It’s funny how important baby milestones are to moms. We cheer when our babies roll over, can sit up, or pull up to the furniture. If we have friends with babies, it gets to feel a bit competitive.
Whose baby has the most hair? Who said their first word first? Whose baby cut the first tooth? Whose baby has the most teeth? This is the one that got me. When people asked, “How many teeth does your baby have?” I had to say, “none” for over nine months.
First, let me say that looking back on it now, I realize how silly it all is. By the time kids get to kindergarten they all have hair, teeth, and can talk, but when they were babies it seemed more important…almost urgent.
6 months is the average age for cutting first teeth.
The average age for babies to cut their first teeth is six months, but some infants start teething as early as three months. One of my sisters was like that. She had three teeth at three months.
At six month I started examining my daughter’s gums regularly thinking a tooth might break through any day. When another month passed with no teeth, I talked with my pediatrician about it.
He told me that teething later had its advantages, including healthier teeth. She’s going to have mighty healthy teeth, I though as she turned 8 months…9 months and still no teeth.
When my daughter finally started teething, I discovered another advantage to teething later. By nine months, she was old enough to understand the word, “No.”
When she clamped down while nursing, I’d pull her from the breast and tell her “No.” She learned quickly that mommy was not a teething ring, which made it possible to breastfeed until she was over a year old.
Photo credits: allygirl520, davidpb145
