I always joke that I will be blaming my kids' bad attitudes on teething until they are 7.

It's my “excuse” every time one of my babies is crying or fussy. “Oh, they're probably teething." “Oh they have a tooth coming in, you can see/feel it right there!” HA! Did you know kids get two year molars?! YUP! That means you are not done with a teething child until TWO YEARS OLD!

Some babies have really obvious side effects from teething, such as:

• Drooling - You need a bib!
• Red cheeks
• Swollen gums
• Irritability
• Diarrhea
• Lack of appetite- some foods won’t feel good on babe’s gums
• Hands and objects in their mouth all the time
• Biting while nursing - fun!

All babies are different, though! Some show no signs and are perfectly fine during their teething stages, while others can’t sleep and need to be held all day.

Timing is another thing that's different for every baby. My kids, for example - Ava and Eleanor - got their first tooth at about 3 and a half months. Greta was 10 months when that first tooth poked out. The average age for a baby's first tooth is 4-7 months, but try not to worry if that time comes and goes without a pearly white showing up.

I asked my pediatric dentist when I should start to worry, and he said that if they turn 1 and do not have any teeth, bring them in and get an X-ray. The X-ray would tell if they have teeth in their gums or not.

I have a couple go-to tricks to get through a teething, clingy, drooling babe!

1. Frozen wet washcloth - All my babes have loved to gnaw on these! They are simple and cheap! I get a baby washcloth wet and stick it in the freezer. Once its frozen it’s ready for some serious chomping.
2. The Banana Teether- this is also a simple go-to product! You can find them on Amazon or at Target!
3. Snuggles - during this time (which seems like always), take some time to really enjoy those sweet snuggles and do what you can with your mommy magic to take the pain away! If that means nursing, watching toons, bottle, whatever! Just make baby comfortable.
4. Tylenol - I usually only try to give this at bedtime when babe is teething, but that’s just me!

I have never used teething tablets or other remedies than the things listed above, but I’d love to hear what you have used and what you do during those weeks of drool.

Our bandana bibs are a stylish solution to all that teething drool. Keep a few in your diaper backpack to switch out as needed and save the outfit changes for blow outs.

Parker Baby bandana bibs are super soft and absorbent with 100% organic cotton on the front and 100% polyester on the back. They fit babies from 3-36 months with adjustable, nickel-free snaps;-)