Teething or regression?

Do you feel your baby is teething, constantly? Or are they perhaps developing a new skill. Both can contribute to a regression in sleep but how do we tell the difference?

There are some simple observations you can make to help guide you.

Around the 3-4 month mark, it is not uncommon for many parents to mistake normal infant developmental behaviour for teething. This is typically when you start to see your baby exploring and discovering their hands. In addition, their little body is starting to amp up the production of saliva for the soon to be arrival of solids. With this combination, one can naturally assume it relates to teething.

One distinct difference between the two is that research shows us disruptions to sleep caused by teething pain typically last for a few days while the tooth itself cuts, whilst discomfort may be experienced for longer (especially if they are cutting tooth after tooth) the disruption is typically very short-lived.

With development, however, these can cause sleep to regress for several weeks.

In terms of physical symptoms, these are most likely going to be the biggest give away.

TEETHING:

You may see:

Increased in saliva production.
Fussiness
Red cheeks
Irritability
Clinginess
Increased comfort feeding
reduced solid intake

REGRESSIONS

No red cheeks
Increased feeding (both milk and solid intake)
Actively practising new skill
No changes to their saliva
Practising a new skill

If your baby's routine seem to be in line with our recommendations with sleep is still messy, we can help!

For small tweaks to routine, have a look at our Quick Chat - 15min option
For parents struggling with several things such as catnapping, frequent night waking, early morning rising or things that simply no longer work, have a look at our Phone + One Week Support option.
Not sure what is right for you? Get on the phone to one of our experienced consultants with our FREE 15min Discovery Call