Following my earlier posts on Teething, discouraging mothers from using teething mixtures or attributing symptoms of illness to teething; I have got quite a number of interesting feedback in comments.
If you have not read the earlier posts on teething mixtures, you may want to start first by reading them here
TEETHING IN CHILDREN AND ANSWERS TO THE TEETHING QUESTIONS
TEETHING – MYTHS AND REALITIES
Most mums want to know if teething do cause illness in children. Some put it another way, based on their experience and observations, children do actually fall ill during the period they are cutting new tooth!
So is it right for the Paediatrician to say there is nothing like teething sickness because that is actually the reason they use the teething mixtures.
I have decided to address these concerns in this post.
Let’s still make it very clear again……
Teething DOES NOT make children sick because it is a NORMAL PHYSIOLOGICAL process!
However, your observations are right that some babies tend to fall sick during the period of teething!
However these illnesses ARE NOT because of the teething process but more of coincidental events occurring during the same period!!!
Still in an attempt to answer the question DOES TEETHING REALLY MAKE CHILDREN SICK?
Let us explain it further.
1) Most babies start cutting their first teeth around 6 – 11 months which coincide with period when exclusive breastfeeding is stopped and complementary feeding is started so there is reduction in the protective factors against ill-health received via breast-milk.
2. This period of 6 – 11 months is also the period that babies begin to also explore the environment more making them to come in contact with germs.
3. The levels of maternal protective antibodies transferred at birth via the placenta before birth also begin to wane from six months. These antibodies protect the baby against infections.
4. Teething also make babies’ gums itchy causing them to rub the gums with all sorts of toys they come across during their exploration. Some of these items are contaminated with germs
So the period when babies begin to cut their first tooth also coincide with the period that of waning immunity and exposure to germs through increasing exploration of the environment.
Therefore babies are very vulnerable during this period to infection.
Since they are also teething, it is easy for mothers to blame these illnesses on the innocent bystander -teething!!
That is why so many and all manner of symptoms that are unrelated are blamed on teething!!
So the illnesses some babies have during the period of teething are due to the waning immunity during the same period they are teething as highlighted above….It has nothing to do with teething.
Watch out for more on this teething series!!!
Dr Gbemisola Boyede
#AskThePaediatriciansTips
Forgive me but I beg to differ somewhat. My first child started teething at 4 months, she was never on exclusive and had supplementary feeding from the first day she was born. She never had teething problems or illnesses.
So I really don’t go with the fact that it’s at the time that their immunity is low because supplementary feeding has been introduced to them. In my case where I didn’t breastfeed exclusively, that didn’t occur. Perhaps it might be right to say that hygiene plays a great role; toys for teething should be sterilized and also breasts should be cleaned likewise other feeding equipment should be properly sterilized.
Thanks Nkechi for reading!
As stated in the article, it is a play of all the factors and we are not saying that all babies get sick during the period. Just explaining why some do because of the risk factors listed.
God bless you Ma.
AMEN…THANK YOU
So why are pharmaceutical company producing drug to be use during that period . And the drug is mainly for teething
Well that question is also what I asked NAFDAC years ago and the answer they gave is the same reason NAFDAC gave numbers to all those selling the herbal remedies. NAFDAC does not guarantee efficacy of any drugs so I can wake up tomorrow and bottle Vitamin C give it a name and say if you take it daily, you will become a Millionaire and NAFDAC will still give it a number that I can sell it!! What NAFDAC worries about is the SAFETY!!! As long as the drugs have not been reported to cause any harm after analysis and it is safe for human consumption, it will be approved. Most teething mixtures contain substandard doses of paracetamol and maybe sedatives and at times antimalarials like chloroquine which can be used normally on their own for different purposes.
The danger when such are marketed as teething drugs lie in the fact that mothers use them for a prolonged period of time…..some from Day 1 till maybe 1 year so you can imagine the danger of the accumulated drugs on the organs like liver and the kidneys. Additionally, mothers just assume serious symptoms are due to teething and since they are giving teething mixtures already, they have a false sense of comfort that leads to delay in seeking medical interventions. Some of the drugs can even mask symptoms of these illnesses leading to grave consequences.
I hope you are clear now. We paediatricians are not about industry making money – companies do that because such drugs sell and they get lot of profit from that; but we are about the health of our children. You should know who to listen to.
Thanks alot ma’am. Have learnt alot from your write up.
You are welcome
I want to know if piccan is best used for teething in babies
DO NOT USE TEETHING POWDER OR MIXTURES IN CHILDREN. READ THE OTHER ARTICLES ON TEETHING HERE AND HERE TOO
My 4month old son have boil in like 3 different area of his body, not really serious could dis be teething, if not wat should i use for him to prevent further boil.
Thank You A lot. I Gain More Education Here
Thank you so much Hafizu….That is what Ask the Paediatricians is all about – promoting health intelligence for child survival!
I’m so glad I joined this platform. May God continue to increase you ma. I am well informed now. Thanks a million ma.
Thank you Morenikeji for your kind words!
Yes, that is why Ask The Paediatricians exist – to increase your child health intelligence.
I am so glad that you are learning so much here!
Keep reading and keep learning!
i have learnt alot in this your article, i have a nine months old baby she started teething at 6months but she is been stoolling for almost 2months i have given her zinc twice but it didnt stop it but the stooling did not affect her in anyway she eats very well and adding weight despite the whole thing, so what should i do cause i was thinking its the teething that was causing the frequent stooling.
Thanks and God bless you for your care and concern..
Sandra, 2 months stooling if truly watery is chronic diarrhoea and you should see a Paediatrician. It may not be from infection. There are other causes of chronic diarrhoea including food allergies and some rare conditions like some enzyme deficiency and so on. I will recommend that you see your Paediatrician as soon as possible.
Since teething does not make babies to stool pls docs what is now the cause of my 4months old baby stooling who is on EBf.Though the stooling is not more than 2 or three times daily since last week but its greenish with mucus and melon like poo.she is feeding well too.
Greenish stools suggest inadequate feeding and it may also be a reflection of food pigments from the food ate by the mother passed on via the breast milk. Try and watch your own diet and breastfeed more ensuring that the breast is emptied after like 20 minutes before switching to the next breasts..Alternate the breasts with each feeding as well. Melon like stool is normal and typical in babies on exclusive breastfeeding.
Hello doctor and happy to b here… May God bless u.. My baby have been throwing up seriously and running temperature.. I went to c a Dr and after running a test he prescribed anti maleria, pcm, antibiotics, abomin and a starter injection bt she is still running temperature and throwing up. What should I do now
You should go back to the hospital for further evaluation and management preferably by a Paediatrician
Hello Dr,you are doing a great job, may God bless you ma,l appreciate.
Thank you Timothy for your kind words!
Good day drs. My 11mths son has four teeth and they are very short. They don’t seem to increase. The first two appeared in June and the second set in October 2017 but they are all tiny. What should I do
Hi Joceyln. Kindly see a Dentist for further evaluation and management.
Hello Doctor
My son is will be 10 months in 2 days. He was sick, stooling and vomiting, he has malaria one plus. He has been treated he is doing fine now but he has lost weight, what kind of diet should I give him to make him gain weight ?
Hello Bridget. Good to know that your baby is doing much better now. You need to feed your child food rich in calories and protein same as before illness but you need to increase the quantity. You should give extra meals per day at least 6 times a day now. Read the article on infant feeding in the first 1000 days for more information.
Gd day Doc,tnx for been there for us.my baby is 1 yr old,and she have catarrh for more than one month .a doc has prescribed vit c,piriton & argumentive for her bt d still persist.wat will i do.
Hi Loveth. You did not state the age of your baby but one month of catarrh is too long. You should take her to see a Paediatrician as soon as possible for further evaluation and management.
Good afternoon doctor, my 5 month old daughter has been stooling average of 3 to 4 times per day. She was on EBF till the fourth month when we started her on formula. What could be the cause of the frequent stool?
It is possible because of the formula and bottle feeding. You need to maintain high standard of hygiene when bottle feeding and you need to discard left over milk and wash your hands often, sterilize the feeding utensils and so on. That is why we recommend exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life
I have learnt a lot in few minutes, tnx Dr. God bless you.
Thank you! So glad you learnt something
Hi Dr its a well articulated article ma, may God increase your knowledge.
My question ma
How can we prevent child sicknesses during this period of teeth cutting aside hygiene?
What can we also do to relief the gum itching?
How do we boost their immunity to fight infection after EBF. thanks ma’am
1. Most kids are healthy and don’t have any illness during this period so you don’t need to do anything beyond the routine stuff – healthy diet for children, immunizations and good personal and environmental hygiene.
2.Gum itching can be relieved by giving the child clean soft teethers to bite on or scratch gum with. Kindly always sterilise
3. Immunity is boosted by good nutrition and immunizations.
Great job u re doing here, keep up d good job ma’am
Thank you