The Teether Guide

Teethers are vital tools for oral motor development in babies, building skills essential for feeding, speech, and overall growth. Beyond soothing teething discomfort, teethers strengthen muscles, encourage exploration, and promote oral coordination.

Our Favorite Teethers

1. Fluxy Baby Teether

Oral Motor Skills:

• Jaw Strengthening: Encourages chewing to build strong jaw muscles essential for feeding and speech.
• Tongue Movement: Promotes tongue lateralization (side-to-side movement) and elevation for improved swallowing and oral coordination.
• Lip Closure: Supports the development of tight lip closure, which is necessary for drinking, eating, and speech sounds.
• Lip Rounding: Encourages rounded lip movements, aiding in straw drinking, blowing, and certain speech sounds.
• Sensory Exploration: Provides varied textures and shapes to stimulate sensory input and oral awareness.

2. Rainbow Silicone Teether

Oral Motor Skills:

• Jaw Strengthening: Encourages chewing to build strong jaw muscles essential for feeding and speech.
• Sensory Exploration: Provides varied textures and shapes to stimulate sensory input and oral awareness.
• Hand-to-Mouth Coordination: Develops motor skills by coordinating grasping and bringing objects to the mouth.
• Oral Awareness: Increases sensitivity and tolerance for oral input, helping babies adjust to different textures in food and utensils.

3. Nuby Carrot + Teether Tubes

Oral Motor Skills:

• Jaw Strengthening: Encourages chewing to build strong jaw muscles essential for feeding and speech.
• Tongue Movement: Promotes tongue lateralization (side-to-side movement) and elevation for improved swallowing and oral coordination.
• Sensory Exploration: Provides varied textures and shapes to stimulate sensory input and oral awareness.
• Biting Patterns: Helps babies practice controlled biting, transitioning from reflexive to intentional movements.
• Mature Chewing Motion: Promotes up-and-down jaw movement and rotary chewing patterns, laying the groundwork for solid food consumption.

4. Comotomo

Oral Motor Skills:

• Jaw Strengthening: Encourages chewing to build strong jaw muscles essential for feeding and speech.
• Tongue Movement: Promotes tongue lateralization (side-to-side movement) for improved oral coordination.
• Hand-to-Mouth Coordination: Develops motor skills by helping babies grasp and bring the teether to their mouth.
• Sensory Exploration: Provides varied textures and shapes to stimulate sensory input and oral awareness.
• Biting Patterns: Helps babies practice controlled biting, transitioning from reflexive to intentional movements.

5. Innobaby Grapes Silicone Teether

Oral Motor Skills:

• Jaw Strengthening: Encourages chewing to build strong jaw muscles essential for feeding and speech.
• Tongue Movement: Promotes tongue lateralization (side-to-side movement) and elevation for improved swallowing and oral coordination.
• Sensory Exploration: Provides varied textures and shapes to stimulate sensory input and oral awareness.
• Oral Awareness: Increases sensitivity and tolerance for oral input, helping babies adjust to different textures in food and utensils.

6. Nuby Silicone Teethe-eez Teether

Oral Motor Skills:

• Jaw Strengthening: Encourages chewing to build strong jaw muscles essential for feeding and speech.
• Sensory Exploration: Provides varied textures and shapes to stimulate sensory input and oral awareness.
• Oral Awareness: Increases sensitivity and tolerance for oral input, helping babies adjust to different textures in food and utensils.

7. Innobaby Teethin’ Smart EZ Grip Teether

Oral Motor Skills:

• Jaw Strengthening: Encourages chewing to build strong jaw muscles essential for feeding and speech.
• Lip Closure: Supports the development of tight lip closure, which is necessary for drinking, eating, and speech sounds.
• Sensory Exploration: Provides varied textures and shapes to stimulate sensory input and oral awareness.
• Hand-to-Mouth Coordination: Develops motor skills by coordinating grasping and bringing objects to the mouth.

8.  O-Ball Rattle

Oral Motor Skills:

• Tongue Movement: Promotes tongue lateralization (side-to-side movement), elevation, stretching, and elevation for improved swallowing and oral coordination.
• Sensory Exploration: Provides varied textures and shapes to stimulate sensory input and oral awareness.

9. Manhattan Toy Winkle Rattle and Sensory Teether Toy

Oral Motor Skills:

• Encourages chewing to build strong jaw muscles essential for feeding and speech.
• Develops motor skills by coordinating grasping and bringing objects to the mouth.
• Provides varied textures and shapes to stimulate sensory input and oral awareness.
• Provides soothing sensory input, helping babies manage discomfort and calm themselves during teething or overstimulation.

Feed Well Teether Guide

Teethers are vital tools for oral motor development in babies, building skills essential for feeding, speech, and overall growth. Beyond soothing teething discomfort, teethers strengthen muscles, encourage exploration, and promote oral coordination.

Why Teethers Are Important for Oral Motor Development

• Strengthen Oral Muscles: Chewing on teethers builds strength in lips, tongue, cheeks, and jaw—essential for eating and speaking.

• Encourage Exploration and Coordination: Promote hand-to-mouth coordination and sensory exploration through varied textures and shapes.

• Promote a Mature Chewing Pattern: Help babies transition from suckling to up-and-down jaw movements, setting the stage for rotary chewing.

• Facilitate Tongue Movement: Encourage tongue elevation and lateral movements for swallowing, speech development, and to help reduce the gag reflex.

When to Introduce Teethers for Oral Motor Development

• Signs of Readiness: Mouthing toys, increased drooling, and finger-chewing indicate readiness for teethers.

• Ideal Timing: Introduce teethers at 3 months or when babies show interest in oral activities, even before teething begins.

How to Use Teethers to Support Oral Motor Development

• Choose the Right Teether: Opt for teethers with diverse textures and resistance levels. Examples: textured silicone teethers, teething tubes, or multi-surface options.

• Incorporate Teethers into Play: Make teether use engaging by modeling biting and encouraging exploration.

• Focus on Different Oral Motions: Use teethers to target tongue lateralization, jaw strength, or lip closure.

• Monitor and Rotate Teethers: Rotate types to target various skills and inspect regularly for wear.

Tips for Safe and Effective Teether Use

• Clean teethers regularly with soap and water, or as directed, to prevent germs.

• Always supervise teether use.

• Gradually introduce harder or more complex teethers as skills develop.

Oral Motor Development Milestones Supported by Teethers

• Lip Rounding and Closure: Key for drinking and speech.

• Jaw Stability and Strength: Enables controlled biting and chewing.

• Tongue Lateralization: Helps move food across the mouth.

• Sensory Awareness: Prepares babies to handle diverse food textures.

Teethers are essential for building the oral motor skills babies need for feeding and speech. By using teethers and integrating them into play, parents can support their baby’s development effectively and enjoyably.