Teething and appetite question

My son was pretty late transitioning to soft solids but we did it and he was doing well with it for around a month. It took him a while to eat because he only had four teeth but he would eat a decent amount each meal. Then he suddenly started refusing to eat much of the soft solids and I thought that was because he had gotten constipated. We sorted out the constipation but he wouldn’t eat the soft solids anymore. He would turn his head and slap at the spoon. So we went back to the stage three mechanical type jars of food which are thicker than regular puree with some chunks of food in it. However now he is teething and he’s only accepting the pouches of food. He is still drinking normally and has normal stools. No fever. Nothing going on besides teething. I’ve tried alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen to help with gum pain but it doesn’t help with his appetite. He isn’t lethargic but I don’t want it to come to that. His pediatrician is out of office til Monday. Is this normal with teething sometimes? He’s eating two pouches a day and at night we can usually get him to eat a jar of the stage three food. But that’s it. He refuses everything else. I talked to a couple of moms and they insist this is not normal. Anyone have any experiences like this? Is this a texture issue or is this just due to teething? I’m lost.

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Oh! We also put avacado in his morning sippy for healthy fats. And wanted to add he is constantly putting things in his mouth. So texture issue seems unlikely but that’s what people are assuming. 🤔

How much milk are you giving him a day? Like oz wise? If he’s having too much milk then that will fill him up too. Have you tried changing to solid food? He might be bored of the softer textures and tastes!

It is completely normal for babies/toddlers to stop eating/eat less when teething. Weird that other moms are insisting it’s not normal. What kind of soft solids were you offering?

@Hanna He drinks about 5 bottles per day. We tried cutting one out and he got constipated. :/

@Kassidi In the picture those trays on the left are the ones we advanced him to. He did well with those for about a month but just took a little while to eat. Then he regressed to the stage three jars again. The ones in the middle. Now he’s only eating the pouches during the day and a jar at night.

How does he do with water? Or purees in water? You can also try giving him fruits like prunes or pears which will help combat the constipation. A friends daughter was in a similar situation, she eventually started speech therapy and started eating much better! Not sure if it's the same deal with you two

@Kassidi I’m hoping it’s just that he is teething but multiple people are telling me this doesn’t sound normal and it’s very worrisome. I have one person insisting this sounds a lot like a texture problem. I’m just lost. He is teething big time. His gums are huge and swollen on all 4 areas but like I said the Tylenol and ibuprofen didn’t seem to help with his appetite.

@Favi We’re awaiting a speech eval also. They’re super booked up currently though. He drinks water fine but the problem is he has a dairy protein allergy so he is on soy. A whole gram less of fat than whole milk provides. So I give him milk more often than water.

That’s why I put avacado in his morning sippy too. For the healthy fats for his brain.

@Danielle Hmm. My only real concern was that it was sounding like he wasn’t eating enough but if he’s getting 5 decent sized bottles of milk throughout the day on top of the pouches I think he may be getting enough food quantity wise even if it’s less than normal. It’s definitely normal for teething to effect appetite. In my experience teething effects texture too only bc some textures are easier on the swollen gums not bc the child is preferring a texture over another themselves. Is he fussier at all or still even tempered for a toddler? Have you tried giving him your food and see if he takes more interest in that? Typically at this age he should be eating a good range of solid foods (not just purees and pouches) with a limited number of bottles like 12-18oz of milk total in a day. BUT, in your profile it looks like he’s a premie so your doctor may have him on a different regimen. If not, developmentally he may just be ready for new flavors/nutrients/textures.

pain medicine won’t help with their appetite, unfortunately. It’s still uncomfortable for them to chew. His appetite will return to normal again once he’s feeling better though! Have you tried soup? That way it’s still solid pieces but they’re mushy and it looks similar to the purées

Try to make him something homemade and yummy or order some different healthy take-out and try. Teething and boredom are likely the problem here. Packaged foods are not very tasty. Our son loves food and has been eating since 6 months. But when he is teething, his appetite goes down to about 60%. If I give him something he does not like, he won't eat. But the stuff he loves, he will tolerate whole teething.

Our son is having a hard time transitioning to most solids also. We just keep introducing him to them and we are also starting feeding therapy next month

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