Teething and Sleep
When it comes to children, teething is the ultimate scapegoat. Fever, diarrhea, runny nose, just about any symptom you can name gets dismissed as a result of a tooth coming in, and I’ve seen parents blame bad sleep habits on teething for months at a time.
If you’re at all tempted to abandon your schedule, or alter the bedtime routine because you think baby might have a tooth coming in, I urge you to reconsider.
So what really is teething?
Teething is the process by which an infant's first teeth (the deciduous teeth, often called "baby teeth" or "milk teeth") sequentially appear by emerging through the gums, typically arriving in pairs.
Some things to consider…
Teeth don’t “stab” through baby’s gums. The gums move out of the way to allow the teeth to emerge, which is why they don’t bleed. So, don’t overestimate the amount of discomfort baby’s going through.
A well-rested baby will handle teething better than one who’s not sleeping well. (Teething – plus just about every other challenge they face!)
Studies show that symptoms associated with teething consistently occur only on the day a tooth erupts and the day after*.
Experts agree, the safest remedy is gnawing on a refrigerated (not frozen) teething ring.
Some other helpful hints for your child while they are teething:
Feed them soft foods to protect their gums. Examples include: oatmeal, pureed vegetables and fruits, rice cereal, mashed potatoes, apple sauce, bananas, etc.
If your child typically has diarrhea while teething, consider foods that are rich in fibre to firm up bowel movements (bananas, apple sauce, hard cheese, oatmeal, etc.)
Tylenol/Ibuprofen – use it! If you can tell your child is in discomfort, give them some medicine before bed to help ease their pain.
When it comes to teething and sleep, it’s rare for teething pain to be so severe that a child won’t possibly sleep. If that is the case, then there may be some other underlying issue occurring. However, if your child doesn’t have an independent sleep skills, then I would encourage you to start there! Teach them how to sleep independently so that if they do wake in the night, they’ll be familiar with how to put themselves back to sleep throughout the night.
Unlike sickness, I want you to treat your child’s schedule as normal if they are teething. This will mean that your baby can stay awake for the entirety of their awake window, and they don’t need any extra hours of sleep throughout the night.
I have found that when my clients report back about their baby teething - it’s often in the morning after a great sleep that they’ll notice a new tooth poking through the gums! While this isn’t always the case, I would say that the majority of my clients handle teething quite well.
If you need help getting your child on a good sleep schedule EVEN IF THEY ARE teething, consider taking my Baby Sleep Course! It’s an affordable course to ensure that your baby is sleeping independently through the night, taking great naps, and handling night wakings like the champ they are!
