Here’s our pick of the best baby teething toys, as rated and tested by babies (and their parents)…1. Sophie La Girafe Original Teether, £15– Great for squeaky soothing
Age suitability: From birthAwards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2021
What it is: A soft, lightweight, 100% natural-rubber 17cm-high giraffe you can grab, wave, squeak and chew.
Why we love it: Sophie’s design has remained unchanged since 1961 and that’s simply because you don’t mess with a toy that’s entranced babies for generations – and consistently soothed their sore gums. We love that Sophie is so easy to hold, and her squeaks, contrasting colour and spots make her endlessly fascinating to very little ones. Emma, mum of our baby tester David, 7 months, said, “He loves Sophie! He gets very excited when he sees her and loves to hear her squeak. When it comes to teething, I would pay a lot of money for a product that works. And this product works! David is able to hold it and chew on it and it seems to give him relief.”
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Available at: John Lewis, Amazon and Smyths Toys2. Matchstick Monkey Original Teething Toy, £9.99
– Great for curious fingers
Age suitability: 3 months+Awards: Silver, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2021
What it is: An 11cm-high BPA-free monkey-shaped teether made from FDA approved food-grade silicone. It has handles on each side and bumps on the back of the teether’s head. Dishwasher-safe and available in 12 different colours.
Why we love it: It’s easy to grab and hold, and has a nice variety of textures and shapes to explore – with hands or mouth. Aarti, mum of our baby tester Aiden, 8 months, said, “It’s great as there are so many different parts to play with: the head, legs, tail and arms all stick out and Aiden enjoys chewing and playing with them. It’s the perfect material for both chewing and grip, so if Aiden drops it, he finds it really easy to pick up again – great for me as I don’t need to keep retrieving it for him!”
Available at: Matchstick Monkey, Boots and Amazon3. Natruba Daisy Teether Rattle, £18
– Great eco choice
Age suitability: From birthAwards: Silver, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2021
What it is: A 12cm-high teether handcrafted from biodegradable natural rubber in the shape of a daisy, with a stem for babies to grip and a textured flower head to chew on. Also features a chiming bell inside.
Why we love it: It is on the pricey side for a teether but it’s very stylish and sustainable – and you get the bonus of the tinkly bell. We really like the textured surface of the daisy head – lovely for gnawing on when your gums ache. “He’s really enjoying playing with this teether,” said Natasha, mum of our baby tester Roman, 10 months. “It’s easy for him to hold the stem and bite the other end. It also helps that it’s so lightweight. I wish we’d had it when he was first teething.”
Available at: Kidly and Nibbling<4. Mini Mizzie 100% Natural Rubber Teether, £9.95
– Great friendly face
Age suitability: From birthAwards: Bronze, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2021
What it is: A teething ring with a kangaroo head, made from 100% natural rubber. Using water-based, non-toxic dyes, the teether is free from PVC, BPA, nitrosamines and phthalates.
Why we love it: Easy for teething babies to hold and gnaw on independently, thanks to the grab handle, this cute teether has plenty to chew on and its friendly kangaroo fave immediately caught the eye of our little tester Billy, 8 months. Billy’’s mum, Vicky, said, “We opened the packagey, and Billy started inspecting it, then put it straight in his mouth and thoroughly enjoyed giving it a gnaw. Now it’s the one he always picks out of his toys – it’s his go-to toy and teether!” Top marks for the all-natural, baby-safe materials, too.
Available at: Mizzie The Kangaroo5. Fisher-Price Coffee Cup Teether, £5.99
– Great for rattling extras
Age suitability: 3 months+
What it is: A 9cm-high teether with a chewy lid, and rattling beads and a mirror inside. Comes with a useful fabric loop.
Why we love it: It’s fun to look at, a great price and we like the colourful beads inside that rattle around in a very jolly way. Another bonus is the fabric loop, which makes it easy for baby to hold or for you to attach to to your buggy. Barbara, mum of our baby tester Jakub, 7 months, said, “My little boy has around 20 teethers but he usually picks up this toy first, and calms down easily when using it.”
Available at: Amazon5. Nuby Bug-a-Loop Teether, £4.69
– Great value
Age suitability: 3 months+
What it is: A 13cm x 14cm loop of dentist-approved BPA-free teething beads in different shapes, colours and textures. Wipe clean or wash in warm water.
Why we love it: This bright, budget-friendly teething toy has a great selection of different textures and surfaces to explore with fingers and sore gums. The only minus is that unlike most of the other teethers in our list, it can’t be heat sterilised. It was a hit with our baby testers, though, especially as it’s so lightweight and easy for tiny hands to hold.
Available at: Nuby UK and Amazon6. Bubba the Whale Teething and Bath Toy, £8.99
– Great for bath time
Age suitability: From birth
What it is: A 12cm-high jolly-looking whale-shaped teether-and-bath-toy-in-1 made from super-tactile and resilient natural rubber with food-grade dyes and paints. Comes with a drawstring storage bag.
Why we love it: It’s definitely very chew-able – and pretty impossible to puncture. It’s also fully sealed, so it won’t get mouldy inside if it’s used in the bath.And for a toy and teether in one, it’s a great price! Charlotte, mum of our baby tester Henry, 9 months, said, “Henry loves to chew Bubba’s tail. It’s a great, friendly, smiley design and I think it’s very good value for money. I really like that it comes with a little carry pouch.”
Available at: Water Babies and Amazon7. Gertie the Good Goose Natural Rubber Teething Toy, £13.99
– Great to grab hold of
Age suitability: From birth
What it is: A fairly large (25cm-high) teething toy made from natural rubber. Babies can chew on Gertie’s feet, tail feathers and beak.
Why we love it: This teething toy is lovely and chunky – and big – but still soft (and slightly vanilla-scented). She does a nice squeaky quack when you squeeze her tummy, which all our baby testers enjoyed.
Available at: Gertie the Good Goose and Boot8. Rosa & Bo Silicone Teether, £12
– Great taste
Age suitability: From birth
What it is: A 12cm-high soft silicone teether in a traditional design that’s either a doll’s face or a bunny’s face (above). Flavoured with mint. Dishwasher-safe.
Why we love it: It’s super-stylish (not that your baby will care!) and we can report that the hole is just the right size for our baby testers’ chubby fists to grab a firm hold of. We like that it tastes slightly of mint – great prep for tooth-brushing later!
Available at: Rosa & Bo9. Yummirings, £22.50
– Great for older babies
Age suitability: From birth
What it is: Three interlocking 6cm-diameter rings made from cutlery-grade stainless steel. Each ring holds a coloured silicone bead and a stainless-steel bead engraved with an animal. Dishwasher-safe. Comes with a drawstring storage bag.
Why we love it: This stylish-looking teether comes with added jingly jangly noises and will come into its own when your baby’s old enough to sit up and explore how the rings fit together. Best of all, being stainless steel makes them naturally extra cooling for baby’s gums, so they’re great when you’re out and about and don’t have access to the fridge for some pre-cooling time.
Available at: Yummikeys and Amazon10. Infantino Sensory Textured Multi Ball Set, £9.99
– Great for sensory play
Age suitability: 6 months+
What it is: A set of 6 BPA-free, lightweight textured balls in different sizes (roughly 4cm to 6cm-diameter), shapes and colours.
Why we love it: The play value of this squashy ball set is second to none:our baby testers were spoiled for choice with plenty of bumpy textures to bite down on to ease their sore gums and lots of rolling and squashing besides. We like that you can easily pop 1 or 2 of the balls in your handbag before a trip out.
Available at: Amazon and ArgosAbout the author
Helen is Deputy Editor of MadeForMums, the author of Parenting for Dummies (Wiley, £17.99) and the Head Tester for our MadeForMums Toy Awards. She has written about parenting for Mumsnet, Pregnancy & Birth, Prima Baby, Boots Parenting Club and She Magazine and she’s also been Consumer Editor of Mother & Baby. She has 3 boys and a heavy-duty washing machine.