Nursery World - Positive Relationships: A parent's guide to ... Teething

Just as some parents start to get over the shock of adapting to life with a baby, along comes teething to upset the apple cart.

Placid babies suddenly become demanding, while previously smiley babies become grumpy. So, what is teething, and what can you do to help your child?

The process of developing teeth begins back in the womb. Tooth buds that will go on to create those first teeth are formed in pregnancy. At birth, your baby's jaw is primed with their milk teeth. The bad news, though, is that for some babies the appearance of their first teeth is a painful journey which we often dub as 'teething'.

Most parents will find that the signs of teething occur somewhere after their child's fourth month. The actual appearance of the first teeth is likely to take place somewhere between five to seven months, when two little white pearls appear in the lower jaw. These are the child's lower central incisors. The upper set usually come through a few months later. However, some children are actually born with one or two teeth in their mouth, while others take their time.

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