Lots of parents start sleep training and have fantastic results only to hit a few bumps in the road at a later time. Teething is not the main cause of sleep problems but if your baby is not a good sleeper anyway then it can make your baby's sleeping worse. If you baby is sleeping through the night and then starts to teeth - it can be hit and miss as to whether teething pain will effect your baby and some teeth may be more troublesome than others. If your baby appears really grumpy and in pain through the day with teething pain then it could genuinely be teething pain at night too.

Gabe (my son) never woke up with teething pain - not once - Kenya on the other hand had a few rough nights just as the tooth was coming through the gum line, she has 6 teeth now and only one of them has caused her to awake with pain.

I could tell by the cry that it was genuine - when I staggered into her room all blurry eyed the first thing I noticed was her huge bright red cheeks which were hot to the touch and a snotty nose. When I lifted up her lip there was a huge purple lump just right of her front tooth and a little white head - she had a hard time letting me touch it and was upset no matter what I did - tried holding in her different positions, cuddles and kisses she just continued to cry and throw herself around - the next night she woke up crying but as the tooth had cut through I gave her a little medicine - little kiss and laid her back down to sleep, which she did until the morning.

1. Drooling - sometimes accompanied with a rash on the chin
2. Clear runny nose
3. Hot red cheeks (not to be confused with a fever - having a fever is NOT a sign of teething but a sign of an infection).
4. Diaper rash
5. Increase in bowel movements (looser stools)
   
6. Increase in breast / bottle feeding
   
7. Decreased interest in solids
8. Decreased interest in breast or bottle feeding
9. Discolored swollen gum where the tooth is coming through
10. Biting on things (anything that fits in their mouth)

1. Put lanolin on your baby's chin to help with the rash
2. Use soft tissue for your baby's nose so that it doesn't get sore
   
3. Check your baby's temperature to rule out fever - if your baby has a fever seek medical advice.
4. Use extra barrier cream on your babies bum and let some air get to it if you can
5. Offer the breast / bottle if it provides comfort
   
6. Don't force your baby to eat solids if they are refusing - it will pass once the tooth has cut
7. Use a teething gel if given the go ahead by your doctor or pharmacist on your babies swollen gum
8. Administer some pain relief if given the go ahead by your doctor before bed and if your baby wakes up in pain during the night
   
9. Offer a cold wet wash cloth for your baby to chew on

Teething pain peaks as the tooth is just cutting the gum - once it is through the teething pain will greatly subside. The area that is causing discomfort is usually swollen and can be purple in color and look inflamed. Of course, if your baby is in pain you need to offer them comfort during this time and do what you can to help them. The extra attention should then stop once the tooth is in and their daytime behavior supports that they are no longer suffering. You may find that your baby is still waking up at night and crying so at this point you may have to do some reassurance and check visits to make sure that they are okay but keep your visits minimal and low key.

Although I was tempted to bring Kenya into bed with me as I was so tired, I just got her up and sat in the living room on the couch and gave her some medicine and love. If she didn't share a room with her brother then I would of stayed in there with her but she was crying loud and I didn't want to wake him up. I think it was 4.30am in the morning and I didn't put her back to bed for anymore night time sleep but gave her two naps that day in stead of her normal one. I would of loved to have taken a nap too - BUT - that is thing of the past these days!! Poor old Mum - has to carry on as normal regardless of what the night brings.

Don't just assume that it is teething though, if you don't see any of the signs and symptoms above then it could be something else - night wakings can also be linked to

Poor daytime naps
Gas pain
Cognitive development
Developmental milestones

I had to take the kids last week to get their photos done for the Christmas card's which were supposed to be mailed back the UK about a week ago (better late then never).

I always get excited at the thought of having my children photographed professionally, and I always end up cringing in the corner at how they behave in the studio - Luckily the photographer knows me and the children as she did the photography for my website; just as well otherwise I'm sure she after last weeks session she would never have me back.

My son is a poser and knows all the moves which means that he wants to be in every shot and when he's not in front of the camera he is pouting and trying to pull down the back drop, throwing props around and knocking the equipment over. Kenya is not as keen and pulls a strange face everytime the flash goes off followed by a bout of crying. She spent most of the session moaning and groaning she (and I) had been up since 4am that morning administering Tylenol and teething gel for the pain (bless her) and the tooth is in now so the pain has gone (no more night nurse duty till the next one comes in).

Luckily though the proofs were good and there was some excellent shots of the children and me; the photo above is the one that I choose for my Christmas cards this year, and for those of you who tackle this at home here are some tips from Michelle Moore owner and operator of What I see Photography. www.whatisee.ca to capture that perfect shot.