Frantic hand chewing

[greenemerald]

My LO is 3 months old (7weeks corrected) and for the last few days has started frantically trying to put his hands in his mouth. He hasn't looked at his hands at all, so unsure whether he's truly discovered them. He's going through an extremely fussy phase the past week. He's trying to shove them in his mouth in a panic, but then gets so frustrated with it as he can't do it properly yet! He also constantly wants to be held and he's also refusing feeds! The only way to feed him right now is to do it whilst he's drowsy/sleeping. He's also constantly wanting the dummy but still tries to chew his hands even with it in. I don't think he's teething. Is this just a growth spurt?

Why don't you think it's teething? It's not unusual for teeth to come through at 3/4 months and I think it can unsettle them for a couple of weeks before as the teeth push through the gums.

@Beamur hmm I think due to his prematurity I assumed it was too early, but I guess it could be? I've looked inside his mouth and didn't see anything difference around the gums. But not sure if I would see anything? He does have colic/reflux so I've been attributing it to that

Definitely teething! Absolute classic text book signs. Also the teeth have a way to go before they break through, That doesn't mean baby won't feel anything like they grow. 3 months is certainly no surprise to have this. Toys to gnaw on are good, some can go in the fridge as some find the cold soothing. 😊

Hand chewing is common at this age, accompanied by dribbling. It doesn't mean teeth are about the erupt for most babies, that tends to come a bit later. It is worth checking for signs of oral thrush as that can cause feeding difficulties.

Can understand that, but some babies are even born with teeth! Rare but it happens and some get teeth quite early. I wonder if you and dad's parents can remember when you got your first tooth, might give you a better expectation than the national average

Babies do like to put things in their mouths!
Good idea to check for thrush. Wouldn't hurt to have some cooling teethers though too.
My DD is a teenager now, but her teeth came through early. Took me by surprise.

Ah so it seems teething could be an entirely possible reason! Not sure why I had discounted it. Will check for oral thrush too. He hasn't learnt to grab/hold onto things yet so can't give him a soothing teether toy to chew on himself yet!