The Best Teether Toys for Baby
There have been some cranky days and long nights in our house recently, thanks to two new gopher teeth that have "erupted" (a very appropriately violent word in teething terminology). We've had a crash course in teething supplies and, while we're no experts, thought we'd share a few lifesavers for us. And in true CanDo family form, some of these are household items that you probably have on hand.
Cup to Chew
Give your baby a (BPA free) small cup to hold and chew. Our little guy can maneuver this melamine one with handles pretty well and goes to town working on his new chompers. Works especially well for those bottom front teeth.
Nuby Frozen Teether
At the recommendation of many folks, we got several of the freezable teether toys, but for whatever reason Rowan prefers the Nuby IcyBite Teether. I'll admit that I've tried gnawing on a few of them out of curiosity and this one has the softest texture even when frozen and doesn't have a plastic taste like some of the others.
Washcloth Ice Pack
The frozen washcloth trick was highly recommended but didn't work for us - possibly because it was too cold for our dude to want to hold. But I started making little ice packs with crushed ice in a baby washcloth, secured with a hair tie and he LOVES them. So much so that on our recent flight to NYC, I brought a Ziploc bag and a washcloth and had the stewardess put a scoop of ice on the bag as I boarded. This was magic and I'm sure all of our neighbors on the plane applaud this little teething trick.
Wooden Bunny Ear Teether
We just love this handmade bunny ear teether from Bird & Bear Design Boutique. Rowan started teething early so he's still mastering the art of grasping and manipulating toys. The big bunny ears are easy for him to hold and he loves chewing both on the fabric and the hard wooden ring. As an added bonus, this cute little guy has crinkly material in the ears!
Cold Apple
On the CanDo Kiddo Facebook page recently, there were tons of great teething suggestions, many of which involved food. Unfortunately, we have an early teether who isn't yet eating solids. BUT that didn't stop us from getting desperate ... I mean creative ... in the kitchen. A cold apple worked great and I used a fork to poke tiny holes in it for a little flavor. Use an organic apple and be sure to wash it really, really well.
Cold Carrot
Along those same lines, a cold carrot from the fridge works like a charm. Again, organic and wash wash wash.
The Last Resorts
We have had great success with Hyland's Teething Tablets (the gel, notsomuch) and in middle-of-the-night desperation have used Tylenol on a few occasions. There have been several references to Orajel in our "oh my gosh he's miserable" text messages lately but be aware that the FDA advises against the use of Benzocaine for babies.
I hope these suggestions bring you some peace when your sweet, docile baby becomes a rabid, teething zombie who whines all day and cries all night. Or maybe teething won't be such a big deal for your little one.
Please share what works for you with all the other sleep-deprived parents of teething babies in the comments section below.