Diarrhea in a child with teething: should it be treated?
Disorder of the chair often appears in children who have teething. Some of the babies have teeth that appear completely painless, while others suffer during their eruption, suffering from digestive disorders. Why when teething can start diarrhea and how to help the toddler?
Frequent Concomitant Symptoms
The main symptoms that occur during teething:
- The kid becomes irritable, whiny, capricious.
- Increased drooling.
- A rash appears on the face (especially on the chin).
- Sleep crumbs become restless.
- There is diarrhea.
- Body temperature may rise slightly.
The causes of the development of diarrhea in babies who have teeth cut, are called copious saliva and acceleration of the motility of the digestive tract. In addition, the immunity during this period is weakened, and the child chews and bites hard at various things that come across to him. This causes an increased risk for the development of infections.
Signs of diarrhea associated with teething are usually an increase in stool frequency and a thinner consistency. The smell and color of feces often do not change. In addition, the child with such diarrhea is not sluggish and eats normally (appetite may decrease slightly due to discomfort and pain). These are signs of diarrhea caused by slight irritation of the digestive tract. Such irritation disappears as soon as gum inflammation diminishes.
E. Komarovsky: Is there diarrhea from the teeth?
Diarrhea in babies with teething appears quite often. However, the famous doctor recalls that the period of teething is a time of increased risk for the development of various intestinal infections, as the body’s immune function decreases, and because of the child’s desire to constantly rub their teeth with any foreign objects, more microorganisms and viruses enter the stomach. And if, simultaneously with diarrhea, the crumbs of the body temperature rose, and the chair itself changed in texture, smell and color, then most likely it was an infection, so the baby should be shown to a specialist as soon as possible.
How to treat?
To help the child during the period when his teeth are cut, parents should make efforts to eliminate pain and discomfort. The baby can be given solid vegetables and special toys, the gums can be massaged, and dental gels and painkillers medication. It is important to monitor hygiene, often wash toys, dishes and hands.
Since diarrhea in the period of the appearance of teeth is a short-term phenomenon, somehow it is not necessary to specifically treat it. The actions of the parents should include replenishing the liquid lost by the baby and reducing the load on the baby’s digestive system. If a child breastfed and gets complementary foods, the volume of complementary foods is recommended to be reduced, and the number of breast attachments to increase.
When should you go to the pediatrician?
Medical care is needed for children who, on the background of teething, began to develop intestinal infection.
You can judge this process by the following symptoms:
- the baby has a high body temperature;
- feces may become green, streaked with blood and much mucus;
- a putrid or sharp sour odor appeared in the stool;
- the child's condition deteriorated, the baby became lethargic, refuses to eat.
If the baby has such signs, it is important to immediately go with the baby to the doctor to prevent dehydration and deterioration. It is not worth to treat the baby yourself, since dehydration in infants develops rather quickly.
