Most babies start teething between the ages of 6 to 13 months. Some babies do tend to start teething as early as 4 months.
How to use Baby Teether? Disinfect the teether and place it in your babies hand ( if they have learnt how to grasp things). You can also place the teether in the babies mouth. The babies know how to chew on it and bite it.
Babies start developing teeth at around 6 months, especially the front incisors. Usually, the lower front two teeth come in. These are followed by the Canines.
Did you know that babies develop teeth in mothers womb? I did not know that and was amazed at the beauty of creation. They are soft and start popping out only when the baby is born and usually from 6 months.
8 molars come in between their 1st and 3rd birthday, hence this phase of teething can go on for months and years.
The teething phase is quite common and cannot go unnoticed. Babies show signs of drooling, irritability. Doctors say that in this phase babies naturally tend to stick things into their mouth, which causes infections, fever, diarrhoea.
Hence it is important to sanitise and clean everything the baby can come in contact with. They will find something or the other, their fingers, your fingers, toys, books to put in their mouth.
Teethers can bring relief to the babies aching gums partially. Some babies seem to get relief when the teethers are made cold.
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New Teether how to clean and use
Before giving baby the teether, I recommend washing it. We do not know who all have touched the teether and it is safer to give it a quick wash.
Silicon teethers can be washed in the dishwasher ( just remove any strings before placing in the dishwasher).
Wooden teethers cannot be washed in the dishwasher as the heat can crack them. For wooden teethers, rub coconut oil and organic beeswax ( 50:50). Leave this in and wipe off. The coconut oil will remove any dirt and it will come off easily.
You can also boil the teethers in a pot for a couple of minutes. Just read the instructions on the pack. Electronic teethers cannot be washed with water.
I do not recommend any teether which has batteries or other electronic parts. It is so harmful for baby. But if you do have something, you need to wash it using a damp washcloth soaked in vinegar, or alcohol or just warm soapy water.
How to Clean a Teether Video
When to Start giving Teether
Generally, babies start teething between 4 to 7 months. Some teeth sooner ( at 3 months). Whenever they start teething, it is time to introduce a teether. Sometimes you will not be able to notice the teeth.
But the baby will show symptoms of teething such as biting, drooling, excessive sucking, baby pulling their ears.
Other teething signs might be
- Irritability
- Loss of appetite
- Rash around the mouth due to excessive drooling
- Baby not sleeping
This is an indication that the baby needs some help to relieve the pain and discomfort caused by sore gums and teeth poking out.
This is the best time to introduce a teether. You can use chewelry, you can also invest in teething rings, or staged teethers. Staged teethers grow with the child and some parents prefer these.
My babies liked one teether and stuck to it. You will notice that your little one will take to one teether and prefer that over others.
Stick to their wants..
What is inside Baby Teethers?
Ensure that you research what is inside the teether you purchase. There have been many incidents of toxic chemicals being present in teethers.
I would stay away from any filled with gel, or coated with paints, veneer. Also ensure that the plastic is BPA free, does not contain Triclosan and Triclocarbon which are endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
In a bid to make teethers antimicrobial, companies tend to add chemicals which are pretty harmful.
I preferred organic teethers, especially the wooden ones and also teething foods. Also just using a cod washcloth can be very effective in soothing babys gums.
Toxic components in teethers
There can be toxic components in teethers such as the following. So be prepared and ensure that the one you purchase is safe for baby
- PVC/ Vinyl
- Phthalates
- BPA
- Latex
- Lead
- Anitmony
Non Toxic Materials – Safe Teethers
Look for the following in the teethers you purchase. These will do the job and are safe for baby.
- 100% natural rubber
- Untreated natural hard wood
- 100% organic cotton
- Food-grade silicone
- Food-grade safe plastics
You can never go wrong with spending some time preparing some homemade teethers. These are some snack ideas for babies which are safe and also soothe those aching gums.
- Cold carrot stick
- Cold celery stick
- Corn on the cob
- Cold apple
- Frozen washcloth with lemon or orange juice
- frozen waffle or bagel
- frozen pancakes, biscuits, waffles cut into strips
- crackers as teethers
- blend a fruit puree ( strawberries, blueberries, apples, pears) into an ice cube tray, freeze them and put in fruit mesh bags
- Ripe jackfruit bulb
- Organic Teething Sticks such as this one from Early Foods
- hard cold coconut flesh
- Cut bananas, cantaloupes or mango into chunks and fit into a BPA-free mesh feeder.
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Phthalate and BPA free Teethers for your child
Natural Teethers you can buy which are not edible but are parent and baby approved.
There are some soothing teethers which babies seem to love.
Teething Mitts
Teething gloves are placed on the babies hands, and babies can place these in their mouth. Many parents say that teething mitts are really helpful, these cannot be misplaced easily and can be washed quickly after use.
Anyways babies put their fingers in their hands and love that these help soothe their teething pains.
Wooden Teethers
I think I tend towards wood because it all-natural and it feels much safer to give babies. I love this neem teether as it is made from neem wood. Neem has many natural benefits and helps soothe sore gums.
The manufactures claim that their teethers help with Motor skill development and hand-eye coordination.
Neem naturally has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. It is said that Neem can boost the immune system.
Since Neem has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties you can quickly clean it and not worry too much if it needs more disinfecting.
Here is where you take a look at the neem teether.
Cute Teether in the market
This teether is designed specifically so that your baby can use either the small beads or the bigger side. Babies find it easy to grasp and many parents like this teether.