompanied by excessive drooling, something in the mouth at all times,
    a runny nose and sometimes crying.  I can see some white bummps on her
    gums and I think both bottom teeth are coming in.  I can't wait for
    them to break through, she really seems uncomfortable, but is being
    very brave.
    
    My baby's growing up 8^)
    
    Susan

    re: the last two notes
    
    All of the symptom's have been the same in my experiences with my 15
    month old son, EXCEPT the long sleeping.  The teething bothers him so
    much, I guess, that his normal sleep patterns are disrupted.  Another
    common experience each time he gets a new set of teeth (he's getting
    his first set of molars now) is that right before the teeth break
    through, about, two to four days, Andrew gets a real bad case of diaper
    rash, then it clears up when the teeth break through.
    
    Beth
    (Who_would_sell_my_soul_to_get_baby_to_sleep_longer_than_7_hours!!!)
    

    re: 85-87
    
    Neel (4.5 months) is also excessively drooling. He likes to chew at
    anything and everything that comes within 6 inches of his face. He is
    like a little tiger going at his prey. Anyone who carries him without a
    drool cloth on their shoulder is left with a pretty wet shoulder.
    Sometimes he gets my finger in his mouth - if my hand appears close to
    his face he almost jumps at it and starts chewing - his gums are strong
    and does my finger hurt after he has chewed for even a short while.
    This kid drools buckets full and has been doing so since he was 2
    months old. 
    
    Once in a while he will go into marathon sleeping sessions but his
    marathon session lasts during the day for  not more than 3 hours at
    stretch. He will wake up, drink his formula and promptly go back to
    sleep for another 2 hours. He NEVER misses his feeding time - NEVER
    :-).
    
    He has had the sniffles due to the teething. He now has a full blown
    cold and was miserable for 2 days. Thank goodness he is OK today.
    
    I have not seen a drop in his intake - maybe an ounce at a feed in a
    day but then again Neel likes to eat.
    
    Shaila

    Yup.
    Drooling.
    Sleeping.
    That's Charlotte alright. I was under the impression that the drooling
    and the congestion is part of the teething (She had this starting at 
    3 months, and at 4.5 months the bottom two teeth erupted), and that the 
    increase in sleeping (more naps for Charlotte) is due to growth and 
    development in general.
    Typical day in the Barney household:
    wake baby at 6 am for 3-4 oz formula. with luck baby sleeps until 9:30
    after feeding.
    10 am: feed 3-4 Tbsp cereal with 6-8 oz formula. Baby will nap between
    this and the next feeding for about 0.5 hour to 1.5 hours, usually
    closer to the next feeding. (she will get more and more cranky until
    suddenly she passes out).
    2 pm: 6-8 oz formula. Same behaviour afterwards.
    6 pm: 3-4 Tbsp cereal (or, just starting her on strained veggies), more
    formula. Same behaviour.
    9 pm - daily bath with daddy, then more formula. 
    With any luck she will be asleep between 10-10:30.
    Now, the sleeping CAN vary (some trouble this last week because of her
    cold) but she takes a LOT more naps than she used to. 
    
    And yes, hubby and I walk around with spit-epaulettes if we forget the
    drool cloth.....
    
    Monica
         

    
    Yes..the runny nose and "gnawing" does sound like definate teething
    symptoms...(although I don't know about the extra sleep?)
    
    I'll never forget how amazed I was at how HARD Michael used to GNAW on
    things (teething toys, rattles, MY CHIN, etc)... Boy it must hurt!
    
    Everytime he cuts a new tooth (7 now at almost 1 yr) he gets the 
    runny nose...  
    
    Wait till they get a few teeth in there and start to teeth on
    subsequent ones...then they BITE on things to relieve the pain
    (such as an unsuspecting shoulder of Mom!!)
    
    Good Luck
    Chris
    

    I just wanted to let you all know...it just doesn't stop.  Evan is 2.4
    years.  For about the last week, his nose has been running and acting
    like he had a cold.  So we were treating him that way.  Well, Saturday
    night I took his underpants off to put his diaper on for bed and sure 
    enough there were 3 of his 2 year molars in.  The fourth one is well on
    it's way.
    
    I was so worried about his potty training (if I may brag for a minute)
    that I didn't even think that he could be his teeth.
    
    
    Lillian

    Maybe I need another cup of coffee this morning...but I have
    to ask.  
    
    >> Well, Saturday
    >> night I took his underpants off to put his diaper on for bed and
    >> sure enough there were 3 of his 2 year molars in.  
    
    What does taking off Evan's underpants have to do with teeth?  
    It's been a while since I've taken any anatomy classes, but it 
    seems like you're checking the wrong end!  ;-)
    
    ;-)  ;-)
    
    Conni

    Sorry,
    
    What I meant was that when I was laying him down, I could see up into
    his mouth because of the way he was leaning back.
    
    Next time I will make sure that I explain myself.
    
    Lillian

    
    I knew what you meant Lillian...I've noticed some of Michaels new 
    teeth in tha same manner!
    
    :-)
    
    Chris
    

The only place Patrick lets me check his teeth is the changing table. He'll
move his head around so I can get a better look.

Chris 

    The only way I noticed that Charlotte had gotten all of her 12-month
    molars was when she was lying on the floor laughing hysterically in
    very bright daylight. Suddenly I saw two jagged teeth back there, then
    checked and found the other two. 
    
    This must be second child syndrome: these milestones go by unnoticed.
    (Hmm, now I remember some vague fussiness last month...she must have
    been teething...) With the first child, every hair he grew was marked
    in the baby book!
    
    Lucy

    
    How soon should I expect more teeth after the first 2 top molars pop
    thru?
    
    Michael cut his first 2 molars (AND that FINAL front bottom tooth we've
    been waiting for!) all last week.  He had us dumbfounded as to what was
    going on, seemed like he had a stomach virus (I think he did tho), but
    at other times was fine...then seeming to be in PAIN somewhere,
    screaming wildly, then fine later, etc.... I noticed his front bottom
    tooth come in 1.5 wks ago or so (been 3 mos since the match pair to it
    came in), and so the last thing I was expecting was molars. 
    
    But Friday, as we were playing I looked up (holding him in the air) and
    low-and-behold there are "2" big molars with just about all four sides
    already in!!!! Totally thru me for a loop!  
    
    After reading thru "what to expect the first year" seems that some of
    the symptoms of what I thought were a "flu" last week, could of had
    alot to do with this teething...  I'm wondering how many more to
    expect, and how soon...??
    
    Chris
    

    
    Anna got all 4 of her 1-year molars over a 5 week period. The first 3
    came in 3 weeks and then the last one struggled over 2 weeks. Remember
    that as soon as those molars are done the eye teeth start coming in.
    Anna's first molar came through the end of July and now 4 months later
    she has all 4 and 2 eye teeth (top) with the other 2 not far behind.
    
    Patty

    Just when you thought it was over....
    
    My 5 year old is breaking his newest molars thru.  He was having awful
    pain Sunday!  Unfortunately, nothing could satisfy him.  I told him he
    hasn't changed.  He cried like this when his first teeth came in, too.
    Now my oldest never cried when his teeth were coming thru - none of
    them.  I had to find them the hard way!
    
    -sandy
    

    What is the proper sequence of teeth?  (Sorry if it is listed here
    somewhere I don't have time to look).  
    
    Jessie (1) has her two bottom teeth and her top two eye teeth only.  Is she
    backwards?  I believe that Alicia also teethed in the same slow manner.
                                   
    Angie

    
    Angie,
    
    The sequence is as follows (if I'm not mistaken, from the "What to
    expect the First Year book):
    
    		Front teeth first................... (top or bottom or both)
    		Next to front teeth second ...(again, top or bottom or both)
    		Molars..2 top & 2 bottom......( "                        " )
    		Eye teeth.....................( "                        " )
    		More molars...................( "                        " )
    
    I just checked this out the other day because my son just cut his first
    2 molars 2 weeks ago...(not fun!)
    
    Chris
    

    I'm sure, though, that is the "norm" and that a different sequence
    doesn't necessarily indicate a problem!
    
    -Tracy
    

    
    Oh, beleive me, I didn't mean to indicate at all that that sequence 
    was the "norm"....
    
    I was just quoting from the book as I said...
    
    I know my sons teeth didn't follow this exact pattern, thats for sure.
    His last front tooth took 3 mos to come in....all the others had been 
    2 weeks apart in pairs. (thats why I didn't even LOOK FOR the molars
    that came in in the same week!)
    
    

    
    A while back (might have even been in the last PARENTING file) a nurse
    told us to use Benedryl for teething. I had tremendous concerns about
    this and told you people so. 
    
    Recently Spencer has been breaking his bottom and top molars, his gums
    are red and raw and he had been waking up several times a night crying.
    In some desperation for his comfort (I didn't mind waking up for him
    but of course I'd rather not) I remembered the Benedryl and we've been
    giving him Benedryl once a night and having him sleep through the night
    instead of having to give him Tylenol several times a night.
    
    Until those molars are in (we have two to go) it looks like we will be
    using the Benedryl at night.
    
    I still don't like the thought of giving him any medication but it
    appears that the Benedryl reduces the inflammation (swelling) enough to
    let him (and us) get a good night's sleep.
    

    			Wendy 

    
    Wendy,
    
    Do you use the Benydryl during the day also if you notice them
    bothering him??  We haven't had a problem with Michael sleeping
    (thank god!) but I seem to be constantly giving him Tylenol when I know
    they are bugging him, and I can tell when it wears off...  Do you think
    the Benedryl works better?? And would it make him too drowsy if I gave
    it to him during the day..?
    
    This week he doesn't seem too bad, the top 2 have cut thru, but I can
    see the gums starting to swell on the lower ones.
    
    Chris
    

    Chris,

    	We only use the Benedryl at bedtime about 1 hour before he goes
    down so that it "kicks in" by the time he is ready for sleep. We
    haven't had to use it during the day but the results have been so good
    at night that if the teething were a problem during the day *I* would
    not hesitate to use it. There is a question about drowsiness, I haven't
    really noticed tremendous drowsiness in Spencer but again, we only use
    it at bedtime when he is pretty tired anyway (if we have him up later
    than 8:00, he goes over to his blanket on the floor and lies down ;-))

    	When I was first given the suggestion to use Benedryl for teething,
    I thought that they were trying to "knock out" a child who was being
    fussy and hence my objections, I didn't realize at the time that
    Benedryl reduces inflammation which makes it very helpful for this
    specific problem.
    
    
    	I guess that it is a personal call, if I were giving Spencer
    tylenol every four hours during the day (which is what I was doing the
    last time he had severe teething problems) I would use the Benedryl
    instead, it is certainly less medication and it checks the cause of the
    pain (swelling) instead of just treating the pain.

    	A few months ago, I would have (and did) feel differently but it's
    tough to argue with such good results.

    	Please note that in some children, Benedryl can make them
    hyperactive, it is best to try a dose (after checking with the
    appropriate resources of course) during the day and not in the evening.

    			Wendy
                     

    
    Thanks for the info Wendy...I will keep it all in mind. As I said, this
    week he is doing much better than when they first came thru and I
    havent' had to use the tylenol at all...  The first week was a
    different story!!
    
    Another thing that might be helpfull to others is, we give him a frozen 
    teething ring on his way to bed when his teeth seem to be bothering him
    at bedtime. (hands being shoved way back in his mouth clued me in).
    gives him something to chew on and cool down those gums while drifting
    off to sleep.
    
    Until the next 2 molars!
    Chris
    

    Charlotte, who'd been teething for 1.5 months when she finally got 
    her lower 2 at 4.5 months, has finally popped an upper tooth, at 
    seven months. Lots of intense teething these last few days (the other
    one is not far behind, I am sure!)
    Now that she's discovered another one on the other side of her mouth,
    she's starting to grit her teeth - a reaction to the novelty I suppose.
    Anybody else have this happen to their kids after the uppers broke 
    through?
    
    Monica

    
    Look back a few replies in this same note Monica...
    I asked the same question when Michael started doing it!
    
    (Its like fingernails down a blackboard for me!!)
    
    :-)
    
    Chris
    

	Seems logical Monica... she actually could be grinding them
	in an effort to relieve pain (if another is truly coming through).
	
	I say this because Emily has been grinding her gums lately,
	giving her a smile similar the the Grinch in the Dr. Seuss tale :-)

	She doesn't have teeth yet, just two big bumps on her lower gums!

	('course, I thought she was teething at 4.5 months, what do I know ?)

	Karen

	Well, Emily's first tooth finally broke through, the
	day after Christmas.  I was just telling my in-law, "These
	bumps seem huge, she'll have to get a tooth soon", and put
	my finger in her mouth playfully, when I felt the tooth!  I was
	shocked, as I wasn't even *sure* that she was teething!

	The only sign I had besides the bumps on the gums and the gum-grinding
	was a change in Emily's sleep behavior.  I used to just kiss her
	good night, put her down, and walk away.  If she fussed, she was done
	by the time I reached the living room.  About a week before the tooth
	came, she started fussing a bit more at bedtime, lasting 5-10 minutes
	before going off to sleep.  Nap times were the toughest, but I thought
	that was because she had just learned to stand up, and would pull
	herself up as soon as I left the room.  From everything I had heard,
	and remembered from babysitting, teething kids were pretty inconsolable.
	Since Emily would lay down and begin to sleep as long as I stayed by
	the crib, I thought she was going through a phase.  I was trying to
	be careful about making assumptions that she was teething, so I didn't
        give her anything for the pain until 2 days before the tooth came
	through, because she would scream the minute I left the room.
        Poor Emily!  At least I knew better last night, and gave her
	some Oragel for the second tooth that appears to be on its way.
	Sigh - this parenting stuff is pretty trial and error, huh ?

	Karen

    
    	>>"sigh, this parenting stuff is pretty trial and error, huh?"
    
    	Youre right there!!!!  Michael just cut his 2 bottom molars last
    	week, but at least THIS time I figured out what was going on! With
    	his first 2 molars last month, he had us thinking he had a stomach
    	flu all week, and was just sick.  This time the symptoms were
    	exactly the same, I felt in there and felt those AWFUL large bumps,
    	and KNEW what to expect this time. I didn't get as nervous when he
    	vomited 3 times in one evening (this is what his molars have been 
    	doing to him!!). I was a bit more prepared.
    
    	Learning new things every day.....(him and "I"!)
    
    	Chris
    
    	PS....Wendy, the Benedryl has been working great for Michael with
    	      his teething! He was up in the middle of the night for 4 nights
    	      (the last night for "4" HOURS!) so the very next night I
    	      tried the Benedryl, and HOORRAY, slept all night thru! And I
    	      kept it up until those little buggers finally popped thru!
    	      Big help!
    
    	      (of course the nights he slept thru were "daddys turn"! Isnt'
    	       it always the way!!!!!!!!!!!)  ;-)
    
    

    I'm feeling like Chelsea is going to teeth until she is 18 years old!
    
    She has been drooling up a storm since 4 months...went thru a couple
    bad teething spells and all has been quiet for a while.  This week
    she acted like she was coming down with a combination cold and flu.
    Vomitting and running nose...and night waking (oh how those 3am wake
    up calls are tough after you've gotten kinda use to sleeping thru the
    night).
    
    No bumps or inflamation...I really feel kinda dumb trying to figure
    out if this is really teething.  Chris and Karen, your notes helped
    cuz alot of what you said seems to be what Chelsea is going thru.
    
    Doctor gave us Pediaprofin (sp?) and I give her a dose before bedtime
    and she has slept thru the last two nights.  I also bought the Tylenol
    Elixer instead of the suspension drops.  Didn't know if she could take
    them cuz they were children's vs. infant...but put the millionth call
    into the pedi's office and they said she could, just a lesser dosage
    cuz it was a little stronger.  Sure is a lot cheaper then the
    suspension drops and its nice to get 4 oz. vs 1/2 oz.
    
    Well I guess I just needed to unload a little.  Really do a lot of 
    on the job training the first time around....sure hope I feel a little
    bit more knowledgeable by the time number two is here (which we hope
    we will be able to do another cycle of IVF in '94!)
    
    ...Lori

	Lori,

	I thought Emily was teething at about 4 months.  She drooled
	lots starting at about 2.5 months, so that was never a good
	clue for me.  I'd even say she drooled less just before this
	tooth broke through.  The times that I thought she might
	be teething always turned out to be something else, usually
	a growth spurt followed by increased food intake.  I'm glad
	this sleep problem turned out to be teeth - it was getting
	too much for me!!!

	Emily has slept through the last two nights without so much
	as a whimper.  I put Baby Oragel on her gums before bed, and
	she still gives me a little bit of a hard time going down, but
	it's much much better than last week.

	Karen

	

    
    	Okay...I've got a question...?  When do they stop drooling???
    	I think I asked this before, but can't remember where it is..
    
    	This drooling thing is starting to really get to me. He's 14 mos
    	and is STILL drooling BIGTIME!!!!!!!!  I can understand the
    	drool when new teeth are coming in, but Mike keeps drooling between
    	teeth too!  I am SO SICK of bibs! I hate seeing them on him, but if
    	I leave them off he gets soaked!
    
    	Anyone out there have their kids keep drooling after a year old?
    	
    	Will it stop when his molars are all the way thru?
    
    	Will it stop by the time he turns 18?????  Please???
    
    	Chris
     

Patrick stopped drooling at around 14 mos. He's still teething at 22 months with
just two canines and the two year molars left to go (thank goodness). Instead
of drooling he just takes a chunk out of Daddy's shoulder 8^)

Chris

    re: .113 dosage of tylenol elixer vs. drops
    
    I don't have any Tylenol on hand to confirm this so you should check
    the labels to be sure.  The front label should have a statement at
    the bottom that tells how much acetaminophen there is per dropper
    or teaspoon.  If I remember correctly, the Tylenol infant drops contain
    80mg per dropper (to the .8 mark) and the elixer contains 80mg per
    1/2 teaspoon.
    
    If you're interested in saving even more money you may want to try
    a generic brand of drops or elixer.  We've had good luck with
    Walmart's Equate.
    
    Ruth

    My doc emphasized that dosage in all cases should be related to 
    weight and not age, unless baby is very very young. Even at 3 mos
    she gave me a dosage/wgt chart for this. 
    
    Teething: Well after Charlotte's 4th tooth came out in the middle of
    december, I sort of thought she'd have a rest with the teething. Well,
    she started up again xmas day! She was almost uncontrollable and 
    behaving rather strangely. Although, it looked like more of the
    teething behaviour after we spotted her gnawing on everything. oh
    well..
    I have noticed the baby-orajel not being very effective, although we 
    had to guess at which tooth is next (what is the typical next? I
    was under the impression it was uppers, right? The next bottom ones
    look pretty close too). 
    Question: a behaviour Charlotte has not exhibited before - I wonder if
    this is teething, intestinal discomfort or part of practicing muscle 
    control:
    a few times a day, typically when held (feeding) or being dried off
    after a bath, she will strain all her muscles, and let out a noise, 
    as if she is frustrated - almost seizure like in its intensity. She 
    will relax very quickly, but the frustrated expression on her face
    during those moments scares me just a little. I cannot equate this will
    straining to do a BM, since it is MUCH more intense and doesn't look
    so much like concentration - more like anger.
    Anybody seem this? Is it teething? 
    
    Monica

    I just went through the dosage of elixer vs drops thing too -
    .117 is right - the drops has 80 mg per .08 dropper and the elixer
    has 80 mg per 1/2 tsp.  My daughter is 13 months and she gets
    160 mg per dose ---- 
    
    andrea

    Monica....
    
    Boy did your note ever hit home....right now I am feeling like such
    a amateur with this teething stuff.  Chelsea just started a new
    behavior yesterday and for the life of me I can't really put my finger
    on what it might be....other then teething.
    
    She wasn't gnawing on her hand to much yesterday...but from
    mid-afternoon on she starting big time fretting....then she would
    scrunch up her face and start this moaning sound.  I thought it was
    gas, because the way she was doing it made me think she was getting
    on/off gas pains..since it wasn't a steady stream of big time crying.
    
    She didn't wan't to be put down for nothing....usually she loves
    playing on the floor and does great occupying herself with her toys.
    Even when I was holding her she was still fretting away.  Her gums
    don't look imflamed and since I have not had to much luck with oragel
    I decided to try some tylenol....I'm giving her 1/2 tsp. of the elixer.
    It seemed to help some, but she was still having a very tough time.
    
    She fell asleep around 7:30 and woke up at 2:00....same type of
    behavior...but she was gnawing on her blanket this time.  We rocked
    and she went back to bed around 3:00.  This morning she was a little
    better, but still definately not her normal self.
    
    I just feel so frustrated because she obviously can't tell me whats
    hurting her and I don't really have a clue....
    
    ...Lori
    

    Yes Lori,
    Its really hard to define what is pain (and where it might be 
    coming from) and what is a new "trick". Aside from the aforementioned
    straining behaviour, in the last week Charlotte has learned:
    - to crawl to a specific location (as opposed to aimless wandering)
    - to stand in her crib (in a spit second!)
    - to clap her hands (yes, Murphy Brown, Charlotte can do that)
    - to cry very loudly when put in playpen or having a "nap attack".
    So, I can't tell either what is up with my child!
    
    BTW: Tomorrow I am back at work. I am a wreck today and have several
    errands to do (as well as a dentist appointment!) And, gosh darnit,
    its ice-raining outside now.
    Eeeek!
    
    Monica

	Well, I'm thrilled to say that Emily is returning to her
	old self when it comes to sleeping.  Sunday night, she
	cried just over five minutes, standing up in the crib, then plopped down
	and went to sleep.  Last night, I layed her down, expecting to hear
	the cries.  I walked out of the room, and never heard a sound from her.

	Yeah!!!!  I'm glad it really was the teeth, and not a change in
	behavior!  Her second tooth came out on Sunday, and there don't
	appear to be others on the way yet.  

	Karen

    Here we are, Charlotte is now a shade under 8.5 months. 
    This little girl is in quite a hurry. Tooth #6 popped through 
    today (!). I'm afraid she'll ask for steak next week! 8-)
    
    Question is: what are the next teeth she'll probably get? Sitter
    says she is still behaving like she is teething (although, she does
    seem to be a bit more relaxed today). 
    
    Monica

    Congrats!!!  Tooth #6...WOW!
    
    Can't believe Charlotte has so many....how exciting.
    
    Take Care,
    
    Mother of Chelsea...who is also 8.5 months, teething up a storm since
    4 months....drooling nonstop....and told Mom last night in her usual
    da-da-ba-ba-na-na (translation...I'm not gonna have any teeth and just
    buy a pair of dentures!)....still anxiously awaiting #1
    
    

>    Here we are, Charlotte is now a shade under 8.5 months. 
>    Tooth #6 popped through today (!).
    
>    Question is: what are the next teeth she'll probably get? Sitter

    Monica,

    What teeth does she currently have now. My daughter is approx. 1 month
    older (she'll be 10 months on the 28th) she has her 4 bottom front, 3 
    top front and has a molar breaking through.

    re 124
    
    Rebecca is just the same. Been teething since 4 months, but no teeth
    yet. She'll be 9 months on the 29th. Is taking so long to cut the first
    tooth common? 
    
               Celia
     

    Lindsay just turned a year.  She has 4 on top, 3 on bottom, and a 
    molar.  The 4th on the bottom will be out any day.  I guess she
    is getting used to them.....she hasn't been biting me as much!

    Charlotte's 1st appeared at just over 4 mo. the middle bottoms.
    Then got the 4 front tops. But, still, nothing but chewing,
    sucking her lips in, pulling her ears and trying to bite everything
    (including mommy's nose) that comes close. Perhaps she was
    a snapping turtle in her last life? 
    
    By the way, I've now heard 2 stories of babies getting 1st teeth
    at 15 mo. So don't worry Moms, Charlotte is not average in this.
    

    My first son, Chris, got his first tooth at 8 months. My second,
    Kevin, is now 8 months and still no sign of a tooth coming thru.
    It seemed as if he has been teething since 2 1/2 months, but nothing
    yet. The drooling starts up for a while and then stops again. Did
    anyone else go through this? He seems so big otherwise, but those
    teeth are being stubborn.
    
    -Sheila
    

My son got his first 2 bottom teeth when he was approx. 10 months, he is now 
almost 14 months and 
he is just starting to cut his two top teeth now.  He's back to waking up at 
4:00 a.m. and crying.  My doctor said that as long as he has his teeth by 
the time he is in Kindergarten, I have nothing to worry about!!  It's just 
a pain, since he has a hard time when he gets teeth, so sleepless nights are
upon us again... just when we thought they were gone!!


					---Sue.

    Well I don't know if this is a part of the wonderful world of teething
    or just from all the dry weather we have been having out here.  Chelsea
    is definately going thru another teething stage...not a one yet, but
    she has been night waking...crying her lungs out with her hand crammed
    into her mouth as far as it will go.  The Tylenol and Oragel seem to
    do the trick...but what she has been doing is rubbing her nose in a fit
    of frustration.  Her nose is not running....she has been sneezing quite
    a bit.  I have heard that when they teeth that all the extra fluids can
    drain into their nose or ears...even though most of hers comes out of
    her mouth in a never ending river of drool!  Her nose isn't red and
    doesn't look irrated, but she gets so upset trying to rub it.
    
    So does it sound like dry weather or teething.  She has never had any
    allergy symptoms since birth.  
    
    Would appreciate your thoughts and also a good nights sleep if anybody
    has one for sale!
    
    Thanks,
    
    ...Lori

    Charlotte (that professional teether of mine!) does rub her nose
    often, sometimes she just rubs her whole face into any available
    surface. I hadn't really connected it with teething, but since this
    girl seems to be such a big teether, this could well be part of it.
    Lately she does tug a lot more on her hair and ears. Sometimes she 
    starts pulling and patting the side of her head then comes around
    with her hand until she is patting her face.  This last behaviour seems
    to have developed while I was in Denver last week on training - my
    mom and husband say that it is teething or tiredness. 
    
    Monica

    
    Heather has her first tooth at 8months, 2 weeks. yeah! Billie hasn't
    yet, so I guess Heather will win most fights for a while 8-)
    
    Billie loves having the back of her gums rubbed. Heather's tooth came
    in at the front. Two days ago Heather was all quiet and into looking
    sad and feeble, she also had a running nose, no temperature. Previous
    notes seem to indicate a runny nose is a precursor to a tooth!
    
    I may regret saying this so, but to date, toothing ain't so bad!
    
    Simon
    
    

Thanks Simon for giving me the opening to brag about Noelle's 1st tooth!

And I'm afraid to jinx myself too by saying how easy the process seemed
to be.  She had about a week or two during which she might have small periods
of discomfort.  She occasionally woke up in the middle of the night crying,
but put herself back to sleep within 5 minutes without any attention from us.

She's just such a happy little girl!

- Deb-the-happy-mom

    
    Hi Deb, congrats on your new tooth 8-)
    
    Billie had her first one pop through yesterday! They really are
    identical, just one day between them, and the same tooth!
    
    Billie didn't have a runny nose, but like Noelle has been waking up the
    past week.
    
    Somebody tell me children get even more lovable from 8 1/2 months. I can't
    believe there is anything better than what we have right now. 8-))))))))))))
    
    Happy_Proud_Dad_Simon

Soon your babies will reach 10-11 months and become pretty independent...

Then around 14-15 months they'll learn how to give good kisses and hugs....
and to say ..."love you"....and once again they may start to sit on the
couch with you and snuggle.....

So, I agree --- they do get more loveable...and it's GREAT!

    
    Caity just popped her first two teeth within a week of one another.
    The first came in on Mother's Day and the second a week later.  It
    makes me a little sad to see her getting teeth already - she is only
    4.5 months old!  They grow so quickly!  (She is also already up on all
    fours rocking back and forth!!).

    
    
    Are there known side effects of teething ???
    
    My little boy, 11 months, has for two nights had a very bad cough which
    has kept everybody awake.
    
    However last night he was fine and this morning he has finally cut his
    two top teeth which seem to have been bothering for weeks. Does anyone
    know whether the cough was due to teething or could it have been down
    to an asthmatic type of thing.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Ian.
    
    

    re:-1
    
    Our pedi had mentioned a while back that just prior to the teeth
    cutting, some kids can get stuffy, fever upto 102 deg F and more.
    
    Shaila

    My son drooled so much during teething that he'd swallow it and
    that would make him cough and sometimes even choke a little!
    Worse when he layed down.      
    
    Lila
    

	Emily's had pretty strong coughs through a couple of her
	teething spells.  I always figured it was linked to the 
	runny nose.

	Karen

    Allergies have been running pretty high this spring, especially in the
    northeast (I don't know where you are located). Your baby might have
    had postnasal drip coincident with teething.
    
    

    
    
    My daugher is just barely 2 months and she is cutting ALL 4 eyeteeth
    and is absolutely MISERABLE!!!  With her being so small, I can't do the
    traditional things to help her out.  She doesn't know how to chew on
    the teething rings, or any of the other things they suggest with babies
    a little older.  I have been giving her lots of tylenol and baby
    orajel -BUT- that doesn't help her discomfort.  
    
    Has anybody else gone through really early teething with their babies,
    and what have you done for them.  I am at my wits-end, she has been
    crying for a little over a week now and her poor little voice is so
    hoarse.  HELP!!
    
    Robin

If you haven't taken her to the pediatrician, that
might be wise.  Some babies do teeth severely at
2 months, but it's pretty unusual.  It may be
something else.  Ear infections and teething
have identical symptoms.

The only thing I can suggest for a teething baby
that young is a local anesthetic, like Oragel
or Anbesol.

Good luck.

Pat

    Charlotte started teething at three months, so I remember having the
    very same complaint. Our solution was to have several of the type of 
    pacifier that she liked (for a while all she wanted was the knuckle of
    my pinkie!) and threw them into a bowl of very cold (not icy, but
    refridgerated) water. We'd give her one from the bowl, she'd suck for
    a bit till it warmed up, then complain again. We'd then put the warm
    one back into the bowl and select a fresh cold one. This procedure
    seemed to help her through the worst times. 
    
    Good luck,
    
    Monica

    
    reply to .144
    
    Actually that is how we found out she was teething.  I thought maybe
    she had an ear infection, she would not take a bootle and she wouldn't
    lay down (typical signs).  I called the Dr. and they said bring her on
    in -- I got there and the first thing she asked me was "is she
    teething?".  Well I said of course not - she's too young.  She checked
    and found 4 teeth working their way through.  I was so embarassed that
    I didn't know, but I would have never figured.  All of this happened
    last Monday.
    
    Then this past Monday (yesterday) we took her in again because she was
    tugging on her ears and she just wouldn't stop crying.  I thought for
    sure she was going to have an ear infection this time.  Again it was
    only teething.  She told us to just put on the orajel ointments and
    tylenol.  So we keep trying to help her out - but it is just so
    frustrating to see her so miserable and can't do anything about it.
    
    		Robin

    My son had a "teething episode" last week. I also thought it was an ear
    infection and brought him to the pedi. He said it was probably teething
    and that babies can teeth for months before getting a tooth/teeth.
    Great! I gave Andrew a cold, wet face cloth and he loved it! He gnawed
    on it and sucked on it, and it seemed to make him happier (at least he
    was quieter :-) ). I gave him Tylenol before putting him to bed and
    this also seemed to work. That lasted a couple days, then Andrew went
    back to his normal self. No teeth. So, I don't know what was bothering
    him. Maybe it was the heat. I know it was bothering me! 
    
    If your baby is having trouble sucking on a bottle, try baby oragel a
    few minutes before feeding. It is not a long term solution but it might
    make it easier for your baby to eat. 
    
    Karen

    I used an old trick I learned from my mother when my boys were
    teething.  I tied an ice cube securely in an old piece of linen cloth. 
    They would chew on the cube as it melted.  It numbed the sore place and
    they like to suck the moisture.
    
    Easily replaced, too!
    
    Cheryl

    My son had his four front teeth by 4 months and I know what you are
    going through.  The cold washcloth trick helped as well as 2 Humphry's
    teething tablets disolved in a small bottle of warm water.
    
    The tablets are camomile based and seemed to soothe Josh through colic
    as well as teething.  I found them at both the local supermarket and
    drug store.
    
    Pam

I was wondering if anyone else out there has a child with an extra baby
tooth in their mouth.  For those of you with older children, does this mean
we could be facing problems when the adult teeth come in?

Katie got her first tooth at 4 months and hasn't stopped teething since.
She's 18 months now and has everything in except the two top eye teeth
(although they're coming in now) and her second set of molars.

The problem is on the bottom.  Between the two stomach teeth (I believe
that's what they're called) on the bottom, she has 5 teeth instead of 4.

My guess is that just because she has an extra baby tooth, doesn't 
necessarily mean she'll have an extra adult tooth.  Anyone have any
experience with this?

-Susan

    Susan,
    
    Lolita (my 19 year old) had an extra baby tooth, and also got an extra
    adult front tooth in the same place as well.  (to add insult to injury
    she wound up with five wisdom teeth as well)
    
    Her father has six front teeth on the bottom, FWIW so it may be
    hereditary.
    
    Meg

    And I was born missing 11 adult teeth. Had almost all the required baby
    teeth but several missing adults. In fact, I finally lost a baby tooth
    in my 37th and 39th year.  wahhhhhhhhhh.
    
    Jodi-
    

re: .152

Interesting.  Did you get anything from the tooth fairy?

Clay

    Jodi,
    
    What did the tooth fairy bring?
    
    I think I would have bargained for some nice stuff, holding on to the
    teeth for so long!
    
    judy

    What did I get???
    
    A got a great big, wonderful...
    
    
    
    ...bill from the dentist :^( 
    
    
    I had the baby teeth capped in my early 20s so they were quite
    functional until one of the roots absorbed to the point that it
    didn't have a good hold of the bone.  The real disappointment 
    was when John Hancock told me they wouldn't pay for a bridge.
    Same story others have been told, a removable (ie. not fixed)
    bridge. The mere thought of wrapping metal around my super-
    sensitive anchor teeth, sends shivers up my spine. So I shelled
    out $1200 over and above the single, removable tooth cost. grrr.
    
    Jodi- 

	I think this is the right spot for this.

	Emily (16 months) is having a terrible time sleeping lately (last
	3 weeks or so).  She's waking 3-4 times per night, though we typically
	only go to her once a night.  What we've noticed is that she cries
	out in her sleep, but often doesn't even fully wake up.  If we
	go to her, we most times find her still laying down.  Sunday night,
	she seemed quite upset, but when I went to her, she didn't even
	wake up when I went in.

	When this first started, I was fairly sure it was her teeth, as she
	had developed a runny nose and other "symptoms".  Her molar area was
	very very puffy, and we treated her with oragel as necessary.  

	However, her runny nose has virtually stopped.  Her gums are still
	enlarged, but not as puffy, but still no teeth.  She had a well-baby
	check up September 22, and she checked out fine.  I did mention she
	was having some trouble sleeping, but the doctor didn't seem concerned,
	and I assumed it was just the teeth. 

	Even though we're not getting up each night, we are being woken up,
	and we lay and listen to her fuss for 5-10 minutes, until she falls
	back to sleep.  It's beginning to take it's toll, especially with
	me being pregnant and seeming to need every precious moment of sleep.
	Also, I hate to see my little girl in such discomfort.

	So, the questions, finally.  Does this sound similar to any teething
	experience other parents have gone through ?  How long did the molars
	take coming in once they started ?  Any suggestions on how to help
	make Emily more comfortable if it is her teeth ?  I did use Tylenol
	the first week, then started to feel like Medicine Mom, and found 
	she *could* go back to sleep without it.  However, if it will give her
	a more restful sleep, I'll go back to it.

	Any other ideas ?
	
	Karen

    This reminds me of my second child. My oldest and youngest were fine,
    but the middle child was so sick every time he teethed. He was sick for
    two months and nothing help , he then got 4 back molars and was fine.
    I hope for your sake it doesn't last 2 months, but I know from
    experience teething isn't fun for some children. My oldest and youngest
    would just get their teeth with no problem at all.
    
        Take care and good luck,
    
         Rose

    Karen,
    
    	Neel (16 months) also is doing the same thing at nite. He wakes up
    about 3-4 times at nite but goes promptly back to sleep. Of course, he
    does sit up in bed when he wakes up crying so we have to go into his
    room and put him down again. He has his upper pair of molars and is
    workingon the lower ones. He has a runny nose and puffy gums. This has
    been going on for over 3 weeks but no molars yet. So we are waiting and
    yaaaaaaawn!
    
    Hang in there.
    
    Shaila

    Pregnant, Karen? Congrats! 
    
    Emily and Charlotte; what buddies! Charlotte's worst teething yet
    is the latest; which is to say those darned eye-teeth. They seem to
    be huge and are taking their time getting in. She'll wake a few times
    each night as well.
    Sunday night was absolutely the worst yet - whimpering every 15 minutes
    all night long. 
    When we picked her up Monday morning she had a bad fever. Looks like 
    another ear infection 8-(. She is doing better today, but still 
    suffering teething and the infection.
    
    And the sitter keeps on telling me the 2-year-old molars are the 
    worst.
    I Can't Wait..............
    
    	Monica

	Thanks Shaila and Monica, I feel better just knowing that
	Neel and Charlotte have exhibited similar behavior.

	For now, I guess we just hang in there!

	Karen

	PS - Thanks, Monica!  I'm just about halfway there!

    
    	I don't remember this being discussed here before, but Griffin is
    actively teething and has his two bottom teeth and is cutting his top
    teeth.
    
    	He also just started eating foods (cereal, fruit, and veg  in small
    amounts).
    
    	Poor little thing has a *terrible* diaper rash where the skin is
    just raw. I realize that diaper rash is a classic symptom of teething
    but are mucousy bowel movements also considered normal? This child has
    never had even a semi solid bowel movement but he does not appear to be
    uncomfortable as he sleeps well and if very content.
    
    	So many things are going on at once with Griffin that I would hate
    to have to take him off of foods if the bowel movements are related to
    the teething.
    
    	Geesh, you'd think I'd have this figured out by now but Spencer
    never had symptoms like this.
    
    
    			Wendy

    Wendy,
    
    I had a problem with Carrie with the worst rash I had seen in my life,
    and it turned out that the apricots I was feeding her had enough acid
    in them to burn her poor little tail-end.  we cut out any high-acid
    fruits and veggies for a while and it cleared up.  
    
    Meg

    
    	To date all Griffin has had is apples, apples and blueberries, rice
    cereal, and garden vegetables. It has taken us weeks of work to just
    get him to eat these. Maybe I'll try pears for awhile. Is there such a
    thing as a non-acidic fruit? I think Prunes are fairly basic but I
    don't want to push him anymore in the wrong direction if you catch my
    drift ;-0
    
    				Wendy

    	Oh duh,

    	I can't believe I wrote what I did in the last note, if fruit might
    be the culprit (in that it may be too acidic) it's not going to hurt
    Griffin to switch to vegetables and cereal for while and leave out the
    fruit. Earth's Best makes some potato based vegetables combos that
    just might do the trick.


    		Wendy who is still apparently waking up this morning
                    

Bananas aren't acidic.

    
    Bananas may not be acidic, however, baby food (i.e. jarred) bananas 
    sometimes contain citric acid as a preservative which may make
    them acidic.   

    
    	I second the recommendation for bananas.  I usually increase
    	Emily's banana intake around teething time (her stools are much
    	looser at that time).
    	
    	I'd also suspect the blueberries.  I've always heard to add berries
    	after the baby's been eating for a while.  I know strawberries and
    	raspberries tend to be allergenic in young children.
    
    

    Actually, lots of mucous in the stool is a sure sign of teething ...
    along with an accompanying diaper rash.  When ours teethed we had
    some of the most bright pea green mucous laden stools imaginable!
    
    Certainly cutting down on fruit may help though.
    
    I can never understand why anyone would buy tins/jars of banana
    baby food.   A single banana is always cheaper than a jar, and makes
    about 2 jars worth of food and a banana can be turned into a mushy
    edible (like the jar food) almost by looking at it!!!
    
    Stuart

    Stuart,

    	That is *exactly* the right description, bright pea green mucous
    laden stools. Looks like all may be normal but to not complicate
    things, I think I'll switch to bananas and potatoes (not necessarily
    together though -bleggh). Thanks,

    			Wendy

    Wendy,

    Could it be a combination of events?

    My munchkins all got a horrible diaper rash when we introduced
    *anything* other than breastmilk.  The diapers started smelling too!  
    I assumed that the smelly diapers and the diaper rash were interelated.
    
    Its sure hard to see them with such a sore little bum......:-(

    Teething wasn't involved, my kids got their first around 10 months.

    Rochelle_with_balmex_under_her_fingernails

    Charlotte too had the mucously stools (I remember well since 
    they sort of perplexed me too) at the start of her teething. Although
    we've experienced little in the way of rash (up until now, where
    she's experiencing some redness there from her dramatic teething
    for the eye teeth). 
    I second the non-acidic stuff.
    
    
    Monica

    RE:teething and mucousy BM
    
    Neel went thru the loose BM, bad diaper rash, drooling, fussiness,
    waking up 3-4 times a nite routine just a week ago. His loose BMs
    lasted for about a week, the diaper rash lasted for about 3-4 days,
    fussiness was on and off, waking up at nite is still in progress.
    
    BUT WHERE ARE THOSE TEETH!!!!
    
    Shaila

It's weird ... you can have a few weeks of fussing and other teething symptoms
and then they'll stop and a couple weeks later when you are least expecting
it, the teeth will erupt.

The mucousy stools will not necessarily cause a diaper rash ... but what they
tend to do is glue anything that might a little closer to the skin ... if
you get my drift! Yuchhhhh!

But, it's normal.  Some vaseline or A&D ointment, and plenty of washing with
plain old water, or even something just slightly alkaline (like bicarb) will
help neutralize excess acidity ... wash with water to rinse off any bicarb!

Stuart

    Ok, you guys jinxed me!  Sarah (17 mos) has been doing great the past
    couple of months, her molars popped through at 12 months and we didn't
    even know until I went to wipe "something" out of her mouth and
    realized they were teeth.  The past few days she's had a diaper rash
    and last night she woke up crying in the middle of the night  Went in
    to comfort her and thought that maybe it was teeth.  Sure enough found
    that the eye teeth area is very puffy and swollen.
    
    Susan

	FINALLY !!!

	The day after I entered my note about Emily's night waking, she
	started sleeping through the night again.  This lasted until Monday
	night, when she woke up once.  Last night, on her third waking, I
	decided to use the Oragel.  I put some on her lower left side, where
	all the swelling is, then had some left, so I started to wipe it
	on her other gums.  Imagine my surprise when I found four SHARP
	points coming down on the UPPER left side.  Emily started to cry as
	soon as I touched the spot, so it must have just been breaking through
	last night.  She never had any swelling in the gums where the tooth
	has come in, and I seldom applied Oragel there.  Sheesh, why didn't she
	*tell* me I had the wrong spot ??  ;-)

	Hopefully, I can sleep again tonight...

    
    
    My son Nicholas is 20 mos. old.  He is teething in a big way.
    Not only is he cranky but he is having awful tantrums and
    he starts banging his head against the wall and whatever else
    he can find (the floor, the refrigerator, etc.).  I've given
    him Oragel, Tylenol, Benadryl, nothing seems to work.  He's
    not sleeping through the nite and he can't suck on his bottle
    because it hurts his gums.  I have a 3 month old too so needless
    to say, I'm exhausted.  I'm wondering if anyone else's child
    has gone through this (has a really bad time with teething)?
    He has gone through this before at 15 mos. but it wasn't this
    bad.  He only has tantrums when he is teething (he gets very
    clingy too).  
    
    Any tips would be a great help - i'm desparate!
    
    p.s. I told my husband last nite that I wish Nicholas would wake
         up and be 4 years old! ;-)
    
    Thanks for your help!
    Chris  

    
    Have you had his ears checked?   Perhaps he has fluid buildup
    that is contributing to the extra crankiness, difficulty
    sleeping, etc.   
    
    Just a thought....cj/

    Agreed  - teething and ear infections are often hard to tell
    apart (from experience).
    Charlotte has done some head banging. but this seems to be independant
    of her teething. She's almost 18 mo now, and has been working on her
    eye-teeth for at least 8 weeks. We get to sleep through the night
    about every second night, but this has been complicated by 3 colds in
    close succession.
    She is VERY fond of cantaloupe at this time (I cut bite sized chunks,
    put them in a container and she usually goes through a whole one in 3
    days) I suppose because it is cool and soothing to her.
    
    Perhaps the doc's advice might help.
    
    Monica

    I have a question as relates to *older* child teething...
    
    Last week AJ had his 6 month dental check up, they told me he is
    cutting his six year molars, but his front two teeth are just beginning
    to become loose.  He just turned 7.  A quick summary would seem to be
    that his molars are coming in late, and his front teeth are coming out
    early.  Do I have this right?  Don't these kids loose front teeth
    nearer to the 8th birthday?  (Won't this toothless grin be cute at 
    the family wedding in March!!)
    
    Lyn

    I don't knwo about the molars, but I don't think it's early
    for him to be losing his front teeth.  My son lost his first
    tooth at 5 1/2.  I think the average age is about 7.
    
    Nancy

    My neice lost her front teeth early this summer at 5 1/2 also.
    FWIW, she got her first tooth at 4 months old!
    
    	Linda

My six-and-three-quarter years old nephew currently has four teeth missing,
including the two upper middle ones.  He looks really cute.  His first 6 year
molar has now broken through with all four points, one other has started coming
through, the other two are nowhere to be seen yet.  It sounds like AJ is pretty
much on schedule to me.  By the way, Brian lost his first tooth at 5 1/2 and
got his first tooth in at 4 months.

                                                             Tracy

I put this note in here to warn mothers about the symptoms of teething and 
how sometimes what you see if not what is really there (if that makes sense).

Friday I had left a class because it was slow and boring.  I had told the 
instructor that I wished to have the disk and book so I could go home and
learn it myself on my PC because my son was sick and running a small temp
so I wanted to take him home.  This was a total lie, my son was fine!!!! 
Anyways... I arrived at my MIL's at 2:00 and guess what?  Paul was screaming!
She said that he had started to be cranky about an hour before and nothing
was helping; he was not hungry, wet, or anything.  This poor child collapsed
in my arms and was rocked to sleep shortly after without a bottle, pacifier
or anything (this is unusual).  After a few hours I went to see how he was
doing because my son "never" sleeps more than 45 minutes during the day 
and the poor child was burning up, his nose was runny and my MIL quickly 
informed me that he "had to be teething, afterall, he is six months!"  I
was reluctant to believe her and immediately gave him tylenol and went home.
Poor little man, he was not eating or drinking and slept the rest of the 
day and night.  The next morning he sported a 103.4 temp under his arm pit.
I talked to my sister, my sister-in-law and again my MIL and they all said,
"DON'T WORRY, HE IS TEETHING!"  I continued to give him tylenol (which was
needed every five hours or else he was burning up!) and by noontime Sunday
he was down to 99 and was almost back to the neverending eating machine that
he usually is.  Monday morning I saw some gooey stuff in his eyes and thought
about conjunctivitis but it cleared quickly and was not green, nor were his
eyes blood shot.  Same thing Tuesday morning but it was green.  By the time
I got him in the car he was screaming and I thought it must be the sun in
his eyes.  My sitter said when she saw him "I can't take him, he has 
conjunctivitis!"  I near died and called the doctor immediately to take him
in because now I was worried about the weekend fever.  Well, to make a long
story short (ya right!) he had a 100.6 temp, conjun, and an ear infection.
My pedi informed me that arm pit temps are higher than they say, usually
about one degree and he was sporting over 104 and I didn't take him to see
her?  Well, I started crying saying "but I thought he was teething!" and 
"I thought you would just tell me to give him tylenol and that was what I
was doing anyways!" but she reamed me up one side and down the other telling
me that my child suffered a couple of days and developed an infection that
could possibly have been stopped if he had the antibiodics that he should
of been taking and the most important thing "DON'T LISTEN TO YOUR FAMILY 
MEMBERS, I AM THE PEDI AND TALK TO ME!" 

In her own words, "How many times do I have to tell you mothers that just
because 90% of children run a fever and have a runny nose when they are
teething doesn't mean that all children are the same!"  

Then she apologized for being so rough.  I am glad she was.  I will listen
to her advise, take the families in stride and always call the Pedi!

cj

    cj,
    
    Listen to your instincts, youARE the mother after all!  One other good
    clue to call the doctor is *always* if you see *anything* but clear
    mucos, tears etc coming out.  Plus my pedi told me to call if we get a
    temp over 100, can't be too sure can we?  It's sort of funny how  you
    got yourself out of the class, I would almost call it mother's
    instinct!  He needed you and I would swear he was sending you messages.
    Don't let the MIL guilt get to you, blow it off!  You ARE a good
    mother!  Kids don't come with instruction manuals!!
    
    Lyn

    The clues here are that teething pains will not come on with the 
    kind of speed you described.  Teething is usually associated with a
    LOT of crankiness for several days ... but not crying pain and if 
    feverish, it will be a degree or two, easily controlled by Tylenol.
    Teething usually produces a lot of drooling and pink cheeks (but
    not elsewhere) ... the other sign of teething is mucousy stools.
    
    A lot of people will attempt to put pains at that age down to teething,
    and while Drs say that lots of things we ascribe to teething are
    not valid (like dribbling, like mucousy stools, like pick cheeks!),
    experience says otherwise.  So there is afine line between knowing
    what is relatively normal for your child and what isn't ... As Lyn
    mentioned in the last note ...you know your child and so you will
    have a better feel for what feels normal and what doesn't.
    
    Family mean well, but they aren't raising your child ... you do what
    you feel is right.
    
    Stuart
    

    I just Have to remind all of you that is DOES continue.  Over last
    weekend AJ (he 7.5 almost) was complaining about how his mouth hurt
    where he teetht *wern't*!  Upon a closer look, there is a definite show
    of one of his upper center teeth, and I suspect the second one isn't
    too far behind.
    
    Again the old standby, I gave him a tylenol, and actually gave him his
    old teething ring, which I still incidentally keep in the freezer, to
    put on the gum area.  Of course this time I had to warn him not to
    bite down too hard, or we'd have a problem!  
    
    It must have really been bothering him a lot, since he's the type of
    kid that blows of bumps and bruises and more like nothing happened.
    
    Bottom line, don't get rid of that frozen teething ring!!
    
    Lyn

Paul Joseph at 7 1/2 months still has no teeth.  Nursing is hurting more and
more these days and his nose just started running constantly in the last 
twenty four hours.  He is also pulling on his ears alot and cried when we
were in the car and going down a hill.  

I took him to the Pedi yesterday because its been two weeks that he has
been off the medicine for his ear infection.  She says no sign of ear
infections but lots of wax and tried to get some out.  Her insight as to
why he pulls at his ears alot lately, "because they are there".  Her
insight to his running nose, "either allergies or a cold developing".
He was cranky last night but still eats like there is no tomorrow.  
However, when I try to wipe his chin he gets angry.

I can only assume that this could be teeth coming in.

Is Pedi-Care Decongestant drops anything people have used to help
ease the stuffy nose syndrome?  The Pedi recommended it and it seems
as though I give him an awful lot of Tylenol.  At least once before
bed and sometimes twice.

I have also had no luck with the baby ambesol.  In fact, it seems as
though Paul dislikes it very much.  Maybe he swallowed it and I should
apply it better but its hard to get in there.  

My sister in law gave me "numz-it" but we haven't tried it so far.

Thanks for any help you folks can offer.

cj

    
    There are discussions in this string but I still swear by Benedryl for
    teething. Best thing we've come across to help with the pain.
    
    	With teething and with my kid's history of allergy problems
    (Griffin was recently bitten by a bug and it swelled his eye shut) you
    can bet that we pretty much don't leave the house without a bottle of
    the stuff.
    
    
				Wendy

    cj,
    
    My DO recommended something called hylands teething tablets.  they are
    a homeopathic remedy, and I found them in my local grocery store.  I
    don't know how they work, but they seem to be a miracle as Atlehi is
    getting in 4 teeth at once this week, and has been cranky and "bitier"
    than usual.  The tablets really have seemed to help.
    
    meg

    Well, I was right!  (finally access to this file) Paul has one tooth in
    and three others popping through!  The poor child can't breathe at
    night because his nose is so stuffy and he doesn't eat anything that
    isn't total puree (i.e., cereal because of the texture) so I'm going to
    try the benedryl and tablets.
    
    Thanks!
    
    cj
    

    I could not find either bendryl or the tablets in the CVS in Acton.
    
    What type of bendryl is this; an infant formula?  What grocery store
    were the tablets found in?
    
    Thanks..
    cj

    cj,
    
    I found mine at King Soopers which is a Kroger affiliate.  They are
    also available at both the health food stores I shop at.  
    
    meg 

Benadryl is typically found with the allergy medicines.  It is actually an 
antihistamine that causes drowsiness, hence its use for non-allergy 
situations.

Clay 

    I found regular bendryl and a childrens cough benedryl but not an
    infants one.  The instructions said for children under 6 but I thought
    for one under 1 years old that it would be too harsh.  The cough
    medicine wasn't for stuffy noses.
    
    cj

    
    I did a title search for (spitting up, etc), and couldn't find anything
    so, since I think this is teething related I will put it here..
    
    Over the last few weeks, Nicholas (5 mos) has been teething real bad!
    What ever he can get into his mouth, goes in. He shoves both fists in
    as far as he can. He is drooling so much, that most of the time, I just
    leave him in his t-shirt. I can't put a bib on him, becasue he tries to
    suck on that also, and I am afraid he is going to strangle himself.
    
    The problem is, he seems to be "throwing-up" quite a lot during the
    last few weeks.  Has anyone had this problem while their child has/was
    teething?  He eats/drinks real well. About 1 hour after he has his
    cereal, he ends up spitting it back up!  He has been on cereal for 2
    months, and this has only been happening for about 2 weeks. 
    
    He has no sign of a fever, his cheeks are red/pink, drools alot, does
    NOT have mucosy stools....
    
    I have a call into the doctors, and we are seeing her on Monday, but
    thought I would check with the parneting community as to suggestions.
    
    I have tried cutting out the cereal and giving him more formula, but he
    still spits up big time.  Its getting real tiring! I have run out of
    spit-up rags, and he is running out of clean clothes and t-shirts!
    
    I know, this to shall pass....
    
    
    Thanks
    Anne Marie
    

    Yes, my 5-month old is doing the exact same thing, was diagnosed
    with "reflux" 2 months ago (put onto Nutramigen at the time, evidently
    allergic to soy as well as lactate-based formulas).  She's 
    "barfamatic girl" as her older sister calls her, but worse on
    certain days, those days the fist is in the mouth all the time,
    I'm certain she's teething.
    
    Asked the ped who more or less blew me off.... nurse in the room
    later commented that one of hers did the same thing.  Guess I've
    learned to listen to the ped, but REALLLLY listen to Moms.
    
    Lotsa luck!

    I believe that Chris Cunningham stated earlier in this note that her
    son was doing the same thing.  Personally, I would believe that its
    just another symptom of teething that the Pedi's won't recognize but
    all parents do.
    
    Good luck!  Wish I could offer more information other than "heard it
    before".  Paul has also spit up a few times in the last week and never
    really does so I contributed it to the teething too.
    
    cj

    Thanks for the info..
    
    I pretty much attributed it twords teething, but then again, being a
    first time mom, I had no idea.
    
    We have an appointment Monday afternoon with the DR. She just wants to
    check him out to make sure nothing else is wrong... (Ears, Thoat etc).
    
    As with .196, some times he throws-up a lot, other times not at all.
    We have not had a problem sleeping at night yet, thank goodness.
    
    Anne Marie
    

    CJ,
    
    I've never heard of Benedryl for a baby .... there's is a good infant's
    decongestant - Pediacare Infant's decongestant.  It's about $7.00 for a
    tiny bottle, it's orange, and is in w/ the regular cough/cold
    medicines.  It specifically says for infants, and it is only a
    decongestant (nothing for aches/coughs etc).  There's also Tylenol
    Suspension Drops for infants (Grape is Jonathan's favorite!), that are
    kind of expensive too, but the kids love 'em.  Same as regular tylenol
    except is goes down a lot easier.
    
    Infant's pediacare I bought at CVS - Walgreen's used to carry it, and 
    F&M SuperDrug.  I had a harder time finding the tylenol.  I did used to
    be able to get both at Shaw's and at Shop 'N Save (but not Market
    Basket).  
    
    Good Luck!
    Patty
    

The reason for using Benadryl (and in small enough doses should be fine),
is that Benadryl will slow the production of mucous, reducing drooling
and swallowing excess phlegm (which is why a teething babies stools turn
the most vile consistency and pea green colour!) which releives stomach
discomfort from trying to digest phlegm.  (Often vomited up!)

It has the other advantage of being a sedative.

A decongestant will actually tend to increase the motility of the phlegm
(by making it thinner supposedly) which shold relieve some of the indigestion.
BUT the problem with decongestants is that they are essentially stimulants
(pseudo-ephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine) and can keep your child awake!

Stuart

	Where do you find teething "biscuits"? 

	I looked in the baby food aisle at Stop and Shop but could not
	find them.  I have a recipe but would prefer to buy them if
	I can.

	I gave Lauren a cold carrot with the ends cut off (this is
	recommended only if there are not teeth yet) and she liked that.  
	A frozen bagel didn't fit in her mouth.

	Not sure if she is teething yet but she gets downright nasty
	sometimes when she is gnawing on one of her toys.  It is like
	she is mad at the toy and she makes these frustrated noises
	and shakes her head and the toy and cries!  Next thing she is 
	as happy as a clam!

	Karen

    
    	Actually one of the other things that Benedryl does which is why
    the nurse so highly reccomended it is that it shrinks swollen tissue.
    Think about it, you give Benedryl when you have an allergic reaction
    which is almost always related to swelling (hives, etc). As a lot of
    the teething pain is from the pressure of swollen gums, Benedryl
    actually reduces pain by fixing the condition rather than masking the
    symptoms (like Tylenol does).
    
    					Wendy

    
    Do you remember the recommended dosage for a wee-little one?
    
    

    I found wheat free teething biscuits at my local health food store. 
    They were maple flavored and my older kids liked them better than the
    baby.
    
    meg

    I too would be interested in knowing how much of the benedryl would be
    used for a child under one years of age.
    
    cj

    Be very careful with using Benadryl.  In some people (actually my
    doctor said "most" people, but I'll temper it a bit) it's fine for
    about 2-3 days use, then it begins interfering with deep sleep, so
    you'll have a child that wakes up cyclically (with me it's every 2
    hours, on the dot!).  It does have a sedative affect, but it's not the
    best quality of sleep.  You're likely to have a very grouchy, sleepy
    baby all day.  It's probably OK to use it once in a while, but I
    definitely would not use it routinely.  
    Sarah

    
    Let's see, for my babies whish were apx 15-20 pounds when they teethed,
    they told us to use 1/2 a teaspoon. I found that I only had to use it
    once at night and that would carry over for the entire night. Daytime
    was not a problem as the activity seemed to keep the tykes mind off of
    the pain.
    
    	I have on occassion given the kids Benedryl during the day and have
    never noticed them getting drowsy, in fact, if I had noticed that kind
    of behavior I would have figured that the dosage was too high and I
    would have cut back.
    
    
    				Wendy
    

    Like everything, Benedryl can affect different kids differently.  When
    Russell had an allergic reaction to amoxicillian, the Dr. recommended
    1/4 teaspoon of Benedryl.  Well, it didn't help - it made matters
    worse.  Russell wound up twitching and waking himself up every 15
    minutes or so after crying himself to a sorta-sleep like state.  He was
    probably about 7-8 months old.  I don't remember how much he weighed at
    the time - but he was a big baby. 

    Russell is three now, and I've given him Benedryl once or twice since
    he was 2.  It certainly didn't make him sleepy, but maybe not quite as
    agitated as when he was younger.

    marianne

Contrary reactions (I forget the word the medicos use for this) are not
uncommon ... sedative antihistamines acting as a stimulant, sleeping
tablets that cause insomnia ... So, it is something you just have to
watch for.  Strangely, similar drugs in the same class of medication don't
always cause the same contrary reaction.  e.g. Benadryl causing excitability
yet Chlor-trimeton causing sedation.

Sometimes it is not the actual active ingredient that causes contrary
reactions ... For example, the flavourings, colours, or binders(in the
case of pills) can cause a reaction.  Red and yellow colourants are
infamous for causing excitability (and Benadryl is pink!)

Stuart

My pediatrician recommended Benedryl because my son is very mucousy, caughs
a lot when laying down and appears to have my type of sinus allergies.  Alex
is 24 lbs. and 1/2 tsp. was recommended.  We don't give it regularly, only when
he is real bad.  A few times after a morning dose we thought he was sleepier
than normal but other times he has had no visible reaction.

Perhaps a call to the doctor for the correct dosage for weight would be best.

Kathy

re: .201
    
>>	A frozen bagel didn't fit in her mouth.

    	I used to slice flat pieces BEFORE I froze them.  That way, 
    	you can take a small piece of the frozen bagel out at a time.
    
    	Peggy

    As for teething biscuits...they are found in the cracker isle at the
    grocery store....
    
    I went into GNC this weekend, and they sell the tablets for teething.
    The directions said to stick 1 under the child's tongue and it will
    disolve?  they were $7.00. I didn't get them, becasue Nicholas's
    teething doesn't seem to be too bad right now...
    
    I did, however get some "baby ora-jel" last night. Nicholas has one
    spot, that as soon as the teething ring hits it, he freeks out, big
    time! I put the smallest amount on, and it seemed to do the trick.
    
    Anne Marie
    

    Well Chelsea at 25 months is finally cutting her eye teeth!  She has
    been so slow on getting teeth, her first one at 11 months and has such
    a hard time while they are breaking thru.
    
    I picked her up from daycare last night and she was so out of character
    it really worried me.  Normally when her teeth are really bothering
    her she is a major crank, which I'm sure I would be to!  But last night
    she was really weepy, head hung low and wouldn't talk.  I got her home
    and made a snuggle camp for both of us to cuddle up in while we watched
    Poo videos.  I offered her some juice and in within 20 minutes up it
    came.  I waited about an hour and a half, offered her about 2 ounces of
    water and up it came....needless to say we stopped the fluids at that
    point.
    
    No fever, no running nose, a dry cough and seems to be a little bit
    of clear mucous in the water she vomitted.  Seems the pedi's will never
    admit that any of this is related to teething and just that teething
    lowers the resistance and other things creep in.  My personal opinion
    is that it is related to the teething.  This is the first time that she
    has actually thrown up, but she just doesn't seem to have the symptoms
    I've seen when its the flu.
    
    She had a great nights sleep and woke up as happy as could be.  I guess
    after these four teeth break thru, I can look forward to the two year
    molars!
    
    ..Lori

    My daughter Lindsey is 21 months old and is getting in her 2 year
    molars.  She is an absolute bear.  Last night she cried for three hours
    before falling into a fitfull sleep.  This has been going on since
    Sunday night.  So, after a trip to the pedi to rule out ear infections
    and reading this note, I'm going to try Benadryl.  
    
    The question I have is if she is getting in only 1 tooth now (which is
    what the pedi said), how long will it take for the others to come in? 
    Will they all follow closely?  
    
    I think I am in for a long haul and lots of sleepless nights. 
    
    Lisa Cozzens

    
    
    Sorry Lisa, but I have no idea about this because Paul is so much
    younger than Lindsey however, I would imagine that the doctors wouldn't
    be able to tell you much.  I am interested in knowing what others think
    though!
    
    My pedi had told me today (in anticipation that Paul is getting more
    teeth I wanted to make sure about the benedryl) that rubbing the
    benedryl on their teeth would help the pain alot and also give them
    alittle medicine.  Might want to give a try.
    
    And for those of you that still aren't sure, this is the regular stuffy
    nose adult bendryl everyone refers to.  I wasn't sure myself and kept
    looking for infant benedryl.  Afterall, we have infant tylenol,
    childrens tylenol and then the adult stuff.  Mixing those up could be
    pretty harmful.
    
    Me, I'm picking up some tonight, just in case!
    
    TGIF everyone!
    
    cj
    

	Did your kids teeth at roughly the same ages ?

	My daughter Emily got her first tooth at exactly 7 months.
	
	I'm curious if Andrew could be teething at 5 months, or if
	he'd more likely start at the same age as Emily.

	Karen

    karen,
    
    Lolita cut her first tooth at 6 months, Carrie at 13 months and Atlehi
    at seven months.  
    
    meg

    Chris cut his first (top) 2 at 7 mos, Jason was around the same time,
    and Jonathan just got his first 2 2 wks ago, at 10 mos.  Jonathan's dad
    is different than Chris and Jason, and I'm not sure how it runs in any
    of the parents' families. (mine or either of the dad's)
    
    The dentist did say it TENDS to be hereditary.

    Oh yeah .... Chris and Jason got their top teeth first, Jonathan got
    his bottoms first, which is why I think they're following their dads'
    genes more than me (-:

	Thanks for the replies, though if I'd waited a day, I'd have
	had my answer.

	Andrew, 5 months tomorrow, has his first tooth.

	Funny how yesterday I felt helpless, feeling like there was
	something not right with Andrew, knowing he "wasn't himself", but
	he just didn't have an symptoms.  I started to wonder if I
	was imagining things (my husband noticed his fussiness, but
	he hadn't ever watched Andrew a full day before last week, so
	he just thought Andrew was a more difficult baby than our first).

	I'm so relieved it was just his tooth (and somewhat vindicated, too!).

	Karen

    My daughter, Kaitlin, seems to be in teething mode.  She is just 
    under 5 months and has many of the classic symptoms.  My daycare
    provider suggested rubbing Tylenol on her gums.  This doesn't seem
    to me like it would be very effective.  Has anyone heard of this ?
    
    Katie is having trouble eating at the sitters house cause her gums are
    so sore.  My pedi recommended against using Oragel type stuff, though
    I'm not sure why.  My sitter won't give Tylenol on an as needed basis.
    I have to tell her in the am to either give it to her every 4 hours or
    not.  This obviously is difficult since I'm not there and can't
    determine if she does need it.  I don't want the sitter pouring Tylenol
    in her all day if shes fine.
    
    Anyways, so I need some other solution to get the baby comforted during
    the day.
    
    Thanks,
    	Denise
    

    Never heard of rubbing Tylenol on the gums.  I tried Oragel on Alex but
    the numbing effect seemed to wear off quickly.  She ended up living on
    popsicles (the frozen teething rings were frustrating to her!).  My
    cousin gave her daughter frozen hot dogs!!
    
    Leslie

    >My cousin gave her daughter frozen hot dogs!!
    
    <FLAME ON>
    
    NEVER GIVE A CHILD, WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO CHEW, A HOT DOG (ESPECIALLY
    IF IT'S WHOLE).  The circumfrance (sp) of a hot dog is precisely the
    size of a childs throat, thus causing several choking incidents and
    several deaths in small children.
    
    <FLAME OFF>
    
    Lori B.

    I have no idea what tylenol directly on the gums would do, but I do
    know that people used to use aspirin this way for toothaches, and (I
    forget why) the dental industry frowns on this very much.  I'm vague,
    but I think it was something like - it didn't just numb the nerves, but
    actually caused some permanent damage.
    
    Get another sitter!  If she's grumpy about her teeth, or won't eat
    because of them, the sitter should be able to make that diagnosis.  If
    she had a sudden runny nose, wouldn't she wipe it?!  Or would she only
    wipe it if you told her in the morning that she had a runny nose?
    
    I know, this doesn't help you any .... Jonathan used to love to chew on
    our fingers, or sometimes freeze pops (like popsicles, in a plastic
    sleeve instead of on a stick).
    
    I guess another alternative would be to make a point to call her every
    2 hrs or so, and "check" on how she's doing.  Maybe the sitter would
    get tired of you calling, and learn to make the judgement herself??
    
    Good Luck

    Should I bother pointing out that the hot dogs in question were
    *frozen*, hard as a rock, as in: impossible to cut even with a knife? 
    Or that the parent was watching the child, not just in the same room?
    
    Nah.
    Leslie

and along the frozen hotdog lines...

I've heard of people using raw carrots (large) as a 
teething "toy".  Apparently it tastes pretty good
and isn't a choking hazard since the child is toothless
and shouldn't be able to gnaw off a hazardous-sized nibble.

    The are some great teething pills on the market.  They are sold 
    at Mother and Child.  They are completely all natural ingredients.
    I have abox in my stock (but can't for the life of me remember what the
    ingredients actually were) I had two of my best friends use them on 
    their children.  I think even CVS sells them.  This company also makes
    them for Colic and something else I think a cough medicine.
    
    Both of my friends loved them.  I checked with the pedi and they 
    prefered them overn orajel.
    
    Courtney is cutting teeth (oh so much drool ;-)) but is not fussy at
    all.  She never crys even when she is sick, so I don't think teething
    is going to bother her, but I bought the pills just in case!
    
    Anybody else heard or used these?
    
    Michelle

    Michelle,
    
    I have used a homeopathic teething pill for Atlehi.  it did make a real
    difference for her.  Another friend tried them on her daughter when she
    was visiting and now swears by them.  (She swore at the gum numbing
    stuff)
    
    I didn't have a colic problem with the least witch, so I don't have any
    idea about the effectiveness of the colic tablets.  
    
    meg

    What exactly are these teething pills supposed to do ?  Is it an
    actual pill that the baby swallows ?  Any suggestions on where to 
    get them in the central mass or Littleton area ?
    
    Thanks,
    	Denise
    

    Denise,
    
    They take the edge off is what I am told.  They are not harmful in any
    way.  They are all natural ingredient (no drugs).  I happen to see them
    in the CVS in Nashua so I would think that maybe most CVS's will carry
    them in the baby isle.  They are in a small white box with pink and
    blue swirl of some sort.  They do say teething pills.
    
    They are little white (and I do mean little) that you can put in the
    bottle.  
    
    I wish I had the box with me so that I could write more about them.
    I tried to call my husband (who works at home) to read me the
    label, but unfortunately he is not answering the phone.  
    
    If my absent-mindedness doesn't overwhelm me this weekend, I will
    bring them in on Monday and write about them.
    
    There also used to be a similar product called Whitney's Pills #3
    someone else told me about.  These are even harder to find.
    
    Michelle

    
    >They take the edge off is what I am told.  They are not harmful in any
    >way.  They are all natural ingredient (no drugs). 
    
    Just a nit. Just because something is natural does not mean it is not 
    harmful, nor does it mean it is not a drug. Some of the world's most 
    deadly substances occur in nature. 75% of the world's drug has a herbal
    origin.
    
    
    Eva

    Michelle,
    
    Being homeopathic, they have such a low dose of whatever to begin with
    that the major concern for me was tht the sugar base for the tablets is
    lactose.  However even that is such  small amount that it didn't upset
    me.
    
    meg

    My daughter is 7 months old and is theeting very bad.  She all ready
    has 2 teeth on the bottom and I think she is getting her 2 top teeth,
    though I'm not sure yet as there is no white spots.
    
    But my question is,  Is it normal for a child to wake up screaming
    crying.  Kelci usually wakes up smiling and gurggling.  Lately she has
    been waking up crying very hard.  It seems to take a long time to
    soothe her. Also,  did any of your children have any sleepless nights.
    
    The reason I am asking is because the first time we went through this
    teething process, Kelci ended up with Bronchitis.  So we attributed the
    waking and crying to being sick.  This time is different except for the
    classic diaper rash and runny nose and her chin is all chaffed.
    
    Any suggestions on how to get a full nights sleep again while she is
    teething?
    
    Thanks,
    Nancy
    

    
        This reminds me of my son Gregory. He would get so sick with
    congestion, red face, drooling, crying constantly. He'd cut some teeth
    and then he'd back to being okay. the back molars were the worst. He
    cut 4 at once. bEfore those 4 came out though he was so sick!
    
        Rosie

    
    My son is cutting 2 of his 2 year molars.  He has been so miserable.
    Last night he was tossing and moaning and this morning woke up earlier
    than normal and cried til he got to day care.  He is normally a happy
    go lucky kid so this is very uncharacteristic of him.  In addition to
    diaper rash, stuffy nose, he has been crying his painful cry for over a
    week now.  

    Tylenol !!!!!
    My daughter is just over 6 months.  Her first bottom tooth cut
    in last week, the second seems to be on the way.  The first
    time she wakes up during the night we give her Tylenol, that
    definitely helps her sleep better.  Although her symptoms aren't
    nearly as bad.  I would definitley recommend Tylenol.
    
    Denise                          
    

	Yup.  We just went through rough weekend with Andrew, who
	is cutting all four of his 1 year molars *and* some of his
	eye teeth all at once.  He's got his whole fist in his mouth,
	is drooling so much he's soaked in 1 hour (can't use a bib, because
	he pulls on it and nearly strangles himself).  He was implacable
	most of the weekend, waking every 4 hours at night, and crying
	inconsolably during the day.

	We gave him Tylenol every 4 hours, with Baby Oragel applied 
	whenever he seemed to need it (mostly for immediate relief in
	the middle of the night while we waited for the Tylenol to kick
	in).

	Once the Tylenol took affect, he was almost himself.  He would
	not eat much at all, though, unless it required no chewing.

	Karen

    You know, I've been reading these entries and have come to
    a decision.  I'm going to pawn Angeline off before this all
    begins!  (ok, I'll just loan her out a while)  :-)
    
    						cj *->

    
    Lara too has been starting to go through the teething round again
    (finally!!!) She has 6 teeth (4 up , 2 down) and has had them for a
    while now (2-3 months). She is 13 months old now and I'm still waiting
    for those 2 other bottom teeth to come in. Has anyone had such a long
    period between teeth in their kids. Once Anna started getting teeth,
    they came in fairly regularly, but this vacation from teething (not
    that I'm complaining) is kinda weird. Also, when do the eye teeth come
    in, before or after the 1-year molars?? I can't remember.
    
    Patty

I think Noelle might win an award for strangest pattern
in tooth emergence :-)

She's 2 3/4 now and we *think* her 2-year molars might
be trying to come in.  Noelle celebrated her first
birthday with only 2 teeth.  Her 1-year molars and eye teeth
were interspersed, though I've forgotten the exact order.

I do remember being faintly concerned because her left
upper eye tooth and left upper molar took *so long* to
appear.  But they did eventually appear.  

Noelle was a classic "Penelope Leach" baby in that
only her 1-year molars caused her any pain.  She was
never miserable teething any of the others and had no
other noticeable symptoms that many parents attribute
to teething (diaper rash, drooling, diahrrea (sp?), crying, etc.)
I don't mean that she never cried or drooled  -- it just never seemed to
be associated with teething -- except for those 1-year molars.

    speaking of teething, Alyssa (17 months) has the 4 bottom and the 4 on
    the top, then they skip a tooth and then she has the molars on top and
    bottom. (I believe its the molars) when does that tooth (don't know
    what its called) between the molars and the front teeth come in?
    
    
    

	Patty,
	Andrew's first 8 teeth came in pretty quickly, and he's
	had them since before Christmas or possibly even Thanksgiving.

	He's been working on the molars for about 4 weeks, with one
	just breaking the skin a week ago. 

	Thankfully, the intense pain only seems to come for a few days,
	then subsides.

	Andrew doesn't have the eye teeth yet, but they are on their
	way, so for him, the molars won.  (He's 13 months, too!)

	Karen

Hi Patty,
My daughter Claire is 13 months and she also has only 6 teeth... 4 on top
and 2 on bottom just like Lara, and like Lara has had them for 2 or 3
months. She had some symptoms of teething about a month ago, (though she also
doesn't get many symptoms, just doesn't want to chew and wakes up at night 
when they hurt) but no teeth have yet appeared. Feeling her gums, I was 
expecting that she was teething an eye tooth on the bottom... 
Yup, we're still waiting for those 2 other bottom teeth too ;^)

Lucy

    My poor Angeline!   She's blasted out four teeth (two molars)
    since last Tuesday, with what looks to be another two teeth
    (one canine) working through also.   
    
    I had this feeling she was going to do this all at once!  She
    was going so long and slow in between teeth, I just had a feeling
    she'd wind up catching up all at once.
    
    That poor kid's gums look like Mt.Rushmore right now.
    
    							cj *->

    Nope, I think Brittany takes the cake on this one.  At 14mo she
    blasted out four teeth (2 top, 2 bottom) and stopped.  She's 19mo
    now and no other teeth in sight.  I feel her gums and feel nothing
    close to a tooth popping out.  I'm hoping that by her 2nd birthday
    in Aug that she'll have at least one molar.  I'm due next month
    and have this wicked feeling she'll pop them all out after Mychal
    is born and I'm tooooo tired to get up with her!  Pessimist aren't
    I?
    
    Rose

    I am wondering what the timing is for molars and other teeth.  I
    thought that Paul was through getting all this teeth (almost 3 1/2) 
    but a friend of mine told me he could be getting more teeth.  The last
    few days/nights he has been complaining about his mouth hurting,
    drooling a bit and has his fingers in his mouth constantly.
    
    cj

    The last bunch of teeth David got were his 6-year molars, a bit before
    his 6th birthday. I think between age 4 and 6 there wasn't much of
    anything popping up.
    Sarah

Count his teeth.  Twenty teeth is the normal complement for a child, before
they start getting adult teeth.

    I just took my 6 year old to the dentist for cleaning checkup
    yesterday.  had 20 teeth...19 baby, 1 permenant.  From the x-rays, 6
    year molars are on their way in....6 year molars can come in anytime
    from 5-7 (according to the dentist).
    
    Kathi
    

>>    6 year molars can come in anytime from 5-7 (according to the dentist).

Obviously, he hasn't seen my daughter (almost 9 and without her 6-year molars
and her two front teeth).

						Brian

    re -1
    
    but she looks so cute!
    
    sandy

    
    There's a HUGE variation in ages.  Jason's 9 and doesn't have his 6-yr
    molars.  His 2 front teeth just fell out (well, 1 fell out, the other
    got knocked out) and only 1 is showing any sign of growing back in.
    I think he'll be 18-20 when his 12yr molars show up!! (-:
    
    He's ALWAYS teethed late, even his first teeth.  He has 3 adult teeth
    in his head, if you count the part of the top front.  And two of his
    bottom front.
    
    And with all this in mind, I'm laughing at the dentist who's panicked
    about getting him to an orthodontist because his mouth is crowded ....
    the kid's a SQUIRT.  His mouth is that of a 6yr old - how about if we
    give him a little TIME to grow ?!?!?  
    
    I don't remember anything after eye teeth, and before 6yr molars ...
    but I could be wrong.  Jonathan's 3 1/2, haven't seen any sign of any
    more.
    
    -Patty