Symptoms of teething fever in babies

Many friends with parenting experience know that children in the teething period are most likely to have a fever. Although an occasional fever is not a bad thing, it may cause serious accidents if not treated promptly. So moms, when your baby enters the teething period, you must pay special attention to professional care. So what should you do if your baby has a fever during this period? How do we take care of our babies during this special period in daily life?

1. Symptoms of teething in babies

Baby's teething is a physiological phenomenon. Most children do not feel any discomfort during the teething period, but a few children will experience symptoms such as fever. The situation of each child is different, which depends on the child's physique.

In fact, the first deciduous tooth will begin to erupt in babies between 6 and 12 months old, and all 20 deciduous teeth will gradually grow out when the baby is 2 to 3 years old. During the teething period, babies will become irritable, have mood swings, and be prone to crying, biting things, and drooling. Babies with severe discomfort may also have difficulty falling asleep, mild diarrhea, fever, etc.

2. Why do babies have fever when teething?

Strictly speaking, a child’s teething fever is not caused by the eruption of deciduous teeth. The real reason for the fever is that the baby's gums itch during the teething period. Once the child has poor immunity and likes to chew things and grind his gums (the gums will become red, swollen and easily damaged during the teething period), he will be invaded by oral bacteria, causing oral mucosal infection and inflammation, and may eventually have a fever. Usually, the effects of this infection are not severe, so a low-grade fever is common.

In addition to bacteria inside the mouth, external bacteria can also cause teething fever in babies. It is summer and the weather is hot and rainy during the rainy season, so various bacteria and viruses are quite active. It is the peak period for oral and upper respiratory tract infections. Babies in the teething period like to put anything they grab into their mouths. If parents are careless and let this happen, the baby may put bacteria and viruses into their mouths and become infected. In severe cases, it may cause or be complicated by other infections and cause serious health problems.

3. What should I do if my baby has a fever while teething?

Some babies will experience varying degrees of fever when their teeth begin to erupt. As long as the body temperature does not exceed 38°C, and the baby is in good spirits and has a good appetite, no special treatment is needed. Just give the baby more boiled water. If the body temperature exceeds 38.5°C and is accompanied by irritability, crying, refusal to drink milk, etc., you should seek medical attention in time and ask the doctor to check whether there are other infections.

During the teething period, babies may experience problems such as irritability, crying, biting people, biting things, chewing fingers, drooling, poor sleep quality, mild diarrhea, and in serious cases, babies may even have a fever. During a detailed examination of the baby, a routine blood test will generally be done to see if there is inflammation due to teething or if the fever is caused by other reasons. Regarding babies’ fever due to teething, pediatricians will recommend that parents should learn more about fever reduction during the teething period, and be sure to keep some fever-reducing patches and antipyretic drugs at home in case of emergency.