teething and eating.

[liddia]

HI, just wondering how teething affects your bub. DS is 9.5 months old and has hardly eaten anything solid for a good couple of weeks. He is getting teeth, so I put his not wanting to eat down to this. However, I am starting to worry about his food intake. He is basically living off vegemite sandwiches as he refuses everything else I offer. He won;t let a spoon near his mouth, but when I cut his food into pieces and let him feed himself he just throws it or takes a bite and spits it out. I have been to the clinic, I have taken him to the Dr to rule out any illnesses.. things he has loved before he won;t go near. Everyone tells me not to worry, but that's like telling the sun not to rise of a morning. Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

[Elijahs Mum]

My DS was the opposite and ate more! - Whenever he was teething I always gave him hard food, food he has to bite down on like , cucumber sticks or mini rice cakes, my dentist said that biting down helps the teeth break through the skin ( which is the painful part!) so not sure if you could see if he would try that?

[WhiteTulips]

Hi Liddia,

DD 10mths did the same thing, although her teething has calmed down for the moment. I gave her a frozen flannel to chew on 15mins before eating and then after the meal. When I didn't have any on hand, I gave Bonjela. DD also went off solids and just wanted the bottle for that comforting suckle.

Everyone is correct, that your DS will be fine. I'd only really worry if his weight was dropping and he had other suspicious symptoms, looking grey etc.

He will return back to normal food, this is just a phase :)

[Lumpy Melon]

My DS was the same.
Our gp said that as long as they get enough milk it's not too much of a worry. Food isn't a necessity for nutrients till they are one.
We still kept offering food though so that he would eventually be able to show us he was ok to eat again.
Good luck :)

[liddia]

Thanks for your replies :) It's so hard not to worry, but at this stage at least he is still having his formula and he is drinking all of that.. 4 200 ml bottles / 24 hrs. I thought that too much formula might have been his problem but after some experimenting I've ruled that out. I know his mouth is making him miserable, I guess all I can do is keep offering and hope that he'll take it when he is ready. If he doesn't eat his toast I've been leaving it on his walker tray, so that he can pick at it if he wants to, same with pieces of fruit etc. He's still not putting much in his mouth but I have noticed that every now and then he'll pick a piece up. It's just so upsetting when I sit him down for a meal and he won;t eat it... not upsetting that I've made it and won;t eat, just upsetting because I'm worried about him. Hopefully his teeth will be through soon and we can go back to normal. One came through, but then went back under the gum :| Poor baby