While teething is a crucial benchmark in the development of your baby, it is by no means smooth sailing. The process usually begins once your newborn reaches 6 months of age, or as late as 13 months of age. Some babies begin teething as early as 4 months, but it is more of an outlier. In any case, once it begins, prepare for weeks on end of sleepless nights, a lot of crying and intermissions of fussiness for good measure.
Now, you are probably asking yourself should you be on the lookout for any specific signs of this occurring. When your newborn begins to drool excessively and chew whatever they can get their busy little hands-on, the teething has begun. This is probably a good time to consider a roster of best teething toys for babies, which will undoubtedly become your biggest allies in the foreseeable future.
It is true that baby teething toys are not particularly hard to come by, but you should not skimp for quality when it comes to recreational baby teethers that are about to spend so much time rubbing against your newborn’s gums. Here are some of the top picks for your consideration.
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The design behind Nuby’s Ice Gel Teether Keys is not merely a wholesome creative solution. The keys are shaped so babies can easily grip them with confidence, and the keys themselves are perfectly design to fit into their mouths and cover the gum surface as much as possible. It also helps babies develop coordination with hands and they can easily serve as pacifier replacements for short periods of chewing. Now, some parents have made a mistake and boiled the teethers for the sake of sterilization, which led to the melting of the gel part. The instructions clearly say that such practices should be avoided.
The Nuby’s Ice Gel Teether should be washed with lukewarm water and left in the refrigerator until the baby requires it next time. If handled as intended, special Nuby’s PurlCE technology will provide your baby with pleasing and gentle cooling sensation, which definitely alleviates gum pain.
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Once again we will consider a product from Nuby, which only goes to show that professionals behind certain brands know what they are doing and that they can be trusted. Their Silicone Teethe-EEZ Teether is a classic fish-shaped chewer, extra soft and made from 100% medically approved, food-grade teething silicone. You will notice that it has a wonderful texture and surface that will really soothe your baby during the harsh period of teething.
It is perfectly appropriate for kids ranging from 3 months to 3 years old. It also comes with a hygienic protective carrying case which will protect the teething toy from dirt and debris if you are spending a lot of time outdoors with your baby. This makes it rather convenient for carrying around.
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If you want to get something disarmingly charming for your baby, the wonderful ‘Baby Elefun’ Teething Toy made out of food-grade silicone is as tasteful and elegant as chewing toys come. The elephant is design in such a way that a grappling hole is a big, stylized part of the design so your baby can easily hold onto it as they press their gums into silicon that is PVC and heavy metals free!
Ergonomic design and gentle, massaging sensation of Baby Elefun toy comes with a lifetime warranty. That’s not to say that you need one – after all, the plan is that those teeth grow out eventually – but it’s good to know that there is an option in the case you decide to have more kids, since this is one timeless chewing toy.
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One well-chosen chewing toy can be sufficient enough for your babe, but why should you risk it when you can have a joyful pack of 5 Ashtonbee’s Teething Toys at a very reasonable price? Now, keep in mind that these shouldn’t be boiled in hot water. They are BPA and BPS free (excluding PVC lead and heavy metals too, of course). All in all, Ashtonbee’s are made out of DFA-approved food-grade materials but all of the chewing toys are made out of materials that can easily be damaged if not washed properly, as instructed.
That being said, Ashtonbee’s are also dishwasher safe, wonderfully designed, jolly-looking, easy to handle and snuggly – everything you want from a chewing toy for a 6 months old baby.
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While Toy Winkel Rattle & Sensory Teether Toy from Manhattan Toy can cost a bit more ($14 tops, but you can find it on discount up to 30%), this mesmerizing, ingeniously designed piece of work is truly worth your money and your baby’s time.
This particular toy has been designed with the idea to ‘cultivate’ sensory exposure to small babies, which further promotes the development of their gray matter. The senses it entices are touch, sight and sound, since this splendid object has a cube in the middle that produces pleasant rattling which will delight your newborn. Due to such features, it is not all that surprising that Toy Winkel Rattle & Sensory Teether Toy garnered accolades and multiple newborn toy awards. It encourages clutching and two-handed play while it retains the quality of the highest-grade FDA approved materials.
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While we are covering the topic of ingenious design, check out the inventive RaZbaby’s RaZ-Berry Silicone Teether, appropriately cast in the mold of a pacifier and shaped like a… well if the name didn’t give it out until now… a raspberry. Therefore, much akin to the first example on this list, this 100% soft silicone teether can serve a double role – as a pacifier and a chewy delight.
It is conveniently sized for the smallest newborn hands that are eager to grab onto soft, colorful objects and it can be used with a holder. Of course, as many toys made out of food-grade silicone, it can be left in the refrigerator until it gets cool up to a point that you, as a parent, find satisfactory, and given to the baby as a welcoming source of comfort. It can become an object of relief and your toddler’s favorite thing until they grow their teeth out, and it counts among affordable and reliable top-sellers in this category.
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While your baby may be disappointed that this tough cookie is not as sweet or edible as they might have expected, it is nevertheless a welcoming relief from tooth growing pains. Crafted and trademarked by ‘Bebe by Me’, you will notice that their logo is subtly embedded in the design. Every company that produces such a high-quality, reliable product would do so. The 100% medical grade silicone is made according to the highest Japanese standards and it is completely free from all the imaginable and unimaginable chemicals that might pose a health risk to your baby.
For the price of nearly 15 dollars, you get two cookie teethers – the one that looks as if it’s made of dark chocolate is icy and a bit harder, while the pink one that looks as if it’s fruit-flavored is pleasantly chewy and soft. Therefore, you get two quite reasonable options that you can switch according to your baby’s preference.
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MAM has created this wonderful, streamlined chewer, fashioned out of silicone and made to relieve teething pains and symptoms for all babies that have reached at least 3 months of age. They aid with sore gums and help with a gentle cleaning of emergent baby teeth. Therefore, in a way, MAM’s Bite & Brush Teether is also a sort of a first toothbrush your baby will own and wield.
Since it is molded in a traditional circular fashion – the reliable ol’ chewing toy shape – it is extremely easy to hold, it has an impressive gum coverage and it is made out of premium materials. Due to its 4.5 x 7 x 0.5 inch shape, it will also help strengthen your baby’s oral muscles.
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MAM offers a range of traditional and adorable chewing toys, and the utterly charming BMini Cooler Teether with a Clip definitely toes that line. The clipper is practical addition to the proceedings, and it will keep the chewing toy attached firmly to your baby’s soft shirt. Thus, if you need to jump to the kitchen or the bathroom for a minute, you’ll know that there is not a chance that the baby will lose the teether and begin protesting.
It is a lightweight, easy-to-hold toy that has the ever-so-popular cooling mechanism: filled with purified water, it can be left in the fridge to cool off and provide pleasing relief for your tooth-grower. What’s more, the toy is a top-quality product made in Europe, fashioned according to all of the prerequisite standards.
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While we are covering the topic of chewing toys that are filled with purified water, you should also check out the Cooling Teether by ‘green sprouts’. Honestly, if you purchase this item your baby won’t be able to imagine nibbling on any other teether; and the concept is so simple. Essentially, it is designed as a beaded ringlet made out of medically approved plastic, and filled with distilled water which can be cooled for extra relief.
It boasts textured surfaces which gently massage the gums, and this model is particularly useful for frontal teething. It is easy to hold and chew, and no matter how your baby turns it or flips it, every inch of its surface is like a membrane that holds cold purified water, so there are no wrong ways to chew it, really.
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Are you eager to turn your newborn into a DC fan before they even learn how to walk? Enter Bumkins’ Batman Silicone Teether, the high-quality chewing toy that will delight your baby into falling in love with the Dark Knight. The bat sign in the middle of the ellipsoid teether serves as a holder, so your baby can grab onto it tightly. Of course, the material is perfectly safe and appropriate for use. Bumkins is renowned for rigorous testing of materials, so they can ensure that the product is up to par with the bleeding edge of the competition.
This has garnered them quite a reputation among the new parents, so you can rest assured that products created by this brand are as safe as they can be for your drooling newborn.
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This teether should be handled by a baby that is at least 6 months old. While it is perfectly safe and appropriate, it is fashioned with the idea to provide harder chewing surfaces. Not only that, but it is also amazing for sensory development of the baby.
With dimensions of 0.8 x 3.1 x 6.3 inches, it provides multiple angles where it can twist and turn, based on your baby’s preference and simple need to toy around. As such, it aids in the development of tactility and motor functions, thus providing several roles as a multi-purpose toy. Because of this, Munchkin’s Twisty Figure 8 Teether is the proud carrier of the moniker Parent’s Choice Gold Award.
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Comotomo’s Silicone Teether Bundle comes with 2 distinctly colored chewing toys – one orange and the other one blue. You will notice the peculiar shape and design of these chewy, silicone-made teethers. This is because the experts at Comotomo have decided to devise a sort of teether that absolutely bears no choking hazard whatsoever. This is how they came to the convenient yet captivating toy-design that resembles a child-drawing representation of an octopus.
It has been created to provide accessible, convenient range of possibilities for a baby to chew and massage their gums as they work their way towards a shiny string of mouth-pearls.
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Searching for appropriate toys online can be a tedious task, but every once in a while something can truly put a smile on your face. This utterly delightful and cute Racoon Silicone Teether can disarm even the most jaded parent and it will become your baby’s new best friend.
Teach your newborn to show affection for animals and provide them with 100% FDA approved silicone teether that passes all the requirements imaginable. It is enjoyably soft on baby’s gums and, due to its inventive design, there are many convenient angles where your baby can sink their gums in. Tulamama is a reliable brand that uses 100% healthy materials.
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You’ve been considering chewing toys? How about a teething blanket?! This mind-blowing idea came to the toymakers at the First Years – the experts specialized at crafting items and accessories for babies under 12 months old. If your baby is 3 months old and it has started showing signs of drooling and ‘chewing munchies’ early, this might just be a perfect ‘piece of equipment’ to keep them occupied and satisfied.
The star-shaped blanket comes with diverse surfaces at the end of each spoke, contributing eclectic relief for young chewers while also offering comfort as a fuzzy baby blanket. It comes with an attached loop, which is convenient for transport.
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The right baby teether strikes a perfect balance between price and quality. Unless you are going with a multi-purpose toy that offers several functions, there’s no need to purchase anything that is above $15. You can also look for discounts, but check out the history of the company, testimonials and, most importantly, materials used to craft the toy before clicking on the cart.
Obviously, one of the top priorities during the search for appropriate chewing toys is to ensure that each of them is medically approved. While there are different parameters to take into consideration as a variety of products come from different corners of the globe, there are certain common limitations that every toy-producing company on the planet adheres to. While this is a good foundation for your search, it should by no means be an end to it – top quality always comes first. After all, your baby is about to put an object into their mouth, they need to be able to do it safely and without chemical or other hazards. Now while we are mentioning that…
If new parents are to ponder on what sort of danger can come from chewing toys, the chemical hazards usually come right behind chocking. One of the primary criteria for finding appropriate teether toys is to make sure that they are the proper shape, size and girth: that is to say, they allow no chocking scenarios. While it is true that every sensible toy company will mind dimensions of their chewing toys in order to minimize choking hazard, they also have to keep the shapes appropriate for chewing and placement inside the mouth. It’s a balancing act for sure, but it can be done and the toys assembled on the list above prove it.
You’d be surprised how many teething toys are simply drab and uninspired. If you are about to purchase a teether for your child, you might as well make an effort to inspire their fledgling mind to play around, enjoy colors and shapes. One of the top qualities of the best chewing toys is that they are appropriately jolly, offering interesting textures that wonderfully press against the gums and shapes which are in equal measure surprising and opportune when it comes to chewing angles.
As it has been mentioned in the introduction, babies will eventually start to drool and show an incessant need to gnaw on objects. This means that the teething has begun and this can occur as early as 3 months after birth. Therefore, purchasing at least several teething toys (just so your baby can have options) once they are 2 months old should do the trick. There are no wrong answers – it will happen eventually and pretty much all chewing toys on this list are appropriate for babies of all teething ages. Even if it is recommended that a child is at least 4 to 6 months old before giving them a certain toy, this is more of a vague precaution than a rule.
100% edible, medically approved silicone and the type of plastic that is dubbed healthy – these are the materials that are predominantly dubbed safe for your child. In addition, the materials are further cleansed for presence of any heavy metals or chemicals. If you are anxious about such purchases, you can always rely on brands that have a long and (most importantly) recorded history of crafting baby goods.
While some chewing toys can be boiled, it is typically not recommended to do so since some materials are sensitive to excessive heat exposure. Washing them under the steady stream of lukewarm tap water should do the trick, though some teethers are also made dishwasher-ready. If they are, it usually says so on the box.
Parenthood is one of the essentials aspects of life and existence as a whole. Because of this, naturally, there is hardly a situation that can catch you off guard and which doesn’t already have a devised solution. Humanity (and let’s not forget countless animal species) had millennia upon millennia to hash out all the tricks of parenting, so finding appropriate baby teething toys shouldn’t be that big of a fuss.
While babies do need something appropriate to chew on during this period, you should also be wary of chewing toys that can do more harm than good based on the unchecked materials, inappropriate shape and textures. The list of toys assembled above is all reliable goods that soothe the irritated gums.
We should also point out that it is not enough to give your baby a chewing toy. You should also take time to massage their gums as often as possible in order to alleviate the soreness. However, if the crying and the fussiness persist in spite of these interventions, it would probably be prudent to take your baby to their designated pediatrician for a gum checkup, just to be safe.
Catherine is a writer from Canada who simply loves toys, collectibles and superhero figurines. Writing is her passion, but she also loves reading, enjoying her “me time” and finding new ways to improve her work and ways to entertain the readers.
About us:
Funtastic Toys was born out of love and necessity with the aim to provide parents with the best resources on toys and parenting. We are parents too, so we know that bringing up your kids requires commitment, patience and often creativity and that’s what Funtastic is all about.