Teething

This one's unavoidable! When your little one's teeth start coming through there is some inevitable pain and grumpiness.

Teething usually begins at around four months old but can start sooner and can last until a child is three years old, however the first few months of teething are the worst. Generally, teething pain is caused by the tooth forcing through the swollen gums, which can also disrupt a child's sleep. Their temperature can be a little higher than normal, but it shouldn't cause a fever. Symptoms are usually drooling, your child wanting to chew on things, red swollen gums and, of course, teeth poking through.

To help your child, give them something to chew on (an item that's too big to swallow such as a cold rubber teething ring) or rub their gums with a clean finger. Never place aspirin against the tooth (aspirin should not be given to children under 16 years) DO NOT follow the old wives tale about rubbing whiskey into your child's gums when teething.

There are many products, such as teething gels, which you can buy from your pharmacist to rub onto your child's gums, or you can give them Medised for Children to help relieve the pain and discomfort. You should not, however, use Medised for Children over the long term or in conjunction with any other medicines containing paracetamol; seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist.