Teething son refusing to eat?

Question

I am pretty sure my son has some new teeth coming in because he is really cranky, is drooling like crazy, and has a small fever. He already got his two bottom teeth a while ago but was never this mad about it. He pretty much fusses all day and sometimes cries so much we cant make him stop. But my main concern is he is not eating or drinking too much right now maybe like two ounces from a bottle then he freaks out and gets mad. Once hes gets like this he doesnt want anything near his mouth. He also use to eat his baby foods and cereals but now he has no intrest. Has anyone elsese baby refused to eat or drink while teething? Also how did you get thru the night whith them? Mine wakes up in the middle of the night very fussy and is tough to get back to sleep. Thanks for any help!!!!!

I forgot to mention he is 8 months old.

Answer 1

Ah, the "joys" of being a parent.

I have three grown girls, so I have been through your plight threefold.

While it is a mentally and emotionally trying time for the parents and child alike, try to take a step back and BREATHE.

1. Your baby is in pain. Plain and simple. They make specially formulated Ambesol (check your drugstore in the baby aisle) for those sore gums.

2. The fever stems from the process as well. Give him small doses of Infant Tylenol, or other pain reliever.

3. Teething is one of the most trying times pf parenting. Remember, big nasty pieces of bone are piercing his skin at an agonizingly slow rate. This process cannot be sped up.

4. Eating and drinking is aggravating his tender mouth. Keep giving him small meals every two hours or so to alleviate the hunger, but keep the discomfort to a minimum. Try cool teething rings or cool damp clean towels.

5. Make sure to give him the Ambesol and Tylenol 20 minutes before bedtime. It will keep him quiet for a few hours, so you and your partner (I hope you have one, if not, call a best friend that owes you a favor) can rotate shifts.

Most of all, patience patience patience. babies can feel your stress. Soothe him while listening to your favorite slow melodies. Your peace will help him find his. Remember, this will eventually go away.

Best of luck! You can do it!

Answer 2

Yes most baby fussy while their teething. Try buy teething rings get different color put them in the freezer than give it to him the cool will numb the gum that might help or teething gel, don't worry too much a bout him not be able to eat like normal. after all he still drink his milk i know not as much as he used to but when the teething is over he will be back to normal eating, about he is wake up in the middle of the night try keep him up later than his normal bed time and make sure he is full that will keep him as a sleep longer.

Answer 3

Try rotating between Tylenol & Motrin every 4 hours. Put oragel on his gums before offering him a bottle or food. I know this is much easier said than done but try to stay calm & relaxed when dealing with him because if you are tense & upset he will sense it & it will make him even more upset. I know this is a hard time but you will get through it just hang in there.

You can also give him a cold wet cloth to chew on. Not only will it feel good on his gums but he will suck the water out of it & it will help him get his fluids.

As long as he is still having several wet diapers every day then he is getting enough food & liquids. Try to concentrate on the liquids more than the food. He can go a couple days without eating solids & be ok as long as he is getting enough liquids & still producing wet diapers.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Both of mine went through this. I gave them pedilalite pop sicles....cold teething rings....a rag to chew on....and for the fever...infant motrin. I remember those sleepless nights too. I basically did everything that I could to relieve their pain, but sometimes there isn't anything else you can do. How old is your son? For some reason my kids really like to chew in rags when they were teething. I have even got one wet and put it in the freezer for a few minutes and gave it to them. Sometimes they don't like the cold feeling though. Your son will be fine, you just have to keep trying. When those teeth break through it will be alot better. Have you also tried oragel for babies? That works pretty good too.

Answer 5

Try orajel,infant tylenol,teething rings.My son liked to chew on frozen waffles or bagels better than a teething ring.You can also freeze a cold rag.Try finger foods also like zwieback toast.Babies rather chew than suck when they are teething.Most babies do eat less when they are teething.If he goes longer than 4 days refusing to eat take him for a check up,to make sure he is not losing weight.Good luck!!

Answer 6

my kid refused to eat or have a bottle too. I gave him motrin *works sooo much better than tylenol* and baby orajel. He hated the taste of the orajel, but he would eventually eat once his gums were numb.

I had many nights of uncomfortable sleep because we let him co-sleep with us. Its a hard habit to break tho, but IMO, well worth it for the comfort of the baby and the parents.

Answer 7

Try using a popsicle to numb the gums, I have found that the ointments dont do much good. Luckily for me, my children were wonderful during teething, however my friend was not so lucky. Try cool food, something that will feel good on his gums.

Answer 8

My son did all that and it ended up being a ear infection so go to the doctor and worse thing they can say is he is teething but you will know he is healthy. Babies need the nourishment for their growing brains

Answer 9

If over 3 months, try the orajel for infants. He may also have colic... gas... there is a gas relief dropper at the pharmacy you can give him. also if you haven't yet take him to his health care provider to see if it isn't something more.