Is It Teething Or A Cold? Symptoms To Note

When your baby or toddler has a runny nose, diarrhea, and is irritable, what would you think is going on? Is he or she teething? Or are they cold symptoms or something worse like an ear infection? Looking at the symptoms of each can help you know whether a teething tablet is in order or a visit to the pediatrician. Of course, whenever you think your little darling has something more malicious than just classic teething or cold symptoms you should take them in to visit their health care provider who can check them for other causes for their symptoms.

With a child who is out of sorts and irritable, it can be hard to tell if it is due to their very sore gums or other aches and pains of illness. The pain of teething is generally worst for the first teeth and the molars (which are bigger with flatter tops).

Why would a teething toddler cough? Isn't cold more likely? Maybe. Actually, a teething toddler drools a lot – which often leads to a rash on the chin, cheeks, and even neck from the constant wetness. The extra saliva can also cause your toddler or baby to gag or cough. Usually it is really nothing to worry about on its own. If there are other symptoms, take them into consideration.

The pain that the teething toddler has in the gums when the molars are coming in can radiate up to the ears and cheeks, causing the baby to rub their cheeks or grab at their ears. But since this is also a common sign of an ear infection, this one might be smart to have your baby's doctor look into if it continues.

Diarrhea can be a symptom of teething and colds. Not all doctors and researchers agree, but parents generally say that their baby has looser bowel movements when they are teething. Those who do believe diarrhea ties in with teething say that the extra swallowed saliva can cause the stools to be looser. If this symptom continues, notify your baby's doctor.

Some doctors don't believe teething causes a fever, but parents generally disagree with this, based on their child's experience of teething. What is generally agreed on is that fevers from teething tend to be just low grade fevers that come and go over time. The fever that accompanies an ear infection, however, can be high and escalates over time until the infection gets under control.

Teething can cause symptoms that mimic a common cold. Things like a runny nose and coughing can come from the baby having their fingers in their mouth so much.

With both a cold and teething, the symptom of sleep disruption can be hard on parents as well as the sufferer. It is common for those teething to wake more often at night from the pain.