Many parents wonder when their babies will start teething. There are horror stories and then on the flip side there’s the mama who says, “All of sudden my baby just had teeth — no problem.”

No matter how your baby handles getting her teeth it usually happens around 7 months — but that’s variable. It’s not unheard of for babies to get their first teeth at four month or even at a year. Teething time itself can vary too. Some babies go through the process for what seems like forever and some for just a few weeks. Typical is a couple of months.

Here are eight signs that may mean your baby is teething. 

1. Drooling. Egad. I like everything about babies but the drooling. My son seemed to experience extended drooling (months and months) and drool was everywhere. But is is a sign that your little is starting the teething process.
2. Biting: Maybe you notice while breastfeeding or she’ll just nip at your hand while playing. It’s not a mean move — your baby just likes the counterpressure on her sore gums.
3. Irritability:  Some babies get super cranky and some may just act a little off.
4. Insomnia: Technically your baby won’t get insomnia but you might because she may be up and down, up and down; all night long. Night wakefulness is common during teething.
5. Coughing: Not a lot just a bit of a cough cause by excess saliva.
6. Chin rash: My son the massive drooler got this due to irritation from his skin always being wet. If you can keep up it helps some to try and wipe off your baby’s face throughout the day with a dry cloth.
7. Ouch: A look of pain on your baby’s face is common because who likes a tooth shooting through their gum — it hurts. Usually it’s the first teeth that hurt the worst and then either babies adjust or quit complaining because painful expressions are less common the further into teething you two get.
8. Ear pulling: My boy never did this unless he had an ear infection but some babies do pull on their ears due to pain in their mouth.

There; eight good signs that your baby might be teething. Many of these signals can indicate something else though. If you have lingering doubts that one of these is not cause by teething call or see your baby’s doctor.