Hungry, teething or what??

**Hokey Pokey** · 09-07-2007 10:17

DD is 3 months old this Wednesday... the past week she started finding her hand to mouth co-ordination and now she is always putting it in there and chewing it. She get's frustrated when she can't get it in and she sucks it like there's gold in it lol!

Could she be hungry? I feed her and she takes herself off and we have a burp then she goes back to chewing her fist... Could it be teething? She has started to dribble... my other girls didn't teeth until at least 6 months.

She also watches us eat and moves her lips and tongue as if to say give me some too.. I just don't know if she is hungry and maybe I am not getting enough milk anymore, if maybe she is almost ready to try some farax or something in a month (how young can you start a little of that) teeth or maybe it's just cos she found it and she just likes to chew and suck..

**monkeytoes** · 09-07-2007 10:22

I was told that at 12 weeks old the enzymes in the babies mouth start to work which is why they put everything in their mouth and there is alot of dribbling.
It's great that she is curious about watching you eat, but if she is ending a feed herself I'd say she is not hungry.

**nic28** · 09-07-2007 10:48

My DD was exactly the same, and she is now one of those babies that puts EVERYTHING in her mouth!

She was also showing signs of teething (so I thought), dribbling, hand in mouth, frustration etc etc from 3 months but didn't get her first tooth until 8 months....I think they move around a fair bit before they actually come out!

I started DD on solids at 6 months, she was really interested in watching us eat aswell probably a month leading up to starting her. The youngest you can start them on solids is 4 months apparantly- I felt that was too young, but it is up to you! If you think she needs it then she needs it!

I really don't think the hand in mouth thing is a sign of hunger- well it wasn't for mine anyway! Its all trial and error.....you could even try her with a teething ring to suck and chew on rather than her hand!

**Hokey Pokey** · 09-07-2007 10:55

Ok thanks guys, she is still too little to hold onto anything other than my pinky finger... so a teething right wouldn't work. Sounds like she is just exploring her new found hands.. just never had this with the other girls this early!

I was a little worried that maybe I had not enough milk for her LOL

**nic28** · 09-07-2007 10:58

i held the teething ring to her mouth everytime I saw her sucking her hands....got tiresome I must admit....

Goodluck - you sound like you are doing a GREAT job!!!!

**Tabby** · 09-07-2007 12:25

DD started that at the same age, I thought it was teeth too, shes just now cut them at 6 months.
I did read somewhere that dribble at this age can be confused with teething, they are just starting to make saliva but dont know how to swallow it like we do hence the flood of dribble now.. That combined with finding their hands confuses us all lol. It could be teeth or not, hard to tell but its all good dont worry

**mum2bubba** · 09-07-2007 14:03

She could be hungry or she might just want to suck for a bit of comfort, Hayley had Farax at 3 months.

**Hokey Pokey** · 09-07-2007 14:59

I think it could be hunger or teething because today when I put her down she starting gnawing on her fist again and started crying, it was different to her other cries....

**Jodestar21** · 09-07-2007 23:12

Maybe you could try some bonjela if she seems to be in pain? It really helps Fraser when i can see he is in pain with his teething..even though there are no signs of them surfacing yet!

**SammiJane** · 10-07-2007 09:22

i asked my health nurse about the fist in mouth thing yesterday and she said that its all normal.
It is in fact a milestone(on the print out that i have) Its all natural, the next step is thier feet...
Jacob is also dribbling