Teething?

[Lulabelle2244]

Hi,

FTM to a 5 month old here. He's been like a different baby for almost 2 weeks now. He's grouchy most of the time and his sleep is terrible. He sleeps 2-3 hours initially then wakes hourly after that.

Basically, I'm starting to wonder if he is starting the teething process. He has no white marks on the top of his gums yet, no red cheeks etc but has had more dirty nappies than usual and often flicks his ear (can't tell if this is tiredness). He'll chew anything he can get into his mouth and if I lightly put pressure on his bottom gum he seems to like it. He doesn't seem interested in cold teethers but has a silicon bead one that he likes to chew on. I am absolutely clueless when it comes to this and don't want to start loading him with teething powders etc unnecessarily. Wondering if you lovely ladies think things might be starting based on my photos.

Thanks in advance

It's really difficult to tell by looking. The best way is to feel the gum with your fingertip and if it's hard and/or bumpy then it's probably close to the surface.

My boy's sleep was chaos when he started teething, but that was literally the only sign that he had a tooth coming. We suspected but weren't sure until only day the tooth popped up. He was chewing his fists quite a bit for about 2-3 months beforehand (look up chronic teething)

Is he old enough for Neurofen before bed? If he gets used to sleeping a bit longer, might start to sleep through the discomfort even without painkillers. Plus will help you rule out if it's something else, eg) sleep regression.

Our boy was bad with his first tooth, but then not so bad with subsequent ones. I think it hurts them before the teeth start erupting poor mites, what with all the teeth moving into position in their heads.

If he's "just" having a sleep regression, he could be a bit grumpy in the daytimes because he's tired, nothing to do with teething. So hard to tell when they're so small! Our's is 20 months now, only JUST starting to be able to say "yes" if we guess what's hurting him, it's such a relief to be able to ask!

@sbena I can't feel anything solid under the gum. Its quite flat but firm where the first teeth come through and if I put pressure on it while he's complaining then he stops and looks at me. I wonder if he may go the same way as your LO.

@QS90 He is old enough so I could try. His gums look red on/off which is why I wondered if things might be on the move. I just wish I could take it for him.

He's been in a sleep regression since he was 3.5 months, he's now almost 5.5 months and his sleep has suddenly got worse again. He woke up 4 times in the first 2 hours of going to bed last night then hourly after that! I'm praying there's light at the end of the tunnel because I'm exhausted!

@QS90 he's started napping much better through the day. In the past it was a guessing game but he has almost put himself on a schedule for day time naps. It's just nights he now struggles with. He doesn't wake up crying in the night, he just lies there thumping his arms and legs and then after a while will cry for me to go and help him back to sleep. I moved him to his cot and he flings his arms and legs so much that he ends up the opposite way to how I put him in😂

Ahh, I bet you are exhausted! It does get better :)

If he's not crying in the night, maybe he's not in pain at all? Has his sleeping place moved? Eg) new cot, new room? We co-slept until quite recently - he used to wriggle so much I'd get woken up a a foot in the nose 😂😶

I've been holding off picking him up when he wakes to see if he settles himself but he cries after a little while if I don't get him. I moved him to his cot a week ago but his sleep had already got worse before that. He was waking himself up in the next2me because he was thumping his legs so hard that the whole thing shook 😂 I'm staying in the room with him though.

I've never managed co-sleeping before but have had to try it the past few days because I just couldn't function. I'm hoping that once his sleep settles then he'll do a whole night in the cot. How did you find the transition?

There were a few protests the first night, but he slept through fine after that, with me or OH on a camp bed in the room. I heard somewhere that babies who co-sleep, sleep better long term as they have learnt to feel safe asleep, although there seem to be new and conflicting studies all the time about this sort of stuff, so who knows?!

After about a month of this (when we were feeling all smug he was sleeping through...), he started his "terrible two's" early, and we had a week where he just screamed and said he wanted to go downstairs and watch Peppa Pig at 3am!! We had to be quite strict, now he sleeps 8pm - 6:30am without a peep or anyone else in the room (sorry to rub it in!!). Actually this week we've been poorly with Covid - I offered him to sleep in the big bed with me, but he refused as prefers sleeping alone now 😢I think there are advantages and disadvantages to every permeatation (cot / co-sleep / early own room / late own room....), so just do what works for you at the time 😊It will all change again at some point.

@QS90 It sounds like you've done a great job of persevering and it's paid off!

Still waking hourly here except the 2-3 hours he used to do have gone and he now wakes 40 mins after I put him down. He's full of life, me not so much 😂