Teeth and Teething

This article discusses the physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing of children during their early childhood years. It also talks about the book 'Your Baby and Child' by Penelope Leach and how it reflects on the development of a child. The article focuses on teething in babies and how it is not the reason for crying and fretfulness in babies. It also explains that teething does not cause fever, fits, convulsions, diarrhea or vomiting at an early age or later ages.

Running Head: TEETH AND TEETHING
Teeth and Teething
Students Name
University Affiliation
Date

TEETH AND TEETHING 2
Introduction
Early childhood (preschool years) normally happens when a child is between the age
three years and six years old. It is at this lifespan stage that children undergo language, cognitive
and physical development. Physical development usually entails physical growth and changes a
child goes through like motor skills development, cognitive development is described as the
ability to think and reason concerning their environment while language development is known
as the improvement in a child’s linguistics abilities and capabilities. It should be noted that these
developments in a child’s life can be influenced and determined by their families whether they
are being inhibited or enhanced.
‘Your baby and child’ by Penelope Leach, is a book that has been hailed as one of the
best books that discusses the development of a child from birth to the age of five. The book
focusses on a current research and thinking on the development of a child as well as a learning
reflecting on the realities of todays dynamic lifestyles. Leach talks about the physical, emotional
and psychological wellbeing of children. She discuses in a way every parent can follow the
stages of a child from birth to the time they are going to school and eventually how they develop.
The book is divided in five main sections; the newborns, young children, toddlers, settled babies
and older babies.
Teeth and Teething
It should be noted that babies cut their teeth in a more predictable manner yet at widely varying
ages. Leach states that a baby’s first tooth will be one of the bottom front pair yet will only be
cut shortly before his or her half birthday. She states that if a child gets a tooth early or later does
not indicate that such a baby is backward or forward, that is, it means nothing essential except

TEETH AND TEETHING 3
that when a tooth appears in a child, the toothless grin will go forever. In most babies, teething
starts later than is expected by the parent or caregiver is normally less dramatic. It should be
noted that teething is very popular in babies but is usually not the reason for crying and
fretfulness in babies. so, for instance, if a baby is fond of crying, parents and caregivers should
not equate it to teething. More often parents or caregivers do give babies medication thinking
that it has resulted due to teething. On the contrary, teething does not cause fever, fits,
convulsions, diarrhea or vomiting at an early age or later ages (Darren, 2015). If a baby has these
aforementioned symptoms, the parent or caregiver should take baby to a medical center for
checkup. Leach states that the first teeth are normally biting-off teeth but not the chewing teeth.
Babies normally start chewing with their gums before acquiring teeth at the back to help them in
chewing (Ferris, 1978).

TEETH AND TEETHING 4
References
Ferris, J. (1978). Your Baby & Child (Book). Library Journal, 103(15), 1650. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=7552966&site=ehost-
live
Darren Hassett; Aarohi Roy. (2015, August 18). She’s right: mums are imagining teething,
sayexperts. Daily Mail, p. 5. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=bwh&AN=108949795&site=ehost-live