UK guide to baby teething stages

Have you found yourself researching topics such as:

Is my baby teething?

How long does teething last in babies?

Are my baby’s teeth coming through?

UK guide to baby teething stages

You have come to the right place!

There is a rough guide to baby’s teeth and the order in which they tend to erupt. However, it is good to keep in mind that no two babies are the same. In my time running Gummee, I’ve known babies who are born with two front teeth, and babies who haven’t had any at all by 20 months!

All of those babies developed as normal, healthy babies, they just had teeth appearing at different times and even in a totally different order to the ‘typical’ normal order of appearance.

In fact, I would say, it seems to be far rarer (in my experience) to speak to a parent whose baby had everything happen exactly as the ‘text books’ say it should.

Whatever guides you read about your baby’s teeth development, do so with a huge pinch of salt. Remember that all babies are different and unless your little one is showing obvious signs of something else going on, whether developmentally or otherwise, (in which case, please see a health professional) please try not to worry.

As a very rough guide, please see our UK guide to baby teething stages below.

Stage 1:

0 - 6 Months: Typically, most babies are not born with teeth, however, the teething process actually begins in the womb. The milk teeth start to form below the gums before birth. You may start to notice signs of teething between the age of 3 to 6 months, however, they can start earlier or later.

Stage 2:

3-6 months; Symptoms can include fussiness, drooling and chewing their fingers (or yours). These symptoms can start a long time before a tooth actually appears. Some babies will appear to have had no symptoms at all and you’ll suddenly just spot a tooth! In this age group, a tooth it is less common for a tooth to appear but it is normal.

Stage 3:

6 to 9 Months: Your little one may have a tooth or two and the first teeth to appear are usually the two bottom front teeth, otherwise known as central incisors. The upper central incisors soon follow. Your baby will have periods of fussiness and might find night time sleeping difficult and feeding might sometimes be uncomfortable for them. Some babies seem to get an increase in diarrhoea and nappy rash, however, there is currently no research evidence to support this. (Maybe one needs to be done? 👀)

Stage 4:

10 - 14 Months: Teeth usually erupt from front to back, so you may find that the teeth in the bottom front of the jaw will make an appearance first and then the top teeth will follow. Your baby will have a similar irritability to when the earlier teeth came through.

Stage 5:

The lateral incisors start to erupt around this age, closely followed by the first molars. The larger teeth can cause an increase in fussiness and irritability in your baby. Try to remember that during this time, although it might sometimes feel like an eternity, you’ll be looking back and feeling grateful that you both made it through soon enough.

Stage 6:

15 - 22 Months: Most of your little ones teeth will follow a typical pattern of front to back, the cuspids are an exception. They usually appear after the first molars and they are located between the first molar and last incisor. They are not thought to cause more discomfort than the other teeth during eruption.

Stage 7:

23 - 33 Months:

The final stage of teething, yay! You made it! The large molars right at the back of your babies jaw will erupt. Because of their size, they can be the most painful part of teething. Unfortunately, this might mean that all previous methods of soothing and settling your teething baby won’t work. Distraction helps, including allowing your baby to chew on a hard cold vegetable (with your help and supervision) or using appropriately designed teethers for the particular stage, such as our Molar Mallet.

I hope you’ve found this guide helpful. Please remember I am not a health professional, but I do have 14 years of experience of teething babies and working in the baby industry. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Our social media channels are all @gummeeteething and I reply personally to every message.