Can teething affect my babies appetite? She is 9 and a half months old and is suddenly not hungry

Amanda - posted on 10/09/2009

I'm not sure it has anything to do with teething, necessarily. My son is 9 months and has 4 teeth and has been doing the same thing for about 2 weeks now. He refuses the baby food, stage 2 and stage 3, but if we offer him adult food, he'll eat it, which means he is hungry. I've decided to start giving him more and more adult food because it's the only thing he wants to eat. We just have to be extra careful, of course, but if it's the only way he'll eat, I have to do what I have to do. :o)

Susan - posted on 10/21/2009

Teething does affect a babies appetite but babies also seem to go through stages where they wont eat much. My granddaughter who is 22 months and teething is going through that right now.

Cynthia - posted on 10/21/2009

yes it does affect the appetite and i use to keep frozen carrot sticks so my girls could suck on them and keep up a level of nutriant as well. my girls loved frozen juice ice cubes, but be aware the will wear a bigger amount then they will consume but they will love the cold.....

Tina - posted on 10/11/2009

Quoting Vanessa:

Can teething affect my babies appetite? She is 9 and a half months old and is suddenly not hungry

My baby girl has lost her appetite and has started to make faces and spits out her food when I try and feed her. She has always been a great eater, can you help?

Let her try to feed herself...fingerfoods(cheerio's, fruitloops, hotdogs quarted and then slice into bite size pieces). Also trying introducing some new foods she just might be bored with the ones she has.  Yes, this does happen. I have 3, so I have been thru this a couple of times...at least :).and she will eat when she gets hungry. She'll let you know.

Kelly - posted on 10/09/2009

hi my baby girl is 9months old and she is doing exactly the same..just getting her 1st bottom teeth now and she can sleep for hours and she never wants to eat at dinner time shes just content with her bottle and then at tea time shes back to normal again...i just give her lots of cuddles and plenty of cold juice which she doesnt mind at all...hope thats helped x

[deleted account]

Sure can - I found bub eats better with only pureed food on those days :)

Jennifer - posted on 10/21/2009

Sometimes teething makes them not eat but she is probably just growing. Mine still have appetite loss and they are 9 and 5yrs. Try some different foods babies change frequently as do there appetites. She will not starve herself and will eat when she is hungry. In the mean time make sure she has plenty of fluids and if you think its her teeth find something that can sooth them.

Rebecca - posted on 10/11/2009

Jayden did when he was teething, he does it every time, i just give him toast and a bit banana and that seems to get him through the day.

Cindy - posted on 10/11/2009

I have raised 2 children and I now have 5 grand-children. When they get to the age your daughter is most children are learning more about themselves. Like playing with their tongue and learning how to blow bubbles, spit, touch their teeth. Yes she may be teething and the amount of food she eats may be less or yes she could be going thru a growth spurt, but when my children did this I found they ate more and drank more. I believe she is just learning & discovering things about herself. Unless she is sick or running a fever then I wouldn't worry too much about it. Give her some of the gerber cookies to knaw on or try some graham crackers and see how these work for her. She will eat when she is hungry or ready. Thanks for asking. Granny CGT

Nancy - posted on 10/10/2009

Yes, they seem to lose their appetite a bit while teething. I wouldn't be so excited to eat either if my mouth hurt. Unless she is very under weight, a few days with very little food won't hurt her. Are you breast feeding or is she still taking a bottle? If she is that's all she needs for a few days. You can try teething tablets or a little tylenol about a half hour before meal times and see if that helps.

Mandy - posted on 10/10/2009

Hey Vanessa,

Teething is a hard time, those lose appetite, sleep, nappy rash's etc and their so many things can do... eventually u find something that works for u ...

My suggestion is to use foods that they love the best and give it to bub's cold and maybe try to give bubs a cold teething ring before meal times. Or some teething gel just before meals too



Hope thats helps

Mandy xo

User - posted on 10/09/2009

With my son his appetite didn't differ that much but his doctor did say that it will alter during his growth period. So don't worry it is completely normal.

[deleted account]

try frozen foods hunney they numb as they eat .make iceblocks out of fruit juice, try freezing a banana ,frozen yorgurt,there are maany things to freeze whilst teething

Michelle - posted on 10/09/2009

I have 4 kids and they all go through this at one time or another. My Mom used to always tell me they will eat if they are hungry they will not starve. Don't worry yourself over this. She is just doing this because it is probably uncomfortable to eat when her teeth are coming in. It is very normal for them to not want to eat when they are teething.

Amy - posted on 10/09/2009

It can 100% effect her eating habits because it is painful for her. Try tylenol and hurricane oral gel. My baby went on a nursing strike when he broke his first tooth for 4 days. Good luck!

Linda - posted on 10/09/2009

Kids go thru stages of better and worse appetite. I wouldn't worry about it unless she is not eating or drinking for 2-3 days and she is getting dehydrated. If you are worried and she has gone 2 days without drinking or eating ANYTHING - then I would call the pediatrician or doctor to get their opinion.

Kimberly - posted on 10/08/2009

It probably has less to do with appetite and more to do with pain. Cold rags to chew on and teething biscuits may help. You could try cold foods, such as putting her cereal in the fridge or making her fruit very cold. Make sure she has a lot of things to chew on. As long as she has fluids at this age, I wouldn't worry, it should get better.

Kay - posted on 10/08/2009

just noticed she is 9 mos...just watch the fruit you use...in case of allergies

Kay - posted on 10/08/2009

absolutly. try making smoothies with frozen fruit, helps with the pain, and they are getting some calories which always makes us feel better

Jessica - posted on 10/08/2009

Teething hurts so I do believe that it can affect their appetite. My son never ate well when he was teething unless he was given tylenol before he ate

[deleted account]

when my boys all have started to teeth, their appetites did decrease. my older son, loved to have things to crunch on. we tried the bitter bites by gerber but found those were too hard to eat. i would try different things to se what works around teething time. I would try crackers or if she doesn't like hard things, go with soft food items, applesauce, cold items...

Linda - posted on 10/08/2009

yes it is. I always knows when my daughter is teething as she still eats but not as much as she normally does and once the tooth is through she goes back to normal

Tiffany - posted on 10/08/2009

oh yeah, it most def can. also will cause fever, runny nose, crankyness, and either induce sleep or prevent it. AND you can have all of the above AT THE SAME TIME. lots of fun

Brandi - posted on 10/08/2009

It can affect there appitite. When my 3 year old was teething she would go on strike. Only eating soft foods or her bottle. When I asked the peds. He said it is b/c they are hurting and associate anything that is to do with their mouth as painful. As long as she stays hydrated she will do fine.

[deleted account]

oh yeah, think of it as when you feel crappy...you aren't hungry, you are cranky, want to be left alone.....try lots of cuddling, it may not help everything, but maybe a little motrin and a good cuddle can help something. also i rubbed pure vanilla extract on my kiddies gums to help....just do what you think is best to ease her, and that's about all you can do.

Heather - posted on 10/08/2009

teething affects babies in different ways. a fever, a runny nose, not eating, not sleeping, fussiness.... just keep an eye on her, but she's fine.

Nadja - posted on 10/08/2009

some babies do stop eating when they start teething. make sure she drinks alot and if she doesnt start eating i would still go see a doctor.

Ivona - posted on 10/08/2009

it is normal for babies that have been eating some food just stop eating the same,so you can try giving her some different food and after some time the food she's been refusing.it could be also her teeth,the babies whose teeth are growing do not have appetite as they used to have but that should passed after a few days...

Jackie - posted on 10/08/2009

Could be her teeth or it could be a growth spurt. My daughter always did "nursing strikes" around each of her growth spurts. Just keep an eye on her and sure she is hydrated.