Better babies and their care

by Anna Steese Richardson

At 12 months, six teeth.

At 18 months, twelve teeth.

At 24 months, sixteen teeth.

At 30 months, twenty teeth, or the complete set of first, or milk, teeth, as they are sometimes called.

Various causes are assigned to delayed dentition or slowness in teething. A prolonged and serious illness, or a case of rickets, will delay the teething; and it is also said to be a matter of family traits. In some families the children, whether bottle-fed or breast-fed, teethe later than in others. As a rule, too, the breast-fed baby teethes earlier and more easily than the bottle-fed baby, because the breast milk keeps the digestion in a uniformly normal condition.

The mother who studies this table of dentition and the diet tables on pages 109-111 will see that the cutting of the larger teeth, and the change in diet from milk to foods that require chewing, come at the same time, at eighteen months. If she will follow the directions of the diet table, the baby will not suffer from the consequences of overfeeding or of food that is too rich.

There is no way of hastening the process of dentition until the gums become swollen and the child is irritated by the discomfort entailed. Then the gums may be rubbed very gently several times daily with a clean piece of Turkish toweling twisted around the index finger. The old habit of rubbing the baby’s gums with the bare finger, which may or may not have been washed, is not sanitary, nor for that matter does it assist the cutting of the tooth. But the moderate roughness of Turkish toweling is helpful. Small squares of the toweling may be kept in the baby’s basket for ready use. If the baby is feverish and the gums are hot as well as swollen, they can be washed gently several times daily with a soft bit of gauze dipped in water that has been first boiled, then cooled in a sanitary vessel.

If the baby seems to find relief in biting on something hard, provide an ivory ring or toy that can be washed. Never allow the child to put the ring in his mouth after it has been dropped on the floor, or in dust of any sort, until you have cleansed it again.

If the gums remain swollen and hard, and if such symptoms as fever, vomiting, and diarrhea persist, have your physician examine the baby’s mouth. If the gums need lancing, this may be done; but do not urge it against the doctor’s better judgment. If the tooth is not close to the surface, the gum will heal over after lancing and form a tough scar more difficult to penetrate than the uncut flesh.

If your baby has a convulsion while teething, do not lay this acute attack to the teeth. It probably springs from other causes and should have the attention of the family doctor. Convulsions are not symptoms of teething and they are serious enough to require immediate treatment.