Teething Discomfort
Many babies experience sore and tender gums when their teeth begin to erupt. Gently rubbing on the gums with an infant gum massager, wet gauze pad, or clean finger can be soothing. A clean teething ring for your child to chew on can also help the discomfort.
You can ease your child’s teething discomfort by:
- Rubbing your baby’s gums to apply pressure
- Giving your baby a cold teething ring to chew on
First Tooth
Caring for your baby’s first teeth is very important, and helps set the stage for a healthy mouth.
Tips to cleaning your baby’s mouth:
- Lay your infant in your lap. The head should be close to your chest so you can look down directly into your child’s mouth.
- Clean the gums and the teeth by rubbing a clean, damp, washcloth along the baby’s upper and lower gums. You can also use terrycloth finger cots, which fit over the finger and are made for this purpose.
- Follow these steps at least twice a day — once after breakfast, and once after the last feeding of the day.
When the teeth begin to erupt, start brushing them at least two to three times a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush and water. Toothpaste is not recommended until a child reaches age two. At that time, supervise brushing to ensure that your child does not swallow any toothpaste.
