The day Anika turned 13 weeks, I observed the following very unsual (for her) symptoms in the evening:
- She began drooling so much so that her clothes had to be changed.
- She started chewing voraciously at her fist.
- She had trouble going to sleep at night. It took us 2 hours (usually 10 minutes).
- She was unusually upset.
- She started sucking on her lower lip constantly.
- She was pulling her ears and rubbing her chins and cheeks.
I couldn’t figure out what was happening! We just finished the evening gas woes not too long ago. I googled the symptoms and turns out babies can start teething as early as 3 months! When we visited our GP the next day for vaccinations, he said it could be teething or a developmental leap. Either ways, since then every evening (sometimes day as well) she desperately wants to gnaw at something constantly. Everyday her grasp is developing but it is still not refined enough to hold those small wooden or rubber teethers for over 2 minutes. First evening, hubby and I tried holding those teethers for her but she seemed frustrated. Giving her as much independence as possible, the Montessori way; here are her current teethers (or rather her chewing favorites) that she enjoys using:
- Silk scarf- Its incredible how open ended the silk scarf really is. In 3 short months, we have already used it for grasping, playing peek-a-boo, as a mobile and now as a teether! Due to the large surface area, she can grasp it easily and loves chewing on it. I usually knot one end so its more chunky to chew on.
- Skwish toy- I had my doubts if she would be able to hold this yet. But much to my surprise this has been a great rattle + teether for her. It is light, so even her little hands can lift it. It has a tall structure, so she can pick it up from her side. I love the design, so many places to grasp, thus works at even 3.5 months. It is eco-friendly and her gums love to chew on it.
- Waldorf doll- Gifted by Anika’s beautiful cousin sister Lea, this was originally suppose to be her cuddly/ grasping toy but she currently loves to gnaw on it. Essentially the large surface area makes it easy to hold this doll.
- Sophie, the Giraffe- The quintessential teether as been great especially during tummy time. During back time, Anika still needs help holding it for more than 2 minutes.
I have made several wooden teethers for her, which she will hold and gnaw on in few weeks time. But for now, these have been incredible for us. Any more ideas? Anyone else has babies who started teething earlier than 6 months and what teethers did you use?