All About Teethers: A Speech Therapist’s Advice on When to Introduce Them and How to Choose the Right One for Your Baby
Maureen Lopez, Pediatric SLP
This blog was written in paid partnership with Dr. Brown's.
Is your baby bringing their hands to their mouth? Or maybe even starting to chew on their fingers? Then, it's time to start offering a teether! Did you know teethers don’t just soothe sore gums? They actually play an important role in your baby’s pre-feeding skills and predict your baby’s readiness to start solids. Teethers also help move the gag reflex back, develop mature chewing patterns and support sensory and oral motor development. Not all teethers are designed the same, and your baby’s needs evolve as they grow. But how can you determine the right time to introduce a teether?
When to Offer a Teether
When your baby is around 3-months-old, you may notice them starting to munch on their fingers. This is an indication that they are ready to begin exploring. It is the perfect time to start offering teethers for safe exploration, which also helps your baby develop pre-feeding skills.
What Are Pre-feeding Skills?
Pre-feeding skills help support your baby's sensory and motor systems to prepare for eating. They include:
- Mouthing: As an infant, your baby's mouth has more sensation than any other part of the body. "Mouthing," or the action of bringing fingers or objects to their mouth, is a developmental stage for exploring their world. Providing safe options for exploring textures can help your baby prepare for eating solids in the coming months.
- Moving the gag reflex back: Your baby needs to gradually learn how to accept and process new textures. As a newborn, a "gag" reflex is present to help prevent choking. This reflex is activated when anything passes the first ¼ of the tongue. Between 4 and 6 months, as your baby grows and is offered a variety of safe textures, the reflex gradually diminishes, preparing them for solid foods.
- Munching: Munching is an early form of chewing where the jaw moves in an up-and-down pattern. This typically develops around 6 months of age.
- Tongue lateralization: This skill develops between 6 and 9 months of age, allowing the tongue to move food from one side of the mouth to the middle of the mouth, or vice versa, which helps break it down.
- Circular-rotary chew: Developed around 24 months of age, a rotary chew is the last chewing skill to emerge. It is a mature chewing pattern where food is moved in a circular pattern to efficiently chew up food.
The Role of Teethers in Pre-feeding Skills
You may be thinking, "Okay, so how do teethers help with all of that?" Well, you can offer a variety of teethers that will support your baby's current stage of development. Here’s a guide to help you get started:
Between 3-4 months: Start with teethers that have shorter pieces, ensuring they won't go too far into your baby's mouth, and that feature simple, smooth textures. Since your baby is still developing their early grasp, choose a lightweight teether that will be easy for them to hold and bring to their mouth.
Favorites for this age:
- Dr. Brown's Flexees Beaded Teether Rings: This teether is lightweight, easy for your baby to hold and grasp and allows them to explore simple, smooth textures.
- Dr. Brown's Ridgees Giraffe Teether: Designed by a pediatric dentist, this teether is easy to hold and offers multiple textures and shorter pieces for little mouths to explore and help soothe sore gums.
4-6 months: Start to offer more variety in textures such as teethers with ridges and bumps to take in more sensory information and prepare for eating.
Favorites for this age:
- Dr. Brown's Flexees Bunny Silicone Teether: It is lightweight and easy to grasp but offers a variety of bumps and textures to explore and chew.
- Dr. Brown's Silicone Starter Spoon and Teether: One of the best ways to prepare your baby for eating is to get them familiar with eating utensils, so this teether would be a great choice.
- Dr. Brown's Learning Loop Teether: This teether offers a ring of 2 different objects to grasp and munch.
6 months: At this stage, your baby's gag reflex has likely moved further back in their mouth. In addition, heightened sensations are now felt in the gums rather than the tongue. Offer your baby longer, stick-shaped teethers to help them practice chewing patterns and feel input on their gums. Developmentally, your baby is able to take in additional sensory information through their mouth. By biting down on a toy, teether, or finger, they can learn about the size, taste, shape, texture, weight, and temperature of an object.
Favorites for this age:
- Dr. Brown's Peapod Teether and Training Toothbrush: Its longer stick-like shape offers an opportunity for your baby to practice their 'munching' skills.
7+ months: Babies will typically get their first tooth between 4 and 7 months. After most of the pre-feeding skills have been established, the role of the teether is to now offer comfort and regulation. At this stage, offering cold and vibrating teethers can be soothing and preferred. Refrigerate teethers for a cooling effect.
Favorites for this age:
Considering safety: When choosing teethers, make sure all parts are securely attached. Silicone, wood and water-filled teethers are all good choices. Check labels to make sure they are non-toxic and BPA-free. As your baby's teeth grow in, they may be able to break through water or gel filled teethers, so always provide close supervision.
Into toddlerhood: Chewing can be a very regulating activity for a toddler's sensory system as well as aid in comfort as they develop teeth. Continue to offer teethers as needed including cold or cool temperatures for sore gums.
Other considerations: If you notice that your baby may be missing developmental milestones or having difficulty with feeding at any stage, contact your pediatrician for individual care.
About the Author
Maureen is a licensed speech-language pathologist passionate about helping parents support their baby's and toddler’s development with simple, practical strategies. She also creates digital resources packed with easy, engaging activities to help little ones reach their milestones. Check out her free tips, tutorials, and resources on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube @maur.speech.therapy!
