Is your baby waking a lot at night because of teething?

Once your baby is more than a few months old, you might notice that people are very quick to blame any dialled up baby behaviour, or a respiratory tract infection or gastroenteritis, on teething! But there's no reason to think that teething causes pain, and no reason to think that teething results in a pattern of unusually fragmented sleep at night.

If she has developed excessive night waking, it is most likely because her body clock settings are disrupted. If she is dialling up a lot during the day, it is likely that her need for rich and changing sensory motor nourishment, outside the home, is increasing.

Here is what the research does tell us about teething.

• Teething doesn't cause fevers. Teeth erupt intermittently over quite a long period of time, during which infants are likely to be randomly exposed to viruses!

• Teething gels are potentially harmful and shouldn't be used.

  • Bonjela teething gel contains salicylate, which is potentially harmful.

  • Other teething products and gels can contain sucrose, alcohol or lidocaine, which are potentially harmful.

• Paracetamol or ibuprofen shouldn't be used for teething, since teething doesn't cause significant pain. (If your baby has a fever, this is due to an upper respiratory tract infection or some other infection. Even so, we need to use paracetamol or ibuprofen sparingly, most often at bedtime and in the night, because fever is the way your baby's immune system activates, to deal with the virus or infection. If you're concerned, please see your GP.)

If you are worried about your baby's teething, you might offer her a cold, non-toxic ring or other product to chew on.

Selected references

Monaghan N. Teeting products may be harmful to health. British Dentistry Journal. 2019;227(6):485-487.

Nemezio MA, De Oliveira C, Romualdo PC. Association between fever and primary tooth eruption: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry. 2017;10(3):293-298.

Teoh L, Moses GM. Are teething gels safe or even necessary for our children? A review of the safety, efficacy and use of topical lidocaine teething gels. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 2020;56(4):502-505.