There are a lot of doctors out there that tell parents that teething and diarrhea are unrelated. However, a lot of parents just don’t agree. Most think that teething causes diarrhea and they have a good reason for thinking that. Many babies have diarrhea when they are teething and it’s something parents notice.
The few doctors who believe parents when they tell them that teething and diarrhea are related conditions have come up with a theory. The idea is that the saliva produced while the baby is teething causes nutrients to be diluted in the system. They also cause a higher level of acid in the system. This makes the stool move through the intestinal track at a much faster rate and because the body doesn’t have time to absorb the water that it normally does, the stool comes out as diarrhea.
For parents wondering if their child’s diarrhea is caused from teething or from something else there are a few things to look at. Teething won’t cause a fever, so if your baby has diarrhea and a fever then it is likely that they are sick. Additionally your baby should be acting fairly normal, though fussiness with teething is normal. Try to determine if your baby is having symptoms that are merely teething issues, or if they are having issues that may point to illness.
While there are a lot of doctors saying teething and diarrhea are unrelated, the experience of moms would suggest otherwise. If your baby is teething and has diarrhea then check for signs of illness and go from there.
