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Is It Teething or…Language Development?

Posted November 13, 2009

This must sound like a foolish question.  Your 4.5 month old baby starts drooling, keeps her fingers constantly in her mouth and is often fussy.  Books, friends and relatives all tell you these are signs of teething.  Not only is this nearly always labeled as teething - you are cautioned to "be ready," for teething to start, as if this normal stage is something to dread.

For some reason it isn't common knowledge that there is a less expected - but much more likely - explanation for this behavior...language development!  Around 4 months of age your baby's system begins to produce more saliva.  This extra saliva production enables babbling.  Babies this age are ready to babble and need lots of saliva to make it work well.  "Bababa, dadadada" are good examples of this exciting, early communication.  The hands feel good in the mouth and the babbling is fun and the extra saliva often leaks down the lip, producing what could be interpreted as a "teething drool."

Speaking of teething, the first tooth often comes as a complete surprise to parents. Five months is not too early but 6 or 7 months is a more typical age. It is my observation that most babies sail through teething with only red cheeks at the most.  A few may act "sick" for a day or so and it may be these rarer reactions that give teething it's bad name.  

One last important point is that teething "pain" is much like a canker sore would be for us.  Uncomfortable and enough to make you a bit cranky, but not a good reason to be up in the night.  Giving a small dose of baby Tylenol before bed when you've seen puffy gums during the day is the most you should expect to do as your baby progresses through this very normal, exciting stage of development.

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