Teething is one of those phases you don’t truly understand until you’re living it. One day your baby eats well, and the next day, every spoonful feels like a battle. Trust me when I say that it’s exhausting. You’re constantly trying new ways to make sure your baby eats and doesn’t lose weight.
Later, fear and anxiety set in when you see your baby actually lose weight. Seconds later, you’re frustrated because no matter what you do, your teething baby can’t eat.
When my 15-month-old son started teething badly, feeding him became one of the hardest parts of our day. He wasn’t interested in food, cried during meals, and on some days wanted nothing at all. I worried. I felt helpless. And I questioned myself more than once.
But slowly, through trial, patience, and observation, I learned a few gentle ways to help him eat, even when his appetite was almost gone.
If you’re in this season, I want you to know something first: you’re not failing. This phase is hard, and it’s also temporary.
My baby had a tough time because he had malaria too. He couldn’t eat anything, and still I had to give him his malaria drugs. He survived some tough days on my breastmilk, until I learn a few tricks to get him to eat something.
Why Teething Affects Eating
Teething doesn’t just bring drooling and sleepless nights. It affects feeding in ways many parents don’t expect.
Sore gums make chewing painful. Constant discomfort reduces interest in food. Poor sleep affects hunger. All of this combined can make a baby suddenly refuse meals they once enjoyed.
Understanding this helped me approach feeding with more patience instead of panic.
What Helped My Teething Baby Eat
Instead of forcing meals, I learned to adjust how and when I fed him.
Soft foods became our safe place. Anything that didn’t require much chewing worked better and caused fewer tears. Even then, I stopped expecting full meals. A few spoons were enough.
I also noticed timing mattered. Feeding him after naps or when he was calmer made a real difference. On especially painful days, liquids carried us through, and I learned to accept that as okay.
How to feed your baby during teething- My method
Fiifi Junior didn’t eat much. I fed him 2 spoonfuls of his daily meals every 30 minutes, and I timed it. My logic behind it was that, at least by the end of the day, he would have absorbed enough food into his system. Sometimes, instead of 30 minutes, I make it every hour if he refuses to eat after the next 30 minutes.
This might sound a bit too much, but if your baby is taking medicines, losing weight, and refusing to eat, you’ll do anything for your child. And, it worked.
When he started regaining his appetite, I fed him every 2 hours instead of every 30 minutes. This really helped him regain his weight.
Foods I Fed My Baby With
As a Ghanaian mom, the foods my 15-month-old son only enjoys are Ghanaian delicacies: banku with okro, rice with groundnut soup, riceball, yam with garden egg stew, oatmeal, maize grits (Ekuegbemi), wheat porridge, tom brown, etc. He takes it all. I cooked them soft enough for him to swallow.
And when he could eat, I blended all his food for him. Even if it’s banku with soup or rice with eggstew, I blend it into puree for him. When his molars and canine teeth were coming in, he couldn’t chew anything, and any food with the slightest solid in it turned him off. He spat it all out.
I gave him smoothies, too, fruits that his stomach could handle. He loved banana smoothies a lot.
Other Moms say
“Cold foods surprised me. They soothed his gums and made eating less uncomfortable. It wasn’t perfect, but it helped.”
“Most importantly, I let go of pressure. I stopped comparing. I stopped counting bites. I focused on comfort and trust.”
What I Had to Unlearn
Motherhood isn’t easy.
- I had to unlearn the idea that a baby refusing food means something is wrong.
- I had to stop measuring good parenting by clean plates.
Teething is not the time for power struggles. It’s the time for gentleness.
When to Seek Medical Advice
While appetite loss during teething is common, there are moments when professional advice matters—especially if refusal lasts long or dehydration becomes a concern. Or, your child is losing significant weight.
Trust your instincts. You know your child best.
Teething in Babies is emotionally draining.
Teething stretched me emotionally. But it also reminded me that parenting isn’t about perfection, it’s about presence.
If feeding feels hard right now, breathe. You’re doing your best, and that is enough. Breastfeeding helps soothe them.
