10 Safe Alternatives to Teething Rings

More and more parents want options to the plastic teething rings available on the market today. The key is to find a safe replacement that your child will be happy with. If you are one of those parents and don’t have a clue as to what the alternatives are check out this list.

1. Frozen mini bagel – Food is still one of the best choices for teething babies. Freeze a mini bagel and let baby gnaw away on it. Keep your eye on it though to make sure the baby don’t get a piece off of it causing a choking hazard.
2. Zwieback bread – You don’t hear much about it, but it is sweetened bread baked twice and it resembles Melba toast. Years ago this was very popular for teething babies. It works just as well for babies now!
3. Gum massage – Wash your hands and give your toothless baby a little gum massage. As long as there are no teeth to bite you it should be safe to rub baby’s gums with your finger. No doubt your little one will enjoy nibbling on Mom’s finger.
4. Frozen waffle – Another safe food alternative is to give the baby a frozen waffle. As the waffle thaws it will turn to mush in the baby’s mouth so you won’t have to worry about any choking hazards.
5. Wooden spoon – A well worn wooden spoon works wonders as a teething toy. Just be sure you are in the mood to listen to a little drumming because once baby finds out that the new teething stick works as a percussion instrument everything within reach will get banged on!
6. Wet washcloth – A nice cool wet washcloth makes a soothing alternative to hard plastic teething toys. You probably will just want to use this one at home since chances are the baby may drop it from time to time and put it back in the mouth. Family germs are one thing, but you definitely don’t want your little one picking up public germs.
7. Amber teething necklace – Many mothers swear by this substitute. Amber is said to have healing and calming properties so for the fussy baby this might be worth looking into. There are places online that sell amber teething necklaces at reasonable prices.
8. Wooden rattles – As the world begins to go green there are more natural alternatives being offered in the place of plastics. Wooden rattles are a very nice organic choice for baby. If you notice your baby chewing on the crib railing or other pieces of furniture you will definitely want to check out a wooden option.
9. Frozen juice or fruit – For a tasty teething alternative make cubes of frozen fruit juice and give these to baby or use dye-free natural cloth tea bags and fill with cold fruit.
10. Large cold carrots – Before the teeth come in large carrots are okay to use however after teeth erupt you really need to be careful about baby biting off chunks that could cause a choking hazard.

There are many alternatives to plastic teething rings nowadays so it’s just a matter of deciding what’s going to work for you and your baby. Whatever you use again you always need to be aware of what your baby has in his or her mouth and watch for anything that could break off and become a choking hazard. We simply cannot stress the importance of that enough.

Taken From Nanny Jobs