Baby Teether Review – 11 different brands and types

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I might have gone a little overboard with the baby teether shopping once Little P started to want to chew. I blame it on my prior experience with my dog Donna (haha) because I firmly believe in providing plentiful chewing options. Because it is better the dog chew her own chews than chew the furniture.

But you know what? Donna never did chew furniture but the baby did.

Despite his plentiful chews.

When I wasn’t around to supervise. * sigh *

Anyway, for a little baby with only two going onto four teeth at that point, I think 12 sure is a sizeable collection of teethers. Even if I do say so myself.

So if you’re in the market for teethers, here’s a quick rundown of all our teethers for your quick review!

1. Comotomo Silicone Baby Teether (Blue)

The Comotomo baby Teether was the second teether I bought for Little P. Simply because it seemed very common among the RIE circle and I didn’t have a source for wooden ring teethers then, and I needed something ring-like to work as a Montessori tactile mobile for baby to practice batting and grasping.

Works for the purpose. And he used it pretty often too. Even when he got older and more mobile.

Comotomo Silicone Teether

• Manufacturer recommended age: 6 months +
• Made with silicone in South Korea
• Safe in microwave, boiling water, steam steriliser and dishwasher
• Can be chilled for added relief
• Comes in orange and blue colours
• More about Comotomo baby teether on their website here

A cold washcloth, spoon or chilled teething ring can be extremely soothing on a baby’s gums. Though chilled teething rings are a great solution, frozen rings are not recommended. Frozen rings are very firm and may bruise your baby’s delicate gums.

Comotomo

2. Wooden Teething Ring

Not too long after I found a supplier for a simple wooden ring teether.

He used it as well, but I think if it was a choice between the comotomo teether and the ring teether, he would have chosen the comotomo teether at 3-6 months old.

…when baby’s teeth are erupting, the hardness of the wood helps to take the pressure off from their extremely aching gums!

Annie + Alex, FAQs on wooden teether benefits, care tips amd more

Yes, it was only after he started actually teething that he started to enjoy chewing on wooden materials.

Wooden Teething Ring

• 0 months +
• Natural untreated wooden ring made in China
• Clean with mild soap and pat dry
• More about what wood is safe for teething

3. Bumkins DC Comics Batman Silicone Teething Necklace

I thought a teether necklace might be useful when carrying the baby around. But the truth is, this Batman Teething necklace spent more time on Little P’s Ikea playgym being batted around than on my neck.

In my defence, it was just easy to hang it onto the play gym since it already comes with a cord. And it hangs lower than the thingibobs that came with the Ikea play gym, so it was a lot more accessible to Little P than those thingamajigs. Hah!

Anyway, all I can say is buy a teething necklace only if you are really sure you will wear it. And if you do, I recommend those beaded types (rather than a flat 2D piece) like this one here.

Little P did seem too enjoy the silicone beaded strap on his sushi teether (see #6 further down this post) a lot more than this Batman pendent.

Bumkins DC Comics Batman Silicone Teething Necklace

• Manufacturer recommended age: 3 months +
• Made with food-safe silicone in China
• Safe in boiling water and dishwasher
• Can be chilled for added relief
• See more Bumkins DC Comics teethers

4. Infantino Lil’ Nibbles Carrot Teether

The Infantino carrot is an on-and-off favourite with Little P, now that he has so many teethers to choose from. He still uses it until today, and chews both the top and bottom ends of the carrot as well as the green handholds. I guess it’s just whatever hits the spot for him that particular day. Hah!

 … for folks with cats, this teether is less likely to get batted around by a cat who thinks its a cat toy, because it’s a little heavier than other teethers

review on Amazon by Anita

Infantino Lil’ Nibbles Carrot Teether

• Manufacturer recommended age: 0 months +
• Made with BPA-free silicone in China (CPSIA compliant)
• Handwash, air dry only

5. Ange Lip Teether

We got the Ange Lip Teether as a lucky draw freebie at a baby fair before Little P was born, so I didn’t think much of it. Ange wasn’t a brand I’d heard of at the time. So I only dug it out to give it to Little P by the time he was 5 months old and boy, did he enjoy it.

Not the most opportune time since the packaging says it was only for babies age 3-6 months and not for babies with teeth. And Little P was 5 months already. It seems such a short recommended lifespan for a teether compared to our other teethers. So we continued giving it to him beyond the recommended age. We keep an eye out for wear and tear of course.

Ange Lip Teether

• Manufacturer recommended age: 3 to 6 months for babies without teeth
  Made with TPE in South Korea ( Conforms with Baby Toy safety standards ASTM F963 and EN71 )
• Safe in boiling water, freezer and dishwasher. 
• Comes in 2 colour combinations of green and yellow.
• See more Ange teethers

6. Ebi Sushi Baby Teether with Silicone Teething Strap

This is the cutest of all the teethers we own. But of course, because it was designed to market to the moms. Don’t think the baby cares about the cute sushi design. He probably doesn’t understand the 2D art and has never had sushi his whole life. HAH!

That said, while mommy is enjoying the cute Loulou Lollipop sushi teether dangling somewhere about the baby’s body, Little P is busy chewing on the teether strap and if not attached, the plastic clip is just the strongest baby mouth magnet.

If silicone strap and clip chewing is also your baby’s thing, consider this Loulou Lollipop strap with stainless steel clip!

Buy or Read reviews on Amazon

Kawaii Ebi Sushi Teether with Silicone Teether Strap

• 100% food grade silicone. ASTM certified for the USA and Canada, CE certified for Europe, JFSL certified for Japan, and GB certified for China for the Loulou Lollipop Sushi teether. [Link] 
• Handwash in warm soapy water
• Can be chilled for added relief
• Suitable for babies and toddlers under adult supervision
• See many more cute designs of this sort of more 2D teething slabs at Loulou Lollipop

7. Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle and Sensory Teether Toy

The Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle and Sensory Teether Toy was the teether Little P had the least interest in. Perhaps it might have been better if I had got it for him earlier at 3 months rather than later at 6 months old. I dunno.

This is a no for us given the very low level of use it gets and the storage space it takes up.

Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle and Sensory Teether Toy

• Manufacturer recommended age: 0 month +
• Made of pu tubing (polyurethane) in China
• Surface wash and handwash only, do not submerge in water
• Can be chilled for added relief
• Comes in many different colour and design combinations. See the collection here.

8. Ange Green Pea Baby Teether

Given the success of the Ange Lip Teether with Little P, I decided at a baby fair to get Ange’s Green Pea Teether, which comes with a strap. Needless to say, Little P enjoyed both the teether and the strap.

But perhaps he enjoyed the strap and its accompanying plastic clip a little too much. We are careful to monitor his use as he is still using the two Ange teethers meant for toothless babies at 10 months old. He already has 6 teeth by now!

Ange Green Pea Teether

• Manufacturer recommended age: 3 to 6 months for babies without teeth
• Made with TPE ( Conforms with Baby Toy safety standards ASTM F963 and EN71 ) in South Korea
• Safe in boiling water, freezer and dishwasher. 
• See more Ange teethers

9. PUR Water Filled Baby Teether

This is one of the online purchases I regretted. Simply because of the 5-point safety and health warning printed at the back of the package that I only saw when the pack arrived. Hah!

Anyway, at first Little P was interested because of the newness of the teether but the interest soon wore out. No regrets there. :P

PUR Water Filled Teether

• Manufacturer recommended age: 6 months +
• Made with BPA-free durable plastic material in Thailand
• Wash in warm soapy water and rinse thoroughly
• Can be chilled for added relief
• More about this teether on the PUR website

10. Hevea Natural Rubber Baby Teether

Since Little P has too many silicone teethers by now, I decided it’s better to spread the risk a little bit and bought a set of Hevea natural rubber duck teether and bath toy. To be honest, when it arrived, it was a little off-putting because of the strong rubber tire smell. But the smell virtually disappeared once it was washed and aired out a few times.

And Little P enjoyed his duckies very much, perhaps the bath toy more as a chew than the actual teether toy!

Hevea Natural Rubber Teether

• Manufacturer recommended age: 0 months +
• Made with natural rubber in Morocco. Handpainted with pigment from vegetables and plants.
• Clean with warm water and mild soap
• Keep away from heat and direct sunlight
• Note: A very small percentage of babies may have latex allergies, then Hevea is not for them

11. Baby Banana Octo-Teether

I bought this because it says on Amazon that the silicone is medical-grade. However, when it arrived, the packaging says it is food-grade. My understanding is that medical grade is a higher level of standard than food grade so not sure how I feel about that.

That said, Little P enjoys this teether so we do use it.

Baby Banana Octo-Teether

• Manufacturer recommended age: 3-24 months
• Made with 100% food grade silicone in Taiwan
• Completely flexible to prevent oral injury
• Dishwasher-safe for sanitising. Freezer-safe, stays chewy even when cold.

12. Nuby Toothbrush Massager

I bought this for it’s different shape and form. So that Little P has different options to target the discomfort caused by the different teeth that will erupt from his gum across the months.

This one gives a different chewing experience for Little P because of the little bristles. Little P enjoys this too.

Nuby Toothbrush Massager

• Manufacturer recommended age: 3 months +
• Made with BPA-free silicone in China
• Comes in pink, blue, green or aqua

13. Frozen Carrot Sticks

More recently, I came across old articles written in 2016 that detailed how researchers found that “some baby teething toys marketed as nontoxic may contain chemicals that could interfere with hormones involved in normal growth and development. [Link]”

Researchers tested 59 solid, gel-filled or water-filled teethers purchased online in the U.S. for 26 different so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
All of the products tested positive for one such chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA), even though most of the teethers were marketed as BPA-free, researchers report in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
“BPA has been linked in a wide range of adverse health effects including obesity, diabetes, neurological and developmental disorders,” said senior study author Kurunthachalam Kannan, a researcher at the New York State Department of Health and the State University of New York at Albany.

Reuters.com, Even teethers labeled BPA-free may contain hormone disruptors

The authors of the study were reported to have said that ‘typical teether usage might keep a baby’s exposure below levels deemed unsafe’. But it may still be a good idea to spread the risks.

And so we have started to add frozen carrot sticks as another teether option to our repertoire of teethers. I already have fruit feeders that I can make frozen popsicles with, it’s just that I’m not all that consistent with it. And I read that some parents use frozen apple slices as well. And I’m probably going to try the frozen washcloth, cucumber sticks, celery sticks, etc.

Note that pieces of raw hard fruits and vegetables can sometimes present choking risks. The CDC website listed carrot sticks as a potential choking hazard to children age 12-24 months.

So far Little P seems to have no issues with carrot sticks, but we will have to continue to monitor and supervise.

No best teether for baby and here’s why

And so this is why there is no best teether for baby. Because there really isn’t.

For example, Little P preferred his silicone teethers before his teeth starting erupting. But after his teeth erupted, he sometimes preferred hard wooden teethers and toys to silicone.

Natural rubber may not have the chemicals present in plastic, but the Hevea rubber teether and toy in my collection is the more expensive purchase out of the lot.

Organic carrot sticks are really natural and healthy but they can also present a choking risk.

And so I try to introduce variety into baby’s set of teethers, which otherwise will be predominantly made of silicone, TPE and other plastics. (Somehow some teethers I assumed were silicone turned out not to be while I was doing the post purchase research for this post.)

That’s why I try to spread the risk, because I never know what will take me by surprise. So I buy a variety of brands, made from different countries and made of not just silicone but also other natural materials like wood.

My top three baby teethers to keep and next steps

But if I were to chose the top 3 I will buy if budget is limited, it will be:

1. The Comotomo – 100% silicone and made in South Korea; can be used as a Montessori tactile mobile for a younger infant, and a teething toy for a older mobile baby.
2. The Hevea – Natural rubber duck toy made in Morocco; can be used as a teether and a bath toy with no holes for water to seep into the toy for bacteria or fungus to grow.
3. For 3rd choice, it is 50/50 for me between the Baby Banana Octo-Teether and the Nuby Toothbrush Massager since baby seems to enjoy both. BUT when given a choice, baby went for the Nuby Toothbrush Massager which is 100% silicone. Both have nubs and bristles to massage the gums.

And now that I have come to the end of the post and done a lot of additional post-purchase research, I think my next step is to phase out the older teethers, especially those ones that are plastic or a blend of silicone and plastic. Basically anything not 100% silicone.

To replace, I may just buy 100% silicone straps since the baby enjoys them almost more than the actual teethers anyway.

And… I guess I may add the baby’s beech wood spoon to my teether collection, since he uses them as teethers anyway. Hah!

What teethers do you recommend that is safe and natural for baby?

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