Baby teething can begin anywhere from three to as late as fourteen months of age. Teething age depends on several factors, including when Mom and Dad’s first teeth came in.
Baby teething is unmistakable when it begins. Your baby becomes fussier. They’ll grab anything in sight to gum on. They may refuse bottles or breastfeeding. The pain can cause them to lose sleep. Saliva dripping from their mouth can also be observed.
Seeing your baby in pain can drive any loving parent crazy. You’d start to find safe remedies for teething, and teething toys are some of best things to start with. But before you get one, we suggest that you dig for relevant information regarding the best teething toys so you can find one that best gives your baby teething relief.
How to Choose a Teething Toy
All babies are different. A teething toy may work for one baby, but not for another. Aside from pacifier, there are ample teething toy options, which may leave you feeling overwhelmed. Luckily, choosing the best teething toy for your little one isn’t a complete guessing game. Be attentive to any clues your baby may be already giving you about what kind of surfaces they want for relief.
Does your baby like to gum blankets? Soft, plastic baby toys can be the stuff your baby needs. If your child looks for harder objects to gum on, there are a variety of hard plastic teether toys to choose from. An added bonus is that they are totally safe for baby teeth to gum on. By paying attention to these clues, you’re more likely to get a teething toy your baby will enjoy.
Advantages of Teething Toys for Your Baby
When your baby is teething, their new teeth are working on breaking through their gums. For many babies, teething is a painful, uncomfortable, and it can be frustrating to see your child hurting. During this stage, your baby may be eating less, losing sleep, getting diarrhea, and crying non-stop. Their gums may be shiny, red and swollen. Your baby may experience a fever on low temperature, known as teething fever, possibly due to gum inflammation. You may be able to even feel the tooth by gently touching their gums with one of your fingers.
When teething, babies will look for any object (such as rattles and baby teethers) to put in their mouth. This can be dangerous if baby decides to put an object that is a choking hazard in their mouth. Finding suitable baby teething toys will give your child a safe way to chew on objects. Designed exclusively for the little ones, teething toys are easy for your baby to grab, hold, and place inside the mouth. Depending on the toy, they may appeal to multiple sensory experiences. This increases the chances of your baby using the teething toy over something else.
Safe, Non-Toxic Baby Teething Toys
Not only is it important to choose a toy that your baby will enjoy, but it’s also essential that the teething toys you buy are safe. Stay away from toys that are potential choking hazards and ones that could be toxic to their health.
Materials to Avoid
Although this may eliminate a lot of teething toys, you still have a range of safe and non-toxic options. You can find teething remedies that use natural materials and fabrics, such as wood or rubber.
Find a toy that is easy to clean. Be sure to follow any instructions that may come with the toy. They may suggest you place them in the fridge or freezer for some time before each use. Always sanitize a new teething toy before giving it to your baby.
Here’s Our Top Teething Toys for Babies
Sophie the Giraffe (Sophie la Girafe)
Sophie the Giraffe is a one of a kind baby teether and one of the most popular. The thickness of it is just right for a baby to grasp, hold and put in their mouth and the two loops make it easy to grip. The toy itself is a bit on the hard side, and the surfaces offer multiple textures.
Looking for cute teethers for baby shower gifts? The Sophie the Giraffe book set is an affordable and adorable option for a present. The best teething toys for babies are the ones that can keep them engaged and distract them from the discomfort. There are a variety of books that feature Sophie, making this one of the most engaging teethers out. The book itself has lots of colors and happy faces that your teething child will enjoy.
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Zotrans Silicone Teething Rings
Teething rings are a classic. They’re easy for your baby to hold onto and grasp. This ring is vibrant and colorful, designed to appeal to the visual sensory system. Your baby will love the look and feel of it. It’s a nice balance between hard and soft, making it a comforting option teether option. Perfect if your baby goes for both hard and soft objects and doesn’t seem to have a preference.
Made of 100% natural rubber, both the silicone and the dye used to color the material is food grade and super safe. The company made sure to use only FDA compliant materials.
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Tinabless Fruit Teether
If your baby has been refusing bottles, this fruit teether may be a good option to help them get more nutrients. This unique teether is great to introduce your baby to solid foods. It’s also easy to use and clean in comparison to mesh feeders. You can add either fruit or veggies to the little mesh bag. If your baby needs something cold, think about freezing the fresh fruit first.
Tinabless Fruit teether is one of the must have baby products for the price. It will keep your baby busy, relieve the pain and give them a little something yummy to munch on. Super easy to sterilize too – just boil! Overall, it’s a sturdy, long-lasting product. And as a plus, it’s made with non-toxic and baby safe materials.
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Manhattan Toy Wooden Rattle and Teether Toy
This all wood toy is different than your typical plastic or rubber teether. Coated with a non-toxic finish, this teether is a safe option for your baby.
The dumbbell shape makes it easy for your baby to grasp. The wooden rattle appeals to their auditory system and helps them to improve their motor skills.
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None
AILAMS Elephant Baby Teether Ring
Made with food-grade silicone, this elephant teething ring is both durable and cute. The soft handle and lightweight material make it easy and comforting for your baby to grasp. They’ll enjoy holding onto this malleable and soft teether.
The elephant teether comes in multiple colors with two different surfaces. The top surface is smooth while the bottom has little bumps that your baby will love to rub their teething gums on. The two holes make it easy to grab and hold on to.
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Baby Banana Infant Teething Toothbrush
Designed by a mom, who is also a hygienist, this fun toy is meant to give teething babies (ideally 3-4 months of age) their first brushing experience. Unlike other training toothbrushes, it’s shaped like a banana and embellished with silicone bristles and a textured bottom end to give your baby thrilling, massaging sensations in the mouth. Made from soft medical-grade silicone material, this toothbrush makes cleaning easy for moms. You can even freeze it if you want!
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Comotomo Silicone Baby Teether
Featuring a baby finger-like design, Comotomo Silicone Baby Teether is crafted to fit the hands of your little one perfectly. It actually resembles the body of an octopus, only it has four legs. These legs make great teething tools as if your baby is biting their own fingers. This little infant training toothbrush is also made from soft, hygienic silicone, complete with tiny embossed dots at the ends to act as your child’s gum massagers.
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Munch Mitt Teething Toy
If you’re on the lookout for a toy that stays on baby’s little hand or just here to get some baby shower gift ideas, look no further. Available in 5 different colors, Munch Mitt offers a convenient teething solution for babies starting from 0-12 months of age. The mitt’s ends come with textured silicone that’s safe for chewing. Not only for soothing the pain of teething, Munch Mitt also promises to keep baby’s fingers away from their skin, reduce spreading of drool that may irritate the skin, and lessen the risk of getting blisters when baby sucks their thumb. The teether set comes with a handy carrying bag, perfect for outdoor trips with the family.
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Final Thoughts
For some babies, teething can be a harrowing experience. As a parent, you’ll naturally want to comfort your child as best you can as soon as they start to teethe. We highly recommend Sophie the Giraffe because baby can chew and play with it safely, it promotes child development, and it perfectly soothes the gums.
However, when your baby is in a lot of pain or needs to sleep, using a safe amount of pain reliever and having their teething toy within reach will help them greatly. Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen are very effective options in alleviating teething pain in babies.
Teething is one of the hardest phases in parenting. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of teether options to help calm your little one and manage their teething pain. Finding baby care tips and ways on how to soothe your baby during their teething stage is key in helping them be happy and healthy.
We also have a wonderful post about Inspirational Quotes About Becoming A Mother For The First Time.
