Teething Troubles & Teethers

My son is almost 6 months and has cut his first two teeth in the past week. We have had some unpleasant moments, yes, and he's not been the dream napper and sleeper that he has been for the past few months, but he doesn't seem to be in terrible pain or anything like that (yet?), nothing that a book and a song won't cure! Here's the product of his teething thus far:

I used to let him gnaw on my fingers and hands, I actually enjoyed it! Such a sweet (and slimy) way to bond with him! But now that those teeth are in, MAN are they sharp!! No more using mommy as a chew toy, though bless him, he tries!! So, onwards and upwards - time to try out some new teethers!

First we have the tried and true favorite of ALL babies... Sofie the Giraffe. Sure she's cute, but it's the squeaker that makes her a real teething treat! I remember the first time Kenzo was able to make her squeak all by himself, he must have been only three or four months old. He was in the stroller with Sofie with the sun shade up. Hubby and I were behind the stroller (so we couldn't see Kenzo) and we were all waiting for the subway. All of a sudden we hear a faint squeak and give eachother the most bewildered amazed look - was that our baby??? He made the toy squeak!!! Cue gushing proud parents! haha! Now Kenzo can actually hold her and manipulate her decently, stuffing a leg in his mouth, chewing her butt and making her squeak, or as in the photo below, try to bite off an ear. Poor Sophie has gone through the ringer with this kid!

Next up we have the Natural Eco Teether, which I got for free in my Media Gift Bag at the Brooklyn Baby Expo (thank you, by the way!!!). It's made from a plant-based bio-resin and is free from BPA, Phthalates, PVC and latex, which sounds good for baby and the environment - yay!! It's cute, too, a little dinosaur, and super easy for Kenzo to hold and get into his mouth.

The first time I gave him the dino, he seemed to like it and was going to town on it. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere this happened:

I didn't see anything out of the ordinary happen - he didn't bonk himself in the head or get frustrated trying to get it into his mouth. I wonder if maybe the "spikes" on the dino's tail pulled on his lip? Who knows. He recovered and next time I gave him the dino he had no problems, phew!

Finally we have the Garanimals Fruit Shaped Teethers. I was excited because they're BPA free and they're filled with gel and you put them in the fridge so they're nice and cool on his inflamed gums. I though, perfect, since the freezer teethers might be a bit too cold. Kenzo LOVES these, especially the strawberry one which has little bumps on it and fits perfectly in there to massage the front teeth gum areas! They are a big hit, but unfortunately they don't hold the chill for very long. All of about 5 minutes. Hmph. So, if you're looking for something to numb up the gums with cold, this is not the teether for you. I'd go for one of the types designed for the freezer (this packaging specifically says NOT freezer, only fridge, though it's misleading on Wal-Mart's website by saying it's an "ice teether"), or DIY by freezing a wet washcloth.

So, those are the teethers we've tried so far! Does your baby love one you'd like to recommend? I'm all ears!!

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