I Have Several Questions About My 5 Month Old

Yes, It does sound like teething. Both my boys started drooling and having all the symptoms but the teeth did not cut until 6 months. Hyland's Teething tablets, orajel and tylenol worked wonders. The 2 bottom teeth are usually the ones that come out 1st.

I wouldn't stress out about feeding her solids until she is 6 months and then start out w/rice cereal,then bananas and veggies because of allergies. one food at a time and wait about 3 days to see if she gets a reaction.

Good Luck and i hope this helps.
M.

Ok.. Well first I am a new parent as well and my daughter just turned 8months old. She started teething around 4 months and did not cut her first tooth until 6 months and it was her bottom one first. She also did the ear thing and the no sleeping thing. I tried baths before bed to calm, tea can help relax, and orajel or baby tylenol to help with the pain at night.

my daughter loved fruit so i lucked out. she loved peaches and all the mixed berries things cuz they are sweet. also my lil one is quite an eater so at 4 months my doctor said to start adding cereal to her night bottle to satisfy her and if you do that I dont suggest cutting a whole in the bottle nipple. the cereal makes the milk thicker so I used a no drip Nubby bottle that has a soft sippy cup type nipple she loved it and only got out what she sucked instead of chocking.

Good luck to you...

First off, I wouldn't stress about solids too much just yet. I've heard of babies not "liking" solids at first -- especially ones who are exclusively breastfed. Go back to the beginning (cereal, then single-ingredient fruits or veggies) and try the food at the same time every day.

Also, symptoms of teething are identical to symptoms of ear infections -- eating less, fussy, sleepless, grabbing at ears. And, in our experience, ear infections interrupt sleep much worse than teething. You might want to call your pediatrician.

If she's not satisfied after nursing, you may need to add a feeding or supplement with formula. I'd check with your pediatrician or a lactation consultant to see how to handle that. With both teething and an ear infection, it can be uncomfortable to nurse or drink from a bottle, so she may not be getting a good full feeding, which is why she'd seem hungry too soon after nursing. Maybe going to more "demand" feeding until she's over this will fill her tummy and keep your milk supply where it's supposed to be.

If he is rubbing her ears, I would make sure that it's not an ear infection. Otherwise, the drooling and all that is normal, even though you probably won't see any teeth for quite a while.

Teething sounds right...my son started those symtoms at 3 months and his two bottom teeth came in at 4 and 5 months old. There were some very sleepless nights! Teething tablets seemed to help a bit and also the nighttime strength orajel.
My son, and now my daughter, both liked to nurse for comfort and my daughter, who is almost 3 months now, even uses a pacifier to help go to sleep because the sucking calms her. My son always wanted to nurse more during teething. I am guessing that your baby is wanting to nurse more for comfort and the pressure on her gums during nursing probably helps with the pain. Try a pacifier after you know she should be full, or try a teething ring that has been in the fridge. I have one teething toy that is in the shape of a star and vibrates when baby bites it. My son really liked that one and I'm pretty sure it was from walmart.
As for eating, don't worry too much at this age. Right now she is really just practicing eating and doesn't need all the food yet. You can mix a little cereal in with the yogurt to help get her more iron, which is the one thing she does need if you breastfeed exclusively. Try different things in the yogurt, like smashed banana, to get her used to different flavors. Be aware that too many dairy products can cause constipation also, so I wouldn't give her too much yogurt if that is a problem.
Best of luck to you.

My daughter's first 2 teeth came through at 4.5 months old. They were the bottom front 2. Fortunately, my daughter didn't seem overly bothered by the teething, but I have heard that the teething tablets work wonders....although I'm not sure how old they have to be to have them. They dissolve in their mouths pretty quickly, so you may want to try them.

As for the food, I would say that it's a little early to be starting with the solids at 5 months. At around 6 months, I would try them again. She may not have lost the thrust reaction yet and may be spitting it out simply because she doesn't know what else to do with it. Introduce one food at a time and use it for about 3 days to see if there is any kind of a reaction before moving on to the next food. I would do cereals first, then veggies, then fruit. I have heard that if you do fruit before veggies, they sometimes like the sweet flavor and then won't eat the veggies. Just a preference thing though, so do whatever works for you.

Good luck!

There are homeopathic teething tablets you can give to your baby, and it will help the teething problems. My son started teething about that time too. You can find them at HEB in the baby aisle.
About the eating, she may eat because she's bored. My 4 year old has done that since he was little. Try a pacifier and a story, or toy. Try not to feed her too much yogurt, because just like us women, little girls can get yeast infections and things. I hope this was a little helpful, and good luck.

5 months is still a bit young of solids - especially if she doesn't have teeth yet.

None of mine needed solids until about 7 months of age and the American Pediatrics Association recommends AT LEAST 6 months of age.

Try just continuing to breastfeed but increase the frequency for a couple days as comfort to her if she's really teething.

Some things my kids found helpful during teething:
~Homeopathic teething tablets
~Chiropractic Adjustments (they always got headaches poor things)This was the single best thing I did.
~Wet a washcloth on one corner soaking wet and put it in the freezer - your baby can hold the unfrozen part and chew on the cold, textured washcloth - a favorite for my kids.

Blessings, A. <><

Jodi, my boys didn't like the cereal either. Nor the vegetables or anything else I would try to give them. They loved yogurt though. I started mixing the baby oatmeal with yogurt, then their little tummies would fill up and they would sleep. I always gave that to them just before bedtime. Also, if you can't get her to eat the baby food stuff try just mashing up the stuff off the table. Our boys wen't off baby food at 51/2 months because they wouldn't eat the baby food, but they loved the table food.

Yes - she could be teething, but this is a stage that can last for the next couple of years. Babies drool and rub their ears. If she isn't uncomfortable - there isn't anything to worry about. The bottom two teeth usually show up first - note that I said usually. You can try the teething tablets or letting her chew on a washcloth, teether, etc. They are always changing and you just have to be thankful when you do get some sleep. I would not feed her in the middle of the night though. Rock and cuddle if she is uncomfortable, but once you start giving her milk in the night, she will continue to wake up.

As for food - stop everything but the cereal for now and start over in a few weeks. She just isn't old enough yet. It's hard when your parents/grandparents are urging you to feed them food at a few months old because that is what they did, but there is so much proof now that babies don't need it until 6 months. Then - after all the cereals, start rotating in veggies. Do not give fruits until all the veggies have been introduced and she will like them better. Most kids that hate vegetables were introduced to fruit first and got a "sweet" tooth that made the peas taste disgusting. Even if you personally hate the vegetable, make the yum yum sounds and feed them anyway. The baby is very visual and will take on cues from you so for all your baby knows - you love love love baby food!

Good luck - everyone I know that has done this plan has ended up with pretty healthy eaters.

I would also have her ears checked--ear infections can disguise themselves many ways. ;-)

Mine got baby cereal first and that is really good at filling them up too.

At 5 months mine were just starting to get something other than mom. At 6 months my oldest ate a bowl (lg serving) of cereal and fruit for bfast, 2 jars of md (not the tiny beginner jars) veg and dinners for lunch, and 2 jars of something for supper. He also had some fruit and/formula in between.