Could My 3 1/2 Month Old Be Teething? Frustrated by Toys.

most likely it is the vaccination and some can make him cranky up to 2 weeks I am told. My son started teething and drooling at 4 months but no teeth till about 7 months. the teeth rings are great and you can freeze them in the freezer. i have also discovered for my son otter pops are good. he can crunch on them and the plastic is tough enough his lil teeth cannot break through but smaller then teething ring and he likes the cold. then when it goes luid again i pop the same one back in the freezer. just an idea.

Hello
frozen bananas are good to suck and chew on. Clove essential oil (a couple drops) in olive oil massaged on babies gums works, and camilla homeopathic remedy for fussiness.

hope this helps
Jennifer French

YES! Both of my boys teethed at 4 months.

Try Hylands Homeopathic Teething Tablets. They are the BEST! With my children, I tried everything from Orajel (ICK) to Natural Baby Teething Oil, to Clove Oil with Peppermint, etc. etc. and the Hylands Tablets are the BEST. My youngest son would completely STOP eating when he was teething and a few Hylands tablets would reverse it immediately! In fact, I recently used them for my pre-teen who was getting four of his 12 year molars at once and my 6 yr old who was getting his 6 yr molars. It eliminated the pain for both of them at the same dose I gave them as babies!

I get them at Good Foods in Pacifica and Rite Aid.

Good luck.

~ Mom of 4: girl, boy, boy, and baby due 10/1

p.s. They like the taste. They just suck and it dissolves. It's not numbing either!

It seems crazy, I know, but we just discovered a 2nd tooth in my 4 month old! It's early, but it is possible. I like to wet a corner of one of his baby washcloths and stick it in the freezer. After about 1/2 hour just the wet corner is frozen for him to chew on and the soft dry part is easier and more comfortable to hold.
Good Luck!

Hi C.,

I have a 5 1/2 month old son who has been doing the same thing since he was about 3 months. He tries to put everything in his mouth and would also get frustrated with his toys. My son has not yet had any teeth make their appearance. What I found has helped him are soft teething rings/toys that I put in the refrigerator and he also likes chewing on his burp cloths. Good luck as I know it is frustrating at times!

Hi C.,
The only item my son would chew on while teething were his burp cloths, which were just cheap cloth diapers. Try to avoid using plastics for teething if you can, as questions about toxicity seem to pop up daily. In particular, avoid plastics containing either phthalates (often found in softer plastics) and BPA (often found in hard, translucent plastics). I know many people have had success putting frozen fruit or ice into this net looking thing, which the child can chew on without getting any large, choking hazard pieces of food into his mouth. My son used it once or twice with ice, but then I think he found it too cold. With fruit, be careful to introduce only one item per week so that you can check for any allergic or digestive reactions, and stay away from citrus at this age (too often an allergen). We also found baby orajel and motrin helpful, though we only used the motrin at night when he couldn't sleep, which doesn't sound like an issue for you at the moment. Also, our son was older -- more like 9 mos. He acted like he was teething for about a month or so before his first teeth cut. However, he never got as upset as what you are describing. Is it possible he is not getting enough milk when he is nursing and he is getting frustrated while nursing and hungry at other times? I pumped and then fed my son from a bottle (long story -- not worth getting into here), so I don't know if this is a potential issue. I'm just trying to think of what else might be happening. With bottles, you progress to nipples w/ more holes or larger ones as the baby gets bigger and wants more milk more quickly. Just a random thought. Oh! One other thing. Is it possible your son has an ear infection??? It turns out that little ones tug at their ears more often when teething, not when they have ear infections, but the eustachian tube goes down towards the jaw. Also, sinus infections (pretty unusual in infants and toddlers) can hurt into the top jaw/teeth. Has your son been congested recently? Even if not, you might want to have a doc look into his ears, just in case. Check for a fever -- he would likely have one w/ an infection, though low-grade fevers are common with teething, too. A fever with an infection would typically be higher, but whose kid is typical? I hope you find something that works!

It sounds like he is teething. I don't have any toy suggestions, but teething tablets or drops are GREAT!!! They are homeopathic and they work really well. There are several brands and one works just as well as the other. They can be found in baby aisles at any store.
Good luck,
S. R

He is most likely teething if he is sticking his fist into his mouth. The pressure on his gums feels good. Give him teething things he can bite down on. Babies will put anything in their mouth so try different teething rings or toys you find at the baby store. Just make sure they are easy to clean. Even your clean fingers are good for him to suck on. Babies gums get itchy when they are teething as well and coolness helps. Cool his pacifier in the freezer before you give it to him. Or a cold washcloth.

Good luck with your little one!

He could be. give him a cool wash cloth to chew in.. They can get them in farther. Just keep a close eye on him while he has it. My son loves the wash cloth when he was teething.
Good luck

My 6.5 month old has no teeth and has been a drooly mess since 3 months. My friend's 3.5 month old just broke his first tooth last week. He got very fussy and stopped nursing completely. She resorted to a bottle and he drank about 2oz of pumped milk every few hours. It really hurt him that bad. He's back to eating normally again now. Watch for swelling at the gum line and redness.

Hi C.,

Some babies are born with teeth. Talk to your Ped. and don't stress.

hi, this is an odd one, but i have found that many little ones need help being brought down into their bodies. it soothes them to run a gentle hand with the love in your heart in it, down their legs and off their feet (or down their back and stopping at the sacrum to rock them a little, then down and off/out their feet), to help them release. even from the chest or back out through the arms and hands helps them bring their spirit or consciousness more into their body, and the more light, the better they feel. also, all beings need to feel the heart energy of others, and touch is a great way to connect your heart to his so he will calm and feel secure.

A. m

This is confusing, I know. I have three children and seven grandchildren and it seems like they all had a "false teething" period at around this same age. It's like they're teething but you don't see any signs other than sticking things in their mouth and crying. I don't know what it is, but I know it will pass just like everything else. Maybe it's the teeth coming up through the gum and we just can't see it yet. who know's but I know it's real. Hang in there. Not sure what you can do other than sympathize!

It sounds like he could be teething. Anything that you can put in the freezer (they have toys designed just for teething that you can freeze and feel good when they chew on them) works really well. Also, Orajel works really well when you put it on their gums. You can purchase it just about anywhere.

could be teething, my daughter went through a long chewing phase long before any teeth showed up. Sassy makes a fish shaped teether that has lots of different textures that she loves.

A super cheap and easy thing babies seem to like to chew on is vinyl tubing - the kind you see on aquarium pumps and the like. I just got my 9 mo old son (no teeth yet) a 18" piece of it today at Ace Hardware for $0.63. Just make sure it's fairly long and tie a knot in it so he doesn't put a long end so far in his mouth that he gags on it.

Also, there's a neat teether in the shape of a star with a handle that vibrates when it's bitten. I think it's by The First Years. My son loves his and it's great oral feedback for him.

Good luck!

He could very well be teething - my daughter started cutting teeth at 4 months of age, and by 12 months, she had every single tooth except her back molars which came in at about 15 months of age. It was pretty rough, as she teethed and teethed for months with no end in sight - needless to say, childrens tylenol and orajel became our best friends!

All children teethe at a different rate, but generally, the teeth will come in in a pretty regular pattern - look for his two front, bottom teeth to come in first. Feel his gums with your fingers and see if you can feel the little teeth beneath the surface (you may also be able to see what look like little white areas on his gums where the teeth are getting ready to push through) - my daughter loved having her gums "massaged" during teething. You will find that he may refuse the bottle/breast sometimes, so don't hesitate to use baby orajel to comfort him for a period so that he can feed comfortably. My daughter loved to chew on a soft, baby toothbrush: I also put those soft rubber baby spoons, her binkys, and wet washcloths/chew rags in the freezer and then let her chew on them.

However, realize that it is unreasonable for you to expect your 3 1/2 month old to "entertain" himself - he will now be looking for constant interaction and attention, and that is developmentally normal for his age. They don't care about toys at this point - they want to see faces, facial expressions, listen to voices, and interact with you. Teething is likely NOT the cause of his recent "inability" to entertain himself - now that he is sleeping less and become more aware of the world, he will not want to hang out by himself!

Hello C.,

I have twins and they are both different when it comes to teething. My daughter did not make a fuss and all of a sudden we noticed two bottom teeth. My son was fussy for a month or so drooling and putting everything in his mouth and he did not get teeth until a couple month later. I used the teething tablets, you can gt them at any store like Walgreens or a grocery store. It seems to work well for my son. I also gave him a frozen bagel, cold wash cloth and he loves the spiral tubes. He found one that I use to put air in my bouncy ball and he will chew on that for hours. Good Luck put it will come to an end soon.

Yep, he could absolutely be teething at this stage. Sometimes those first ones take a while to show through. Keep trying out different teething toys, wash cloths, anything clean with interesting textures (mine spent a night chewing on a corn cob once, and loved it - just make sure no bits are going to come off).