If you're checking those little gums for a hint of white every time your baby smiles at you, it might help to know how early babies begin teething. While doctors know the average age range when teething typically begins, some children may cut their first teeth much earlier or later than the norm.
Teething Process
The teething process varies among children, but for most babies, the first tooth you'll notice will be one of the two bottom front teeth, or lower incisors. The top two incisors come out next in most babies. The other incisors, the molars and the canines all come in later -- typically over the baby's first three years of life. Most kids have their entire set of baby teeth by the time they are 30 months old, or around 2 1/2 years old.
First Tooth
Most babies cut their first tooth somewhere around 6 to 8 months of age. Some babies, however, begin growing teeth at around 3 months of age and others stay tooth-free past their first birthday. Rarely, babies are born with their first tooth, so they start life already in the teething stage.
Early Signs
Long before your baby's first tooth breaks through the gums, your child will probably start to show signs of teething. Because baby teeth are already formed at birth but need to work their way through the gums, the long process of getting them up and out can be painful for your child. Babies tend to produce excess drool when their teeth start pressing up from under the gums, which you might notice on clothing, the baby's face and just about everywhere. Teething babies will also start to gum on toys, teething rings and parent's fingers as they try to work the tooth out over a few weeks or months.
What You Can Expect
Teething can be exciting, but it's not all fun. While some babies seem to sail through the process without noticing the emergence of new teeth, others become cranky and irritable because it hurts. Your baby might have trouble sleeping because the pain of teething wakes her up at night, or she could refuse to eat or nurse because it puts pressure on sensitive gums. It's unclear whether teething causes mild fevers or diarrhea. Attachment parenting guru Dr. William Sears asserts that some babies experience these problems and others, but that teething can't possibly cause immune or digestive disorders.
