As a toddler sleep consultant, I hear many parents blame teething for what could actually be very ‘normal’ baby or toddler behaviour, or another reason like illness.

Why does it matter you say?

Well if we’re misdiagnosing normal baby behavior and dosing babies up with paracetamol or ibuprofen, then we are medicating for no reason… Also if we’re dismissing symptoms of illness as teething, then our little ones may not be getting the help they need.

As adults, we almost always want the reason for our baby’s upset/symptoms, it’s hard for us to comprehend that some baby behaviours don’t have a cause to be resolved, and of course, we want to do everything we can to prevent our babies being in pain or discomfort.

So thinking about the phrases that come along when babies start fussing or getting upset, let’s consider whether it is teething that is the cause or something else….

Do you recognise any of these statements?

My baby is suddenly drooling lots more, it must be teeth!

Not necessarily…

Around 2-3 months, your baby’s salivary glands are starting to work.

The challenge is that at this age, your baby hasn’t developed the muscle control to hold it in the mouth or swallow it. This happens closer to 18-24 months.

So drooling lots (on it’s own) isn’t a sign of teething.

My baby is putting everything in their mouth, it must be teeth!

Not necessarily…

This is a REALLY normal stage of development.

Around 4 months, babies start to put their hands in their mouths.

Around 6 months, whatever they can grab goes in their mouths!

It possibly impacts the immune system by gently introducing bacteria from their environment, but also they’re just exploring their world.

Mouthing everything in sight doesn’t mean they’re teething.

My baby has been grumpy for weeks, it must be teeth!

Not necessarily…

Babies, like adults, are not going to be happy all the time, and we know that during times of development babies can seem to be more ‘grumpy’ than usual.

The pain from teething is around 4 days before and 4 days after a tooth erupts (longer for the molars) so if your little one seems unhappy for a week and there’s no sign of a tooth, it’s not teething!

Get them checked out by the GP to rule out infection/illness.

It can’t be teeth, they only seem to be affected at night!

It could be teething…

This is quite common during teething, some babies do notice the pain more at night time when they have seemed fine during the day.

This might be because there are fewer distractions than during the day.

Also, they’re often naturally more dysregulated by the end of the day anyway so the pain could feel more intense.

My baby has diarrhoea, a runny nose, and or a mild fever, it can’t be teething!

It could be teething!

A study of 500 children found that 38% of parents reported fever and 36% reported diarrhoea as symptoms experienced during teething. Another study found parents reported a runny nose!

Bearing in mind that these symptoms could also be illness, look for these plus other more typical signs of teething before deciding not to medicate or speak to your GP.

So what are the signs of teething?

• Red, swollen, even bleeding gums
• Red cheeks, sore chin
• Diarrhoea / sore bottom
• Ear pulling
• Crying / screaming
• Biting hard on toys
• Possible mild temp (38 degrees)
• Disturbed sleep

If your baby has a couple or more of these symptoms and there’s no sign of a tooth, get them checked out. Especially if they have a fever for more than 2 days or one that doesn’t come down with paracetamol.