Teething - Columbus, OH

The person who said Hylands teething tablets is right on! Those are wonderful!!!!! Also my kids liked having a frozen washcloth to chew on, or a sugar free popsicle.

Good luck!

totally normal. i think maybe his gums are tender and sucking on a bottle, etc...makes it hurt worse. maybe try giving him some tylenol about a half hour before feeding time and right before giving him the bottle rub his gums with orajel or something similar. maybe it will make eating less painful.

Absolutely teething can result in not wanting to nurse at the breast or bottle - teeth pain can radiate throughout the mouth & jaw, with referral pain that even goes to ears or whole head. Check in with your mothering instincts - if you feel that this loss of appetite is something more than teething, certainly check with your pediatrician. Also, the extra drooling & saliva that he's ingesting can cause tummy and intestinal upset - "teething poop" can be mucousy, green (although if this continues for more than the time of his most intense teething, you're looking at other issues like potential food sensitivity or allergy issues).

About the frustration w/ feeding time: I know it can be difficult to watch your little one suffer through feedings, so try and remain empathetic and talk sweetly to him during these rough times - try to keep your frustration levels low (even though your frustration might not be directed at him) because he will notice any tense-ness or irritation in you which in turn can make him even more uneasy. He'll sense your calm, so muster all you can! And the teething will pass, so hang in there & ride it out the best you can. :)

A few things you can do to try and alleviate some of the teething pain for him:

* offer a damp, cool, clean washcloth or teether for him to chew/suck/mouth - do this anytime, but perhaps right before a feeding - some kids prefer warm to cool, or soft to hard, just try different things until you hit on what your son prefers

* if he wants to, nurse often as breastfeeding is shown to have pain-relieving (analgesic) effects, so even if you think he might not be hungry but he's still wanting to nurse, cuddle him up and let him nurse

* with clean fingers, you can gently massage his gums *if* he responds well to it (some babies' gums are too tender for this during teething, while other babies will *love* this - just follow your baby's cues)

* if the teething is really horrible, preventing him from sleeping, etc., consider one of the following after you read up on each one to see what you're most comfortable with giving him and/or after you talk to your pediatrician: homeopathic Hylands Teething Tablets or Teething Gel, Oral B or Anbesol Teething Gel, Ibuprofen (like Infant Motrin or Infant Advil)

Congratulations on becoming a mom, and I hope your little guy's teething passes soon!

My 7 1/2 month old just went through the same thing. She went from taking 6 ounces a feeding to around 2 ounces. She was fussy at feeding time as well. Once the tooth broke through, she went back to her regular feedings. This just seems to be one of the many wonderful things to accompany teething!

have you teyed any jar foods maybe he is not being filled up with just formula
P. s

Yes this is a normal thing, you could try some infant tylenol before feedings, infant origel(spelling wrong) that might help. You can also buy this thing (not sure what it is called) but you put it on your finger and massage his gums. Or just use your finger, clean of course. I also took a warm wash cloth and would rub my kids gums that always seemed to help. He is not eating good probably because his gums are sore and it hurts to suck on the bottle. Once the tooth or teeth breaks the gums he will get better but for now all you can do is try to comfort him. Try not to get flustrated he can sense that too and that would probably make him more aggitated. It is always hard with the first tooth because they don't know this new thing that is happening to them. Good luck

Do what Michelle said! Its hard to believe at first that teething can cause all those symptoms but my first baby had fevers, loss of appetite and all the rest. He had a bad rash on his chin and I didn't take him for his one year picture and ended up not rescheduling it, so he never got one! I'm more laid back this time : )

Awww, the dreaded teething. It's awful, but that is exactly what your son is doing. I believe they cut their first tooth anywhere from 4 months to 10 months average, but teething can start up to 2 months before a tooth comes in. The loss of appetite is also from teething. His gums are really sore, therefore sucking just makes it worse. Some other signs are: pulling/tugging ear or sides of face, a slight rash on face from the drool, poor sleeping, etc. The good news is that it will get better. What you can do right now is give him cold cloths, frozen teethers, basically anything for him to naw on that is cold. They also put out teething tablets which worked really well for my daughter. They are homeopathic and they sell them at walgreens. It's called Hyland's teething tablets. Some tylenol may help also. I know it's hard, some babies just handle it worse than others. My daughter has always been a great sleeper, but as soon as a new tooth would start to come in, she would wake up every couple of hours at night...not fun. It'll get easier though, just hang in there and try to do some of the above.

Hi L.! All great advice here. I don't think I have anything more to add accept I prever motrin over tylenol. I personally think it works better. He can drool and all this for quite a while before you even see any teeth! I myself have a 10 mos. old whose teething and it's been horrible for me. She doesn't want to sleep much at night. Dr. Said it's teething and he compared it to your wisdom teeth coming in. He said if you've ever experienced that pain, that's what it feels like to them. Not fun but not much you can do till they come in but try to ease the pain.

Good luck! I know it's not fun!

S.

All great suggestions. My little guy is still cutting teeth at 14 months. His favorite thing is the teething rings you put in the freezer. He will suck on that for a couple of minutes and then has a much better appetite. Motrin is not approved for children under 6 months. Those teething tablets are great.
Good luck and keep your chin up.

L. I would also check inside his mouth....I do daycare and I had a little girl who at the time was also 5 months old.....all the same symptoms of teething so I let it go at that and so did her mother......she ended up having hand,foot,and mouth disease. The back of her throat was red with white blochy marks and she couldn't swallow due to the pain it causes. I am not saying that it isn't teething but its better to check then to be sorry. There is another name for it but I can't remember what the actual condition is called but if thats another way they describe it.....the rash on the hands and feet kinda look like spider webs, red lines all over, the hands and feet don't hurt just inside the mouth. just an idea and also it is contagious to other children and to some adults.

Absolutely normal..fear not. Good Luck

Hi L.... sounds like teething. :-)

We found Hylands' Teething Tablets to be the BEST product out there for teething. The tablets are tiny, are homeopathic and they don't have the side effects that giving motrin or tylenol all the time can have. You can buy them in the supplement section of chain stores like Wal-Mart, Meijer and drug stores.

Blessings.
M.