Most babies start getting their first teeth from about 4 months of age.
This will vary from one child to another and it is not uncommon for many babies to take up to a year before their first teeth begin to appear.
Most babies will experience some form of discomfort during this time and they can also get various different symptoms such as diarrhea, fever and so on.
It is during this period that sleep is often disturbed and this can be a very stressful time for the parents.
Some babies will also start refusing their food as they associate it with the pain that they are experiencing from their new teeth coming through.
Swelling of their gums and the associated sensitivity also makes eating more unpleasant.
Along with this lack of sleep and an unwillingness to eat many babies become irritable during teething and will cry a lot more than normal.
The teething can bring associated problems as there is more saliva in the mouth and this gets swallowed.
The increase in saliva makes the baby’s stools a lot looser and this in turn can cause diarrhea.
The diarrhea then creates the problems of an increase in the incidence of diaper rash which only adds to the problems that you and your baby have to cope with during this time.
Some parents and babies get through this period with little difficulty at all but most will regard this as one of the most unpleasant times of bringing up a child.
If your baby has a high temperature this can be caused by the teething but you should always take your baby to the doctor if this happens as it could be some other medical problem and not related to the teething at all.
Also, monitor your baby’s weight as a reluctance to eat might cause it to start losing weight.