Signs of teething

There are a number of classic symptoms to look out for when your baby is teething - some that you might never have realised are associated with teething.

Look out for your baby hungrily gnawing at anything and everything she can get into her mouth (her own hands and fingers included). She may have found that sinking her gums into something hard eases the discomfort.

While excessive dribbling can be one of the symptoms of teething, this isn't always necessarily the cause - bear in mind that it's also produced as part of your baby's normal development as she explores objects in her mouth, but doesn't yet have the skill to swallow it.

Red, swollen gums, and red, hot cheeks are a classic sign your baby's teething.

Sleeplessness at night often occurs with teething. Our guide to managing nighttime teething might help.

Finding your child to be generally irritable with a raised temperature are classic signs of teething. If you're worried about something like a high fever, be sure to get it checked out by a medical expert.

Loose bowels are thought to be caused when excessive saliva passes through the tummy.

One theory about nappy rash is that it's caused by of all that extra saliva, which makes the stools acidic. There's also a theory that excessive dribbling can lead to a loss of fluids, which makes the urine more concentrated.

Your child may have a loss of appetite, or even a refusal to feed when teething.

Before a new tooth erupts, it can cause a red and swollen area on a baby's gums. The gum can even bulge with the emerging tooth, which you can see faintly beneath the skin.

A teething baby, whose gums are tender, often likes to bite and chew and might do so while breastfeeding.

Ear pulling: the pain that teething causes in the jaw can transfer to the ear canal, and a baby will often pull on her ears in a bid to alleviate it.

For more baby advice and tips, take a look below:

Baby health and advice

Baby development