At 3 months old, your baby is probably drooling more than ever, gnawing on their fists, and fussier than usual. While this looks a lot like teething, most babies don’t cut their first tooth until around 6 months. What you’re likely seeing is a normal developmental stage where babies start exploring the world with their mouths and producing more saliva. That said, some babies do teethe early, and either way, the discomfort is real and the remedies are the same.
Is Your 3-Month-Old Actually Teething?
Around 3 months, babies naturally begin putting their hands in their mouths and drooling more. This is a developmental milestone, not necessarily a sign that a tooth is on its way. Most babies develop teeth between 6 and 12 months, with the first tooth typically appearing around 6 months.
True teething signs include red, swollen, tender gums right where a tooth is pushing through. You might also notice increased fussiness, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, and constant biting or chewing on objects. If you run a clean finger along your baby’s gums and feel a hard bump or see a whitish area beneath the surface, a tooth may genuinely be emerging early. If the gums look normal, your baby is likely just in that mouthy, drooly phase, and the heavy teething is still a few months away.
Safe Ways to Soothe Sore Gums
The simplest remedies work best at this age. A clean, damp washcloth chilled in the refrigerator (not the freezer) gives your baby something cold and textured to gnaw on. The gentle pressure and cool temperature help numb irritated gums. You can also massage your baby’s gums with a clean finger, applying light, steady pressure along the areas that look swollen or red.
Solid teething rings designed for young infants are another good option. Look for one-piece rings made of solid rubber or silicone with no liquid inside, since fluid-filled rings can leak or break. Chill the ring in the fridge before offering it. At 3 months, your baby may not have the grip strength to hold a teether independently, so you may need to hold it for them or choose a style they can mouth while it rests on their chest.
If your baby is breastfeeding, offering a cold washcloth or gum massage right before a feeding session can take the edge off. Teething babies sometimes change their latch or bite down to relieve gum pressure, which can be painful for you. Trying different nursing positions and making sure your baby is latched deeply can help with this.
What to Avoid
Several popular teething products are genuinely dangerous for infants. The FDA has issued specific warnings about numbing gels containing benzocaine or lidocaine, which are sold over the counter for mouth pain. These provide little to no benefit for teething and carry serious risks. Benzocaine can cause a condition called methemoglobinemia, where the blood’s ability to carry oxygen drops dramatically. Lidocaine solutions can cause seizures, heart problems, and severe brain injury if too much is swallowed. Neither should be used on a teething baby.
Homeopathic teething tablets are also a risk. The FDA found that some brands contained inconsistent and dangerously high levels of belladonna, a toxic plant extract. Testing showed that the actual amount of active ingredients in these tablets varied wildly from what was listed on the label. The FDA urges parents not to use homeopathic teething products and to throw away any they already have.
Amber teething necklaces and other jewelry marketed for teething pose strangulation and choking hazards. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants not wear any jewelry. If a necklace breaks, the small beads become a choking risk, and wearing one during sleep creates a strangulation danger. There is no scientific evidence that amber releases any pain-relieving substance through the skin.
When Pain Relief Medication Makes Sense
For a 3-month-old, pain medication requires caution. Acetaminophen (the active ingredient in infant Tylenol) should not be given to children under 2 years old without guidance from a pediatrician. This is especially important in the first 12 weeks of life, when any fever could signal a serious infection that needs medical evaluation. If your baby seems truly miserable from gum pain and the physical soothing methods aren’t enough, call your pediatrician’s office. They can confirm whether medication is appropriate and give you the correct dose based on your baby’s weight.
Ibuprofen is not recommended at all for babies under 6 months, so it’s off the table at this age.
Fever Is Not From Teething
A persistent myth is that teething causes fevers. It may raise your baby’s temperature very slightly, but teething will not push a temperature to 100.4°F (38°C) or higher. That threshold defines a true fever, and a fever signals an infection. Because 3-month-olds are still so young, a fever at this age always warrants a call to your pediatrician. Don’t dismiss it as teething.
Similarly, teething does not cause diarrhea, rashes on the body, or vomiting. If your baby has any of these symptoms alongside what you think is teething, something else is going on.
Starting Good Mouth Care Early
Even before any teeth appear, you can begin a simple oral hygiene routine. Wrap a damp piece of gauze or a soft cloth around your finger and gently wipe your baby’s gums after feedings, or at least twice a day. This removes milk residue and gets your baby accustomed to having their mouth cleaned, which makes the transition to a toothbrush much easier once teeth do arrive. When that first tooth finally breaks through, switch to a small, soft-bristled infant toothbrush with a rice-grain-sized smear of fluoride toothpaste, brushing gently in small circles along the gum line.
Helping With Sleep and Feeding
Teething discomfort tends to peak in the evening and overnight, which is why sleep disruption is one of the most common complaints. A gum massage or cold washcloth right before bedtime can help your baby settle. If your baby wakes more than usual, a brief comfort session with gentle gum pressure may be enough to get them back to sleep without creating new sleep habits you’ll need to undo later.
Some babies lose interest in feeding when their gums hurt because the sucking motion creates pressure on tender spots. If your baby is pulling away from the breast or bottle, try offering shorter, more frequent feeds. For breastfed babies, massaging the gums before nursing helps reduce the urge to bite. Bottle-fed babies sometimes do better with a slower-flow nipple during teething episodes, since it requires less forceful sucking. If your baby refuses feeds for more than a day or shows signs of dehydration like fewer wet diapers, contact your pediatrician.