Is your toddler waking excessively at night because of teething?

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 your toddler has developed excessive night waking, it is typically because his body clock settings are disrupted. If he is dialling up a lot during the day, it is likely that he is needing much richer and more diverse sensory motor nourishment, most easily provided outside the home. Our interior environments are low sensory for toddlers.

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 babies and toddlers 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 toddler 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 little one'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 toddler's teething, you might offer her a cold, non-toxic ring or other product to chew on. Of course, it's quite likely she won't be at all interested in chewing on it for more than a moment!

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.