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

Dr Pamela Douglas20th of Aug 202321st of May 2024

baby sitting on mother's lap in chair

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.

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Next up in towards independent nights

What's next if you've been bedsharing with your baby but want to change this now?

mother interacting with her baby on a white bed

There is no need to rush our little people out of the parental bed. You can do this in a way that suits your own unique family.

For some families, this may be in the latter half of the first year of life or towards one year of age. For other families, it might be when their child is four or five years of age or older. Some cultures and some families share the parental bed with their children into primary school years or more. There is no right or wrong, just what works for your family.

Sharing the same room at nights until your baby is six months of age at the very least, and up to 12 months of age if possible, keeps your baby as safe as possible from

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