For many babies, teething is a painful process, for others; there seem to be no signs at all.
Baby teeth, also known as "milk teeth", usually start to appear between six and seven months.
The teeth cutting their way through the gums are most often a slow and painful process as the teeth grow.
Although there are stories of babies being born with a full set of teeth, this is extremely rare.
Baby teeth usually grow in sets of two and alternate between the top and bottom with the bottom front being the first to appear.
Teething can last from a year and a half to two years depending on the child.
Now, don't assume this means that your child will be teething the entire time.
What it does mean is that until they have gotten all of their baby teeth, you can expect that you will see the symptoms reappear from time to time.
Once you child has all twenty (20) baby teeth, this process is complete.
There are all sorts of "remedies" on the market from baby Orajel to frozen teether "toys".
The number of teethers and the styles varies from store to store almost.
None of these so called remedies seem to be capable of doing more than soothing the baby for a few minutes.
The most effective in easing the pain, as you would expect, is the baby Orajel.
Fortunately for all concerned, it is unusual for each of the baby teeth to cause a severe reaction although there are likely to be some symptoms that will be common throughout the process.
With the variety of symptoms, much of the time, parents are not immediately aware that the baby is teething.
When a child starts teething, it can seem as though the baby has caught a cold.
Symptoms can include: runny nose, fever, sleeplessness, crankiness, diarrhea, vomiting All of these symptoms are normal and do not require a visit to the doctor's office.
Of course, any excessive fever should be checked immediately, just in case.
When a child starts teething, they seem to chew on everything around.
In fact, a simple way to tell if the symptoms your child is displaying are from teething is to wash your hands, then, using the tip of your finger, rub the baby's gums.
If a baby has started teething, they will bite down on your finger rather than suck on it.
Often times they will be biting on the nipple of their bottle, their feeding spoon, their toys, their own hands, anything that they can get into their mouths.
There's nothing like the painful cry of your own baby to break your heart.
You may find that when your baby is suffering with the pain of teething, they are unwilling to be cuddled.
Freezing a gel filled teether can help to numb the gums and soothe the current bout with teething.
Most often, the baby will refuse to hold the teether because it is so cold.
You can hold it and most likely, your baby will gladly chew away.