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The Best Baby Teethers on the Market Today – Your Ultimate Guide
When your little one has pointy sharp teeth tearing through their tender gums, they can be in quite a bit of pain and be really miserable. Your baby will put almost anything in their mouth to soothe their tender gums…leaving you as a parent to wonder how you can help to provide some relief.
Cue the production of a huge mass market of baby products with never-ending options of baby teething products. If you name it, it probably exists: teething mittens, natural teethers, silicone teethers, freezable teethers, wooden teethers, organic teethers, cute little animal teethers, teething rings, teething necklaces…the list goes on and on. So what really works?
How do baby teethers work?
Before getting into the best options for baby teethers, it helps to understand a bit more behind why babies like teethers and how they are meant to work. The fundamental idea behind all teethers is that by biting and chewing on a teether, a light counter-pressure is applied to the gums. This can give some temporary relief when they are tender or inflamed from new teeth emerging. Other teethers have additional features like the ability to be chilled. Cooling the gums works much the same as putting an ice pack on an injury…by reducing the blood flow to an area it helps with inflammation an swelling.
In addition to their soothing nature, babies also love teethers because it allows them to explore with their mouth. Oral exploration is a fundamental part of childhood development which plays a key role in developing the muscles required for speech. Giving a child a teether provides them a safe outlet to chew and explore with their mouth; thus providing them a safe alternative to the other everyday items that they might attempt to chew on or put in their mouth when teethers aren’t present.
This ultimate guide on the best baby teethers is here to offer you guidance on what really works and what to steer clear of. Of course every baby is different, so your baby’s favorite may vary (and may even change over time). However, this is a great list of options to try and find the winning teether for your baby.
Here are my top picks for the best baby teethers on the market today:
1. Baby Banana Infant Training Toothbrush
Even though this is listed as a toothbrush and not a teether, this is a godsend as a teether. It has little banana peel handles for your little one to grip, and babies really love the texture of the soft bristles on their sore gums. As an added bonus, it helps to familiarize your baby with the concept of brushing their teeth. It’s also dishwasher and freezer safe.
These soft and cute silicone teethers have a textured surface and a long handle for your baby to hold on to. They’re a nice soft option with bright engaging colors that my daughter absolutely loved. They come in a set of 5 with a clip that can be used with a pacifier or teething toys. They are also dishwasher and freezer safe. The only drawback I have seen with these is that they don’t have a guard, so if your baby is a very aggressive teether, they may shove it too far back and gag themselves.
3. Boon Pulp Silicone Feeder/Teether
If your little one is old enough that they are eating some real food, this is a great option. Some folks with younger babies put frozen milk in it as well. We filled ours with frozen raspberries, and our daughter would go to town munching down on them. She absolutely loved it, and the cold fruit was soothing for her raw gums. This is also top-rack dishwasher safe, so cleaning is a breeze.
4. ZoLi Chubby Gummy Molar Teethers
These teethers are a great option for when those molars start to come in. Many other teethers are better suited for the front of the mouth, but these will reach all the way back to those back molars. The chubby Gummy teethers has a bumpy texture that babies find very satisfying to gnaw on and a guard so that baby won’t shove it so far back that they gag themselves. They also come in a two-pack, which is great if one gets dropped or misplaced.
5. Comotomo Silicone Baby Teether
This teether is a great option for those babies that just love chewing or sucking on their fingers. The Comotomo is designed with multiple points that are the same size as little fingers would be with a large ring for baby to grasp and hold on to. These points also serve as a guard so that they won’t choke.
6. Green Sprouts Ring Cool Teether
This baby teether is an oldie, but a goodie. It’s a ring shaped teether filled with distilled water that can be cooled to give baby additional soothing relief. It also has varying textured surfaces around the ring, and the circle shape is very easy for babies to hold. Do be careful with putting this one in extreme temperatures, since it is filled with water if it expands too much it can burst.
Instead of fighting baby’s instinct to much on their own hand, why not just go with it? These much mitts fit on babies hand like a glove, with a textured silicone covering at the end for teething. They also have a crinkly black and white contrasting material that babies really enjoy playing with and hearing the sound of.
8. Munchkin Twisty Figure 8 Teether
This one is really a toy and teether in one. So even if your baby doesn’t enjoy teething on it, they can absolutely get some alternative use out of it. It is well-made, has bright colors, multiple textures and twists into all sorts of configurations. It makes a rattling sound that is quiet and unobtrusive, and it’s easy for baby to hold on to.
This is another teether filled with water that can be cooled for additional relief. What I love about this one is that it comes on a clip, and it is lightweight and easy for baby to hold. Simple, but super effective.
10. Safety 1st Mombella Ellie Elephant Teether
Last but not least, this is another great molar teether option. It is shaped like an elephant with a center ring to make it easy to hold. The trunk of the elephant ends with a soft bumpy tip designed to reach those back teeth. It also has a guard to prevent choking/gagging. It’s soft and lightweight and oh-so-cute. Definitely an awesome baby teether for you to consider.
Teethers that you should avoid:
Expensive teethers that look cute, but don’t do the job.
In my opinion, both Sophie la Girafe and the teething egg (check out my teething egg review here) fall into this category. They are not very engaging, have a few vital flaws, and are more expensive than other alternatives. Don’t fall for the hype and invest in options that actually work. The great news is that some of the best choices are relatively cheap by comparison.
Teethers that are safety risks.
Unfortunately, there are many products still being sold that are unsafe. Do your research on what a product is made out of before purchasing. Inspect the teethers you give to you baby on a regular basis before giving to them. Look for any fraying pieces, breaks or tears. If a piece breaks off, an awesome teether can easily become a choking hazard. Additionally, be wary of teething necklaces. These are fine to use under close supervision when you are wearing it, but under no circumstances let your baby play with it alone.
Teethers that are difficult to clean.
This should go without saying, but since your baby will be putting the teether in their mouth (an inevitably dropping it), you want something that’s quick and easy to sanitize and clean. I would also suggest sanitizing any new teether before giving it to your baby for the first time.
Now go out there and see what works best for your baby! If I missed a favorite teether that you swear by, please leave a comment below. I’m always looking for more options to test out.
If you haven’t yet, you can check out my review of the super popular Teething Egg here.
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Great information and thanks for sharing, i wish i could have ran into this post much earlier while my little one was going through this process though :). As a parent, it is hard to watch your little one go through this painful process, which is why it is important to know all about teething so that you can offer your child every comfort while he/she is teething, and what remedies/toys are safe for them. If i can just add, by reading through a couple mom blogs, what i noticed a lot is new moms always wondering which is the “best” toy to buy the baby while teething. This is a difficult task because ultimately, it is whichever toy the baby chooses, which is why i strongly agree with buying a variety of toys and have the baby pick their favorite. Like in my experience, after going through multiple toys, my daughter finally fell in love with the Silicone Teething Mitten Baby Glove, which in my opinion, actually topped other teething toys. Teething Mitten glove, Protects baby`s hands from becoming chapped from excess chewing and saliva and also it stays on the baby’s hand comfortably with a secure velcro strap which makes it easy to carry around. Also the teething mitten glove will keep your baby entertained with its crinkle noise, attracting baby’s attention, and distracting the baby from the pain. I would definitely recommend the teething mitten glove to any parent new or not.
My niece is a 6months old baby and she is teething. She is putting her fingers into her mouth continuously and to reduce the pain, I started looking for the good teething toys and then I found good products called so’pure circle teether and So’Pure Teething Ring . Please suggest me the good teething toys to reduce the discomfort and pain of the baby. Thanks in advance