My Baby is 'TEETHING'. Huh???

Is your baby really 'teething'?

Parents often attribute the illness of two out of every five children attended to at our children outpatient clinic to the development of a new set of teeth.

Well...,

A child is expected to begin to grow the first set of teeth from the sixth month of life. However some may delay.

Development of teeth is not always the primary reason for children having high grade fever, stooling, vomiting or coughing profusely as people insinuate.

The major reason for children, especially those in the tropics to develop illness from 6 months and beyond is due to the fact that the immunity the child gets from the mother declines from the sixth month of life. This makes the child more prone to infections and illnesses.

Children develop their own immunity between 6 months and five years.

Also, as the child develops teeth, the gums become itchy. Hence they often put their fingers ,and by extension items they can grasp, into their mouth. Sometimes, a child plays on the floor/ playground, and puts the same fingers into its mouth, thereby introducing microbes that cause infections.

Out of concern, many parents would administer teething drugs to their children. It is important to note however that these drugs mainly contain paracetamol. So, if teething was such a big issue, why use just paracetamol?

Please and Please, if your child has symptoms of an illness such as fever, vomiting, frequent passage of loose stool, catarrh, cough, and so on, do not just stay quiet assuming it is a teeth issue; make sure you see your doctor.

Got questions? You can reach out to us @ info@doctorkk.com or 0802 577 0297