Need Baby Advice **update on page 3**

[becka]

Everytime I think I have this baby thing working pretty well DS has to change.

Teething? How do you know if teething is what is making them extremely fussy? He is drooling, he chews on everything, etc. but using Oragel doesn't seem to make him feel any better. I have some of those cooling teethers that you put in the fridge and he will chew on those for a while but he has been chewing on everything he could get in his mouth for a few weeks. I don't feel anything on his gums but he is not too cooperative in letting me check. He is only 4 1/2 months old and I was not sure if it was too early.

He is not running a fever, he has no other outward signs that anything else is hurting him. He is not pulling on his ears although he is still recovering from a cold and his daycare teacher thinks he might have a little bit of a sore throat from the drainage. All weekend, starting on Friday, he has been very irritable. He will seem to be just fine but then he will start screaming until he almost gets to hysterical levels. After 30 minutes or so he will usually just finally pass out and sleep for 2 hours or so.

I am really confused! I just can't imagine that teething could be this bad but I don't know what else it could be. It is almost what I think of as colicky but he has never shown signs like this before and he is 4 1/2 months old - you can't get all day colic at this age can you?

Any ideas you can give me would be appreciated.

 

[janette]

Teething is a long process, they can drool & chew for long time before you see or feel teeth.

He may just be going through some changes. My youngest had crying spells almost all the time as an infant. Often there didnt' seem to be a cause. Her teachers called her an intense baby, if anything was wrong it was very wrong and she just reacted strongly to any displeasure. Especially if tired she could cry for a long time. Nothing seemed to make it better but she did finally out grow it.

 

[amid chaos]

My third child got her first tooth at 13 weeks, so teething is a very real possibilty.

 

[tiggerlover]

My son went through what you are describing and he didn't get his first tooth until 11 month (which by the standards is late). From the time he was four months old I thought he was teething and he may well have been, he had all the signs. And like amid caos said, it isn't too early to cut teeth.

 

[ripleysmom]

I found that when my kids got cranky like that that they were in the midst of a growth spurt. They would be cranky for a couple of days and then be fine, eat like crazy and look bigger.

Usually when they were like that I gave them Tylenol since most of the discomfort was due to aches from growth.

 

[poohandwendy]

From the WebMD website:
The most common symptoms of teething include:

-Swelling, tenderness, or discomfort in the gums at the site of the erupting tooth.
-Increased saliva, which can cause drooling and coughing.
-Drooling may cause a rash to develop on the chin, face, or chest.
-Biting on fingers or toys to try to relieve the gum discomfort.
-Refusing to eat and drink because of mouth soreness.
-Irritability and difficulty sleeping because of the discomfort.

Symptoms of teething may be present for 1 to 2 months before a tooth erupts. The symptoms disappear after the tooth breaks through the gum. Most babies get their first tooth between the ages of 6 and 8 months and have a full set of 20 primary teeth by the age of 3 years. However, babies may show signs of early teething at about 10 weeks of age.

Hope this info helps......Anbesol didn't always works with my children. One thing that my kids liked when they were teething was a wash cloth dipped in ice water (they would suck and chew on it). It is softer than the chew items they sell, which are sometimes hard plastic. Good luck with your little one

wendy

 

[crazyme5kids]

Another thing you might want to look at is how much he is eating?drinking. Sometimes at that age a babies appetite increases, and they are cranky because they are hungry, even an ounce makes a difference.

 

[mtemm]

My 7 month old started chewing on everything/drooling a ton around 3 or 4 months...everyone told me he would get a tooth anyday. Well, he just got his first last thursday. Never saw swollen gums or anything I was expecting. He wasn't even cranky! (although he has been the last couple of days).

I would say maybe growth spurt, or possibly need for more sleep? Daniel started wanting to be put down earlier than I was putting him down for the night about then...I started really watching him and realized he was tired earlier than before.

Good luck!

 

[DaisyDebbie]

Becka, teething is awful for both of you I found that when my babies were cranky like that I would massge their gums and it would calm them down. Lot's of Tylenol

 

[Michelle]

He's definitely not too early to be getting teeth, he's right on schedule...they can drool and be fussy for a month or so before the first one erupts. You won't see much until it's ready to come through, usually the gum gets red and then you see a little white pearl of a tooth.

Babies put EVERYthing in their mouths so that's not too surprising. I'd skip the Orajel, my pediatrician wasn't big on using that and it didn't help at all. The teethers are good and when my daughter was especially fussy infant Tylenol drops helped too. It was a long couple of months but when she started getting teeth she got a BUNCH at once so it wasn't drawn out forever.

Hang in there, becka, this too shall pass!

 

[MerryPoppins]

It's probably teeth. I agree with what everyone is saying. I think the later teeth are easier. By then they are eating a little and can chew. These first few are a pain in more ways than one. Hang in there. This too shall pass.

Also look at when your son is crying. I found out mine didn't like unusual noises. For example, the sound of the sweeper could send him for 45 minutes! Sometimes a change of scenery would shake him out of his funk. Not if he was hurting, but if he was just upset. He also fought naps. When he would get really tired he might go into a major cry-fest.

 

[MosMom]

The First Years makes a vibrating teether that my daughter LOVED and I know I'll buy it again for Elliot when he starts teething. All babies are different, but I swear by this thing. It is in the shape of a star.

http://www.thefirstyears.com/products/product.asp?pValue=1479

Here is a link to the product. I think it soothes sore gums and they get a kick out of the vibration. It's very gentle too. Hope this helps!

 

[debster812]

I second MosMom, that star teether was great!!

Also, what worked wonders for us (and I know it sounds over the top, I really do) we received a sterling rattle from one of the VPs at my work, I would stash it in the freezer for a couple of hours, and it was nice and cold. He liked gnawing on that.

It's not too early, and anbesol never did much for us either, but we swore by the infant Tylenol.

 

[becka]

Thanks for the advice. I had him on Tylenol all weekend and it didn't seem to make much difference. He would chew on things but he would not chew very hard so that made me wonder if it was really teething or not. If it is teething wouldn't chewing on something make him feel better at least temporarily?

I am getting more upset because this started suddenly on Friday night (he was in such a great mood last week). I called the daycare to check up on him it and he is screaming there today.

Since he does not have a fever or any other outward signs of illness I am hesitant to take him into the doctor just to be told that babies cry and I need to comfort him or that he has colic. I know this is NOT like my son but for some reason the doctors never believe you when you are a first time mother.

I really just want to help him so bad. It kills me to see him in distress/pain and I don't know what to do to make him feel better. I have tried everything I can think of but nothing makes him feel better except finally passing out and sleeping.

 

[Michelle]

Becka, if he is crying MUCH more than normal and the Tylenol doesn't help at all then I would call the doctor too. Colic is usually long gone at Nathan's age and if he is MUCH more upset than normal then there may be something going on.

Yes, babies do cry as your doctor said, but when they suddenly seem to cry all the time for no reason it's worth getting checked out, or at least a call to the doctor. If it's teething the Tylenol would have helped at least a little.

{{{HUGS}}}, I know it's hard when your little one hurts and you feel helpless to make it better.

 

[Robin]

Becka,

Has he been going to the bathroom as often as normal?... if not that might be the problem.

 

[becka]

Robin - I was wondering about that myself. He usually has a BM once a day but occassionally it will be two days between. He had one Friday and then again this morning. I was hoping that would make him feel better but according to daycare he is not feeling any better at all.

 

[ahutton]

We've been there too with our little DD, even more often recently. She was diagnosed with reflux when she was 8 weeks old so many times when we have taken her back for more follow up we kept getting told it's just more reflux and she'll outgrow it. Finally two weeks ago after the 2nd time in 10 days daycare called and said she has been inconsolible for 3 hours I took her back to the pediatrician's office. I was told she had negative pressure on her ear drum, and although it was not actually infected it would be extremely painful. She never had a fever, had just a touch of a cold... Sound familiar? Anyhow, they had us give her Infant Advil (or Motrin) which reduces swelling, and a dose of PediaCare decongestant in the morning only, and a dose of Benadryl for bedtime to keep the congestion dried out. She had been the happiest kid in the world since. Trust your maternal instincts, and take him in if he is that upset. There is always a reason (I've found with my 2 DD's) I just don't always know what it is.

 

[luvwinnie]

to the dr. to be on the safe side. I hope he feels better soon!

 

[CamColt]

I read this post earlier and didnt have much advice on the teething. Orajel always worked well for my kids, even though some doctors dont approve of it.
As I read more replies I got to thinking about the suddenly starting to cry aspect. DS#2 was a wonderful baby and very rarely cried. One day when he was 4 months he started getting really fussy with some screeching crying. I thought it was not like him at all, but everything else on him seemed normal. A few hours later he started having trouble breathing. He could inhale fine, but exhaling, he would stop. I later found out they call that grunting. With the breathing trouble we took him to the doctors right away. The Dr checked everything and was finding nothing. She finally gave a look in his ears and one ear was very infected. He also had a slight fever which is what caused the grunting. So, the moral of the story is, do you think it could be an ear infection?