Teeth Relief
The teething process is not pretty, marked by a constant river of drool and tears as those little sharp adorable baby teeth start to pop through your baby's gummy smile. But there are a few nice teether options out there that can soothe the mouth while being easy on the eyes.
Little baby teeth sprouting up, claiming W's mouth in the name of Incisor... or Bicuspid? Sophie to the rescue!
The most famous of all is Sophie La Giraffe, the soft 100% natural rubber giraffe that hails from the French Alps and squeaks when lightly squeezed or gnawed on. She somehow taps into an primal response, inspiring a fervent following that has made the wide-eyed giraffe the top-selling baby toy on Amazon. The reasons for Sophie's success have been discussed on many a forum: the softness of her skin, the smell of natural Hevea tree rubber from which she is made, her soft focus easy to see spots, even the exact pitch of her squeak. We were skeptical at first, but brought one home and can report that the hype is real - from the first squeak, our little one was mesmerized, and she and Sophie became best friends (a best friend that one gnaws, squeezes and drools on and who in turn squeaks in response).
Other teethers that we like are the Danish designed Hevea Panda Teether, made of beautifully translucent natural rubber. And in the silicone world, the Comotomo Silicone Baby Teether is a nice piece of simple design, priced well at $6.99. We also like the Baby Banana Teething Toohtbrush, which as the name suggests, does double duty, cleaning and soothing. Then there are some teethers for mama to wear - although we prefer our jewelry and baby toys to not be one and the same. There is an ultra minimal one called the Teething Bling, a simple silicone ring that is meant to be worn as a bangle (although not necessary to if that's not your jam).
From Left: VULLI Sophie the Giraffe, $24.99, amazon.com, HEVEA Panda Teether, $9.99, amazon.com, COMOTOMO Teething Ring, $6.99, buybuybaby.com, BABY BANANA Baby Toothbrush, $5.99, babybananabrush.com, SMART MAMA Teething Bling in Clear, $12.99, smartmomjewelry.com.