My 11 month old baby boy has very bad breath ALL the time. I nursed him until he was about 9 months old and it even seems like he had it before I stopped. I dont give him much juice but I just started that within the past few weeks. I wash his teeth (has 8 now) and gums with a washcloth at bathtime and in the morning but it does not seem to work. I have read online about how bad breath can mean an medical issue. I also have read something to the effect that it (bad breath) comes from the stomach. I think about it everytime someone hold him or plays with him just knowing they are probably wondering why also. I have 2 other boys that are older and I have never had this problem. Please let me know if you have dealt with this or have any suggestions for me. I just miss my sweet little babys breath.
Thank you to everyone who offered advise on my issue. I have looked into a few of the suggestions and this is what we have come up with. I have started brushing his little teeth with a tooth brush and baby paste. That seems to help for a little bit. He also was cutting a tooth and had a ton of drainage. He is over that now as well and the bad breath has decreased a great deal. As I have thought about this and put it together with teething and or colds, I am pretty sure that the sinus and drainage was a huge factor. Not to mention, as some wrote, he is a mouth breather and I have increased his fluids (water) during the day since he does chew on his shirt, socks etc. Thank you all for your advice on this issue and I hope this post helps with the same problem in your home.
God Bless
T. H
Draingage? I know that can cause bad breath. Maybe he is having some minor allergy issues that's causing the drainage (or teething).
Hi T.,
Sometimes children will have bad breath due to changes in the sinus area. My oldest had a problem , our pediatrician told us it was a sign of allergies. Who knows? Maybe that is this case with your child.
Here is just a guess, but my experience with teething babies, they tend to get a runny/stuffy nose... maybe your baby is having a lot of drainage?
at walmart they have those baby toothbrushes w the toothpaste i think its 6bucks
maybe he needs toothpaste now
my baby is 9months old n heas not having that problem he has teeth too but i guess its just different w each baby
Don't feel bad my lil boy is 2 and I brush his teeth regularly but it seems like when he wakes up from a nap his breath really smells. I unfortunately don't know what to do for it either I just wanted to let you know you aren't the only one that has that problem.
He either has a food sensitivity or allergy, or his food is not digesting completely or properly. There are many food enzymes that you can get that you can even give little ones that will aid in digestion and get rid of the bad breath. Go to a health food store and ask. My friend owns Absolute Health Solutions on N. Glenstone just past I-44 in the shopping center before Valley Water Mill Rd. Just ask for Chena, and you can tell her that I sent you.
Instead of using a wash cloth, they make toothpaste (edible) & toothpaste for babies. Given your son's age, he wouldn't use the toothpaste, but a finger tube that has small bristles. Try Gerber. I don't know if this will help with the bad breath problem, but it will clean his teeth more effectively than a wash cloth.
Has your son been losing some weight? Since you stopped breast feeding, he could have lost his baby/milk fat. When event adults lose weight, there tends to be bad breath b/c of the stomach churming overtime (I don't even know if these is the correct explanation but something along the lines).
Good luck!
Hi T.,
I would call your pediatrician. Bad odor can be a sign of infection. It never hurts to check with the pediatrician, and if you feel that he or she has not addressed the problem to your satisfaction, call for a second opinion. Please let us know if you discover the cause of this.....I am very curious about it.
N.
that never changes men always have bad breath!!! i am just kidding i needed a laugh hope you did too.maybe more water in his diet would help.
hi T., i seen that you said you wash his teeth with a washcloth, have you tried a toothbrush and toothpaste. they make it for babies you can find it in the infants section or you can go to where the regular toothbrushes are. i think oral-b is the one that makes them in stages he would need like stage one and then they make the toothpaste also. the only thing i can think of is that the washcloth isnt getting in betwwen the teeth. also when you do brush his teeth do his tongue also.
one other note it might be a bacteria in his mouth you might try to get him to eat some yogurt it might kill whatever is in there or you can get kids mouth wash he isnt old enough yo swish it so i would pour some over his toothbrush and then brush his teeth. maybe twice a day and then once a day. hope this helps. W. mom of 4
I can see that others have suggested medical conditions. Another one that causes bad breath is juvenile diabetes. Other signs/symptoms would be excessive thirst, frequent urination, itchy skin, losing weight. We have absolutely no family history of diabetes, but my son was diagnosed at age 7.
Tonsils? I had that problem personally in college and it was because my tonsils were swollen and actually holding food in the pockets on them.
At 11 months, he is probably eating some finger foods. My nephew was about this age when bad breath became a problem. My brother and his wife took him to the pediatrician and found that he had put small peices of food up his nose. The rotting food in his nasal passages was causing the bad breath. The doctor removed the food and his breath was back to normal.
First off, I would bring this up to my doctor. You don't have to wait for a visit, just call and see what she/he says. When my husband had a hernia, he had horrible "hernia breath" as we called it. I don't know why, but hernias cause bad breath. I don't know if this helps, but a hernia was my first thought after reading your post. Many hernias heal on their own with monitoring.
