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Author:
Amar Kirale
- >> Post Created: July 14, 2022
- >> Last Updated: April 25, 2024
Teething Vomiting - Table of Contents
Babies have to go through quite some discomfort to earn their pearly whites! And a troubled baby means extremely worried parents. Trust us, we have managed 3 teething tots (triplets) at the same time.
The teething phase is one that every baby and parent have to go through, though it is all worth it!
However, managing the teething phase in the best way will need you to be well aware about all the issues babies experience in the teething phase.
Some babies experience all the symptoms of teething, while some experience just a few symptoms or none at all.
It’s always good to know more about the various symptoms associated with teething, and this is absolutely essential when one needs to call the doctor.
In this article we will discuss – Can teething cause vomiting, Is teething vomiting really a thing, what to do when your child is going through nausea while teething, and what all you need to keep an eye out.
Teething Vomiting – Why do babies sometimes vomit during teething?
Teething begins at the age of 4–6 months and goes on in phases till about 12 years of age. However, it is important to note that when the teething phase begins, a baby is also be achieving other milestones – crawling & exploring more, starting to eat solid food, etc. And as these highpoints coincide with teething, parents easily mistake any issue that the baby faces as one of the symptoms of teething.
Now if you take the example of a baby that has started consuming solid food as the teething phase has begun, his/her stomach may take time to adjust to it and react through vomiting or diarrhea.
Similarly, as the baby has started crawling, he/she explores objects with the hands and mouth and an unclean object in the mouth can cause an infection giving rise to vomiting, fever, diarrhea, or even skin rashes. So these issues are not related to teething directly…!!!
Also according to AAP – American Academy of Pediatrics the antibodies that the baby gets from the mother at the time of birth start fading too at about this age, making the baby more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections.
In an indirect connection to teething, babies tend to drool more while teething, which on contact with skin can cause skin rashes or diarrhea.
Thus, vomiting in babies can be caused due to a bacterial or viral infection during the teething phase (possibly because of the excessive drool or due to contracting bacteria while crawling, gnawing etc.), which can get very stressful for the child and parents.
To understand and handle teething vomiting/ nausea while teething, lets first understand what are the various causes that lead to vomiting.
Now let us understand what exactly causes vomiting in babies.
What causes babies to vomit?
Vomiting is messy and may seem to be stressful, but it is usually not a big reason to worry, as this symptom does not stay for long.
As the baby’s immunity that was passed to them at birth is fading, he/she becomes an easy target for viruses and bacteria. So some of the causes of vomiting in babies can be –
- Common cold / Flu
- Stomach infection
- Urine infection
- Ear infection
- Food allergy / intolerance
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Identifying teething – some teething symptoms
Many believe that teething symptoms can range from irritability, biting/chewing objects, loss of appetite, skin rashes, fever, diarrhea and even vomiting. The most common teething symptoms among these are irritability and lack of appetite.
And contradictory to popular belief, symptoms like rashes, fever, diarrhea and vomiting may or may not be caused directly due to the teething but may have indirect connections as discussed above in case of vomiting; so always get them checked by your doctor even if your baby is going through the teething phase.
Discussing vomiting during teething (teething vomiting) particularly, a research was conducted across eight countries to understand if teething vomiting had any stand and further can teething really cause vomiting, but none were found!
In fact, attributing teething as a reason for vomiting in babies can worsen your baby’s health as the real cause is ignored and not treated appropriately.
Therefore, if your baby is vomiting and has other severe symptoms during the teething phase, there are high chances that the cause is something else which needs serious attention.
Note: Do NOT try to treat the child with any herb / homeopathy / drug on your own as it can put your baby’s life at risk. Let a certified doctor diagnose and treat the issue accordingly. The US FDA does not recommend any type of drug be it herbs, or any homeopathic medications as well on teething.
Home Remedies to handle baby vomiting and diarrhea
While we have understood some of the causes that cause vomiting in babies, let us now help you deal with the same.
There are several things you can do to help your baby recover from the vomiting –
- Hydration is the key: Keep the baby hydrated (dehydration during diarrhea and vomiting can be dangerous)
- Rest is most essential: Letting them rest a lot will help them rejuvenate and recover all the minerals and salts lost due to vomiting/ diarrhea
- Maintain a light diet: Restart their normal diet only after 12–24 hours after the last vomit. This will help in refreshing their digestive system, their body handling the infection, and developing immunity.
Home remedies – Few creative ways to help kids have more liquids during vomiting and diarrhea phase as they lose energy and appetite all together. These have really helped me while handling my kids going through a vomiting/diarrhea phase. Hope its helpful for you too…
- Make at home ice popsicles with solutions containing much needed electrolytes which enhances rehydration. Kids generally love ice pops so there is greater acceptance.
- You can look at giving them fresh fruit juices – diluted with water. This diluted juice will helps in reducing sugar in the fruit juice and as we all know, sugar is known to worsen vomiting and diarrhea.
- Make some gelatin and give. They could likely be more accepting of it than just plain water.
- Give your child rehydration liquids in small quantities to begin with – 30-60 mins after each vomit. This could reduce the possibility of your child to vomit again.
- Ensure you maintain a bland and light diet for your child that too after ensuring he/ she is through with the vomiting and diarrhea phase. Few foods you could include are: Bland soups, toasts, bananas, mashed potatoes, toasts, crackers etc. These foods ensure to give a break to your stomach while ensuring its full and also providing your child with adequate energy and nutrients.
When should you see a doctor?
Vomiting on its own is not a big cause of concern. However, if vomiting is accompanied with any of the following symptoms, you need to rush to the doctor –
- Fever
- Severe irritability
- Swollen stomach
- Signs of dehydration like lack of tears, dry mouth, and less than six wet diapers a day
- Shortness of breath
- Sleeping more than usual
- Refusal to take liquids
- Vomiting has been going on for more than 12 hours
- Vomiting with more force
Conclusion
Vomiting is NOT a typical teething symptom! So teething vomiting is not a direct symptom and should not be characterized as a direct symptom.
As explained above, it’s an indirect result of some type of viral and bacterial infection that may arise due to lowering of immunity during the teething phase.
If your baby is only vomiting, it is not a huge reason to worry, but if the vomiting persists for over 12 hours or is accompanied by other disturbing symptoms explained above, then immediate medical help should be sought.
The teething phase itself can be stressful for the baby & parents and added issues like vomiting or diarrhea can only cause further confusion and worry.
We, therefore, always emphasize on being informed about the symptoms during the teething phase, so that you can differentiate between a symptom and a real problem.
Hope our article has clarified your doubts on teething vomiting and answered your question – Can teething cause vomiting.
Apart from teething vomiting we have also clarified the myth of teething diarrhea and answered another one of the most common questions that come during teething phase – Can teething cause diarrhea? Do go through these articles, they are sure to help you understand, manage and act right while your baby is going through the teething phase.
To sum up, we hope our articles have helped you understand better your query on Can teething cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Take care!
Amar Kirale
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