Do Babies Eat Less When They Are Teething?

Do Babies Eat Less When They Are Teething?

18 Jul 2022 | 4 min Read

Reema Shah

Author | 740 Articles

One of the major symptoms associated with teething is a decrease in appetite for solid foods. Your baby may start to get fussy suddenly and teething can cause discomfort. So how do you make it easier for your little one? Read to know about your little one’s appetite when teething and what you can do.

Does A Baby’s Appetite Get Affected When They Teeth?

Similar to adults who lose appetite when not feeling well, even babies can feel the same. As the gums swell and feel tender to touch just before a tooth breaks through, it can cause pain and discomfort. However, not all children tend to lose their appetite while teething.

As per studies, children tend to lose their appetite with teething only when their canines come through and not when their incisors or molars emerge. Usually, canines appear when your little one is 16 to 22 months old.

Here are some common symptoms of teething-

  • Drooling
  • Red and swollen gums
  • Irritated mood
  • Loss of appetite
  • Chewing on solid objects
  • Mild fussiness and crankiness
  • Swollen and tender gums
Not every baby refuses to eat solids while teething – those who feel discomfort may start eating less / Credit – Pexels

What To Do When Baby Refuses To Eat Solids While Teething

Try Purees

Even if your baby has just moved from purees to more solid foods, the sensitive gums from teething will not make the baby want to chew. Keep away anything hard or chunky that needs the effort to be chewed for the moment. Instead, go for soft foods like yoghurt, soup, mashes, applesauce, hummus, purees and scrambled eggs, which can be tolerated better as they don’t require chewing.

Give Handheld Foods

While some babies may find comfort in soft foods, some may want something hard to chew on. Each baby is different when it comes to teething. Sometimes, they want something against which they can rub their gums in the area where the tooth is trying to erupt. In such cases, give them handheld foods like carrot sticks or whole green beans. However, remember to supervise them when doing so.

Use Teething Soothers

Before breastfeeding your child, give him/her other things to chew on for a few minutes. You can use a clean washcloth moistened with cool water and placed in the freezer for a few minutes too. Even a firm rubber ring designed especially for teething babies works well.

Furthermore, you can also try rubbing a clean finger gently across your baby’s gums which can help to provide temporary relief.  Another tip is to tie off the top of a clean baby sock by putting a few pieces of ice in it.

Give Cold Food

You can chill almost everything before serving it to your baby. Anything that’s at room temperature can be put in the fridge first. Frozen food is perfect for a baby which includes popsicles. You can even make your own popsicles for baby with your breastmilk. As for a healthy twist, make popsicles from a kale smoothie.

baby refuses to eat solids while teething
Easy-to-eat foods like smoothies or yoghurts can be soothing for your teething baby as cold can be relaxing to them / Credit – Canva

Push Liquids

Keeping your little one hydrated with milk and water is still very important. However, you can also meet your child’s food needs by keeping them well hydrated. Try smoothies which have veggies, healthy fats and protein powder along with fruits, which make it a complete meal. Plus, if you are making smoothies with fruits or veggies, from the fridge, drinking them will be soothing for your little one because of the coldness.

Try Teething Rings

Teething rings can be given to babies to chew on and ease the discomfort. The best way is to chill a teething ring in the refrigerator beforehand. The coldness provides pressure on the child’s gums along with coolness that’s soothing. However, never freeze the ring as it can break and carry the risk of choking your infant.

Your baby will tend to have decreased appetite about five days before a teeth peeps in and three days after the teeth surfaces. So your baby might be ready for solids within a week unless another teeth is on its way. Ensure to keep them hydrated with breastmilk if they are breastfeeding and the methods mentioned above.

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Suggestions offered by doctors on BabyChakra are of advisory nature i.e., for educational and informational purposes only. Content posted on, created for, or compiled by BabyChakra is not intended or designed to replace your doctor's independent judgment about any symptom, condition, or the appropriateness or risks of a procedure or treatment for a given person.