Teething is a very crucial stage for both the child and the parents. While it’s very exciting to see your little ones get those new pearly white teeth, it can be a little painful and fussy for them too as well as memorable for the parents as they try to soothe their irritating gums.
As your baby wants to relieve their new tooth pain, they would want to chew or gnaw anything they would find in the household to soothe their irritated gums, even dirty shoes! Arghh! That’s not hygiene at all. And being parents, you don’t want your baby to scream of stomach pain.
So, when this outstanding but challenging beginning happens, then one of the safest and most effective ways to soothe the irritated gums of the tot is best baby teething toys.
When To Use A Baby Teether?
If it’s your first time being parents, then you must be wondering “When will our baby get the first set of teeth?”. And the answer is: Babies start getting teeth when they are 6 months or so.
Some of the symptoms that you may notice when your baby starts teething are: chewing on random items, drooling, irritability, crankiness, sore and swollen gums, refusing to eat, crying, biting and coughing.
If you are wondering “Why does your baby still use a teether when he/she is 13 months old?” Then the answer is pretty simple: The molar eruption can be very painful to your little ones and these sets of teeth appear later than the other ones.
The most important question that comes to every new parent is: “Is fever a symptom of teething?”. It is a common misconception that teething causes fever. According to science, there is no evidence if teething leads to fever. So be careful parents if your little ones are getting a body temperature more than 100.4 F, this could be because your baby is ill.
What Are Teething Toys?
Since your little guy is suffering from new-teeth pain, he/she needs something to relieve the pain. Teething toys or teethers, offer your babies with sore gums something safe to chew on. The gumming action is responsible for the counter pressure to the new guest in your baby’s mouth that can soothe and help alleviate the pain.
How To Choose Teething Toys For Baby?
Now you all must be wondering, how should you choose the best teething toy for your tot as the market is flooded with different kinds of brands and teething toys are often made from different materials. So, here’s your buying guide to make you understand which toy is best for your little one.
- Type: There are many different types of teething toys available in the market. Teething rings are epitome, but you can find teethers of different shapes; from toothbrush teethers to teethers in the form of toys.
- Material and texture: Babies will happily gnaw on any material that can appease their pain but they may be attracted to a certain type of material or texture. Some babies may be drawn to hard material like wood while some may be drawn to soft material like silicone or cloth whereas some babies may prefer bumpy textures as it also helps in relieving the pain.
- Never ever buy a teething amber necklace: Avoid a teething necklace as the beads in the necklace or any jewellery for instance may choke your baby. It’s hazardous and too dangerous for your baby.
- Always keep a bib: Your little ones maybe extra drooly while teething. Excessive saliva may lead to skin irritation. Hence, always keep a bib or a piece of cloth in order to handle that extra dribble.
- Inspect the teether: Since your baby is suffering from so much pain during teething, he will gnaw the teether and the amount of gnawing he does, teether may not stand for a good amount of time. Always inspect the surface of the teether and look out for any damage. If your teether is even a little bit damaged, throw it away then and there only.
- Just chill: A cold teether may be very soothing for the baby. Professionals suggest that chilling a teether is really good for your baby while freezing a teether may become too hard ending up damaging your child’s teeth as well as the durability of the toy.
- Avoid certain ingredients: While choosing your baby’s teether, avoid products with topical layers containing gum numbing ingredients- benzocaine as it has life threatening side effects. Also avoid homeopathic teething products containing belladonna which may be unsafe for your tot.
- Durability: You don’t wanna a teether that does not last even for a month. Buy a teether with a sturdy material like silicone or rubber that won’t fall apart easily.
- Cleaning: Buy a teether which is easy to clean and sterilize as your baby keeps the teether in his mouth most of the time.
- Budget: While most of the teethers are affordable, there are many teethers in the market that are expensive. Buy teethers which can help your baby without breaking your bank.
- Design: Keep in mind a few points: If the teether has a good grip, if it has a good texture; whether the teether is too big for your baby to chew.
These are important points to keep in mind while buying a teether.
Conclusion
Teething is a very crucial stage for both you and your baby.
Hence, to make your life and your baby’s life easy, buy a teether which is easy to clean, durable, not too harsh on your baby and which keeps them busy and safe.
