When my niece was cutting new teeth, not only was she irritable, she had a mild fever and even had diarrhoea.

So when it came to my babies, luckily I got the low-down from my sister on what to do when babies are teething to prepare myself for what’s to come.

According to our family dentist, babies typically cut new teeth from 6 months to a year. This could be a trying period for us parents because our babies may face discomfort.

The painful teething process has many symptoms such as irritability, disturbed sleep, flushed cheeks, chewing objects or fingers, swollen gums, drooling, fever and even diarrhoea for some (although this is still being argued if teething is the main cause).

To help alleviate their discomfort, here were a few tricks my sister recommended which helped me with my kids when the time came.

Chew-toy to the rescue!

I have so many chewing toys and teething rings that I could no longer keep count. I would first wash them and keep them in the fridge so that when baby starts to be cranky, the toy is ready for him to gnaw. Keeping the toy cold also helps to numb their tender gums.

Cold cucumber sticks

When they get bored of the chew toy, I would give him cold cucumber sticks and it is always a hit. I would scrub the cucumber clean, slice it into finger-sized pieces (skin on) and keep it in the fridge for at least an hour before giving it to my baby.

Pain meds

If the problem persists, it is important to see your pediatrician and they may prescribe some pain medicine to relieve pain and swollen gums.

Dress them comfortable and wear Petpet diapers

While the jury is still out on whether teething causes diarrhoea or not, it would give baby much more comfort if they are dressed comfortably and are wearing PETPET® Diapers which allows baby to stay fresh and dry up to 10 hours.