Can teething really cause an upset tummy? If so, how?

[ArtiChokesOnTheWishbone]

DD is 16 months and her molars are beginning to break through. Since Friday she has had very frequent poos that smell like hell and are rather runny. Not terrible squits but something definitley wrong with her tum. MiL reckons its teething, but I am struggling to see how teething can cause a runny tummy. Does anyone know if there is any truth to MiL's theory? Or is it just a bug?

Yes, it can, I'm not sure why but it can also make nappy rash worse as the urine can become more acidic(?)

My HV said teething can change the Ph of saliva and therefore affect the tummy

I am not convinced on actual diorreah from teething - loose poos yes but D proper is from a tummy bug imo...

hi,my dd1 is 15months and she's having a nightmare teething too. this time she's not got bad poos, but she has suffered from that before. her poos were so bad that they caused instant nappy rash and the smell was unreal!
i know everyone says that teething shouldn't cause problems like this, but in our case, it definitely did. my mum thinks its to do with the acid and saliva.... is she off her food as well? if its a tummy bug i'd imagine she wouldn't want any food?
hope she gets through it soon.

I know it's so different for each baby isn't it? That's what is so bloody hard with this lark!
I hope she feels better soon x

Thanks for all your posts. Her tummy has continued to be a bit odd all day - she keeps sicking-up her milk like a newborn, yet she keeps her main meals down and has a good appetite. She has slo been rather grumpy which is unlike her.

Maybe it all down to teething but I still wonder whether she might have a bug coming. However, I can see two molars breaking through and one very swollen area of gum where another must be coming.

God yes my dd had awaful diorrhea (sp) which in turn seemed to case awful nappy rash, not sure why.

well D is undigested food so it's like acid against a babys' soft skin. Awful.

my ds would vomit when he was teehthing (especially with molars). sometimes get loose poos too.

Research suggests that the two aren't connected, however it happens too frequently fot it to be a coincicence IMO.

if toddlers are teething they tend to put their hands in their mouths more often to rub the gums. Of course, being toddlers, their hands are filthy with being on the floor all the time, so they are effectively taking on board a ton of bugs. Thus, the connection bewteen teething and upset tummy/the runs.