Is your baby teething? So is Carey's.
She writes in: With so much attention being paid to the dangers of plastics and lead in toys, do decent options exist for teething babies? My daughter is 4 months old and wants to put anything she can get her hands on in her mouth...I just want to make sure whatever "it" is, is safe!
Read on for some of our ideas and to contribute your own.
As more and more parents become aware of the potential hazards of BPA and phthalates in plastics, the industry is responding with safer alternatives. And, you can always go old-school with teethers made from wood or fabric (and don't forget teething biscuits).
The RaZ-Berry is a combination pacifier-teether made entirely of silicone which gets high marks from parents as a soothing teething aid ($3.95). There's also a RaZ-Blueberry version, too.
Sophie the Giraffe has been a fixture in French childhoods since 1961. She squeaks when squeezed and her bumpy head sooths teething gums. Sophie hails from the French Alps where she is made with natural rubber and non-toxic paint ($20).
There are many wood teethers available, just be sure that if they also have paint that the paint is non-toxic. Some of our favorites are made by Haba. You can do a Google search for them and we also found a good selection at Maukilo. If you prefer a simpler wood teether without paint, you can find several good choices at Tiny Bird Organics.
Not all babies get the same satisfaction from chewing on a fabric teether, but yours may. Look for something wool or 100% cotton and small enough for little hands and mouths to grasp. These hand crocheted flowers by Anne-Claire Petit ($30) are also a rattle.
Two good resources for finding safe teethers are the Safer Toy Guide by Cool Mom Picks and How to Find Safer Teethers over on Squiddo. Both can point you to many teether options which are BPA, phthalate and PVC-free.
Readers - anything to add? What's been your child's best, safest teether?
As always, send your Good Questions (with a photo if you can) to nursery(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
The cutest teethers I have seen are the fruit and veggie organic cotton toys by Under the Nile. They are adorable, and I have found the best prices on them at Babystyle and Atlantis Natural.
http://www.atlantisnatural.com/Veggies-and-Crate/M/B000LFM64C.htm
view Alex17's profile
The "super yummy teether" from Discovery Toys is nothing to look at, but it's phalate-free and well designed for its intended purpose. Even tiny babies can grasp it easily and it has different textures to try. The nubs for chewing are about pacifier-sized. It was the favorite of both my kids.
https://www.discoverytoyslink.com/ecommerce/control/product?PURCHASE_STATE=STANDARD&product_id=1020
view avimom's profile
My daughter loves her Sophie, but hates any other teething toy we've got. Her favorite, and mine, however, is frozen baguettes. (French bread) I break off a hunk, and she gnaws on it like crazy. It absorbs the drool, dissolves in her mouth, and the dog cleans up the leftovers. Perfect!
view La Rêveuse's profile
I love the frozen baguette idea - thanks!!
view CMcB's profile
We love the various Haba wooden toys but it depends on how much strength your 4 month old has. Our son couldn't lift most of them well enough to "enjoy" them at that age.
Frozen bread is a classic but I would cautious about exposing such a young infant to wheat.
view JudiAU's profile
I second the Discovery Toys one. It was a huge hit at our house!
view Chrystine's profile
My son loves Sophie (renamed Herbie by my uncle) to teeth on. He has had the giraffe through both of his teething episodes (so far) -- I think the ears and antlers are the perfect little nubs for massaging his gums. And now that he is older (almost 9 months) he likes the fact that she is also a squeak toy that makes noise when he flings her around.
view Green Me's profile
Unfortunately, my daughter hates the taste of Sophie. She does use the Raz-berry, which is available at Duane Reade in NYC.
view fiona's profile
The Organic Rattle Cozy Stripe from Keptin Jr is our favorite for our young teether. At three months, he can't really hold a teething ring, but he can keep this doll in his mouth by gnawing on one of the ball-shaped feet/hands. http://www.oompa.com/baby-toys/item/KJ1810S/Keptin-Jr-Organic-Rattle-Cozy-Stripe.html
view peanutbutter's profile
I love the little dolls with knots for hands and feet (Nova Naturals) that you can dip in water and put in the freezer or refrigerator. I think they are made of organic cotton.
view sar3j's profile
Celery. Especially right out of the crisper.
My pediatrician recommended celery and my daughter LOVED it. It turns to mush but the strings prevent it from falling apart and presenting a choking hazard. We found that resaurants loved to provide it, too, so the supply was unending during meals out!
He also recommended that she eat 7 vegetables before introducing any fruit or grains and I swear the celery made a great pre-conditioner for her palette. She's now almost 9 and loves any veg you put in front of her!
view AvenueFog's profile