The Need to Teethe

Life with a child is a challenge, every day. Especially when very young, they grow so quickly it's hard to keep up. One minute they're happy, gurgling little lumps; the next they're gnawing on everything in sight and waking up late at night in tears. Welcome to teething.

Teething usually begins between four and six months of age, when your infant's teeth have just begun to come in. The lower front two teeth typically come in first, followed by the top two front teeth, but a baby can't really separate where the pain is located except inside her mouth. Your baby will try to chew on whatever will ease the discomfort - table and chair legs, baby bedding, the dog's tail, hands, the rails of her own crib.

The "Hidden Cost" of Baby Furniture

Many parents are surprised and shocked - and a little disturbed - to see their infant chewing on her own baby bedding. Blankets, cot rails, head- and footboards all fall prey to the desperate need their baby has to chew. While softer baby bedding can be stitched together if torn or washed if slightly soggy, harder pieces of baby bedding, such as the furniture, are at risk of permanent damage.

Luckily, many manufacturers offer "teething rails", which are long plastic clip-on guards that rest on top of the cot's side walls and protect them from eager little teeth. This protects a portion of the baby bedding from being destroyed, but you may need to keep a crib bumper installed to stop the baby from chewing on the cot bars.

If the baby bedding and furniture is not protected, you may need to replace it before your baby is big enough to outgrow it. Babies are too young to understand, let alone obey, the word "No" when they begin teething, so attempting to discipline your child out of gnawing on their baby bedding will not succeed. Keep a close eye on them and their baby bedding, and remove or replace any baby bedding that looks worn to the point of coming apart.

Dangers of Teething

Your baby may swallow pieces of fabric or splinters of wood from chewing on their baby bedding. Worse, those same splinters might get stuck in their gums or mouth. Closely monitoring their baby bedding throughout this phase will help prevent this from happening.

Cosmetic damage should not be immediately repaired. If your baby is chewing paint off the cot frame, let it go - better that than re-paint the frame, only to have the baby gnaw on it while still wet, potentially swallowing numerous toxins. Unless the cot or other baby bedding looks ready to come apart, leave it be, or remove it entirely if concerned.

Once those first few teeth come in, your baby will return to its previous self, and you'll no longer need to worry about the baby bedding getting eaten during the night.. at least, until next time.