The best things you can do for a teething baby are simple: apply gentle pressure to their gums, offer something safe to chew on, and know which popular products to avoid. Most babies start teething around 6 months, and the process comes and goes until roughly age 3. The discomfort is usually mild, even though it can make your baby fussier than usual.
When Teething Starts and What to Expect
The lower front teeth typically appear first, between 6 and 10 months. The upper front teeth follow at 8 to 12 months. From there, teeth generally work outward: lateral incisors arrive between 9 and 16 months, first molars between 13 and 19 months, canines between 16 and 23 months, and the second molars between 23 and 33 months. Every baby is different, so don’t worry if the timing varies by a few months in either direction.
Not every new tooth causes noticeable discomfort. You might see increased drooling, a stronger urge to chew on things, and slightly swollen or reddened gums right where a tooth is pushing through. Some babies get a mild rash on their chin or cheeks from all the extra drool. Most of the time, teething makes a baby a little more irritable but doesn’t cause intense crying or major sleep disruption.
Home Remedies That Actually Help
Pressure on the gums is the most effective non-drug relief. You can rub your baby’s gums with a clean finger for a minute or two. A chilled (not frozen) washcloth works well too: wet it, wring it out, and put it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before letting your baby gnaw on it. The cold helps reduce swelling, and the texture gives them something satisfying to bite.
Solid rubber teething rings are another reliable option. Look for ones that are a single piece with no liquid inside, since filled rings can leak or break. Cooling the ring in the fridge adds extra soothing power, but avoid putting teething rings in the freezer. A frozen ring becomes too hard and can actually bruise sensitive gums. If your baby is eating solid foods, chilled fruits like a cold banana slice or refrigerated cucumber can serve double duty as a snack and a teether.
Pain Medication: What’s Safe
For nights when your baby is clearly uncomfortable and home remedies aren’t enough, infant acetaminophen is an option at any age. Ibuprofen is also effective but should not be given to babies under 6 months. In both cases, dosing is based on your baby’s weight, not their age. Check the packaging carefully or call your pediatrician’s office for the right dose if you’re unsure.
These medications are best used sparingly, for the worst stretches, rather than as a daily routine throughout teething. Most teething episodes only cause a few days of noticeable discomfort per tooth.
Products to Avoid
Several popular teething products carry real risks that outweigh any potential benefit.
- Numbing gels with benzocaine or lidocaine. The FDA warns against using these on children’s gums. They provide little relief because saliva washes them away within minutes. More importantly, benzocaine can trigger a condition called methemoglobinemia, which drastically reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. It can be fatal.
- Homeopathic teething tablets. The FDA found that some homeopathic teething tablets contain inconsistent and dangerously high levels of belladonna, a toxic plant extract. Testing revealed that the amounts of active compounds in certain products far exceeded what was listed on the label. The FDA urges parents to stop using these products and throw away any they have at home.
- Amber teething necklaces. These are marketed with the claim that body heat releases a natural anti-inflammatory from the amber beads. Research shows no evidence that this actually happens. The real concern is safety: the FDA has received reports of infant deaths from strangulation and choking related to these necklaces. Testing found that many amber necklace clasps require significant force to open, enough to obstruct a small child’s airway before the clasp gives way. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against any necklaces, chains, or cords worn around the neck of children under three.
Teething Does Not Cause Fever or Diarrhea
One of the most persistent myths about teething is that it causes high fevers, diarrhea, or runny noses. It doesn’t. A large meta-analysis found no consistent link between tooth eruption and fever. While some babies may run a very slight temperature increase, a true fever (above 100.4°F or 38°C) is not a teething symptom. If your baby has a fever, diarrhea, a rash that isn’t limited to the drool zone, or is crying inconsolably, something else is going on, and those symptoms deserve attention on their own rather than being dismissed as “just teething.”
The timing creates confusion because the peak teething window, 6 to 24 months, overlaps with the age when babies are losing the immune protection they got from their mother and encountering common infections for the first time. A sick baby who also happens to be teething is a baby with two separate things happening at once.
Caring for New Teeth
Start brushing as soon as the first tooth appears. Use a soft-bristled infant toothbrush with a smear of fluoride toothpaste about the size of a grain of rice. That tiny amount is safe to swallow and effective at protecting enamel. Once your child turns 3, you can increase to a pea-sized amount. Brush twice a day, especially before bed, since milk and food residue sitting on new teeth overnight can start the process of decay surprisingly quickly, even on baby teeth.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends scheduling a first dental visit by age 1 or within six months of the first tooth appearing, whichever comes first. These early visits are quick, low-key, and mostly about checking that everything is developing normally.