How to Know If Your Baby's Gums Are Swollen

While teething, your baby’s gums will get swollen as the teeth move painfully through the sore gum tissues. Swollen gums are not the only signs of teething. Other cardinal signs include heavy drooling, irritability, sleeplessness at night, biting and rubbing the gums. If you catch swollen gums in time, you can do a lot more to soothe your baby’s teething pains. Swollen gums will present as red or blue mushy blisters around the gums. These are just pockets of blood below the gum tissues and can be treated with cold compresses.

Open the baby’s mouth gently but not too wide as to cause him more pain.

Look inside his mouth, and observe the gums and budding teeth. Look for mounds of swollen tissues around budding teeth. Note any bulging blue pockets or redness around the gums.

Wash your hands in water. Slip your cold index finger into the baby’s mouth for the gum-massage test if he won’t let you look inside his mouth.

Run the index finger along the front edges of his gums. Feel for swollen ridges of teething gums.

Tips

Rub your cold finger along your baby's gums to help with teething pain.

Sooth your baby's sore gums by giving her unsweetened teething crackers or teething rings to chew on, suggests HealthyChildren.org.