This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Prices and availability are accurate as of May 5, 2026 and subject to change.
Teething is miserable for babies and confusing for parents. The drugstore aisle is full of gels, frozen rings, amber necklaces, and silicone fruit, and most of it is either useless, unsafe, or both. After sorting through what pediatric dentists actually recommend and what holds up to a determined four-month-old, the short answer is that a freezable silicone teether your baby can grip on their own beats almost everything else.
This guide covers what to buy, what to skip, and why the FDA has been telling parents for years to throw out their benzocaine teething gels. If you're putting together a broader list, our honest baby must-haves list covers the same ground for the rest of the first year.
The short version
Our top pick is the Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle and Sensory Teether: a tangle of food-grade silicone tubes that babies can grab from any angle, freezes well, and survives the dishwasher. If you want a single-piece silicone option that's easier to clean, the Comotomo Silicone Teether is the runner-up.
Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle and Sensory Teether
A tangle of soft silicone loops a baby can grip from any angle, freezes well, washes clean.
Check Price on AmazonWhat to look for
- BPA-free silicone, not plastic or wood. Silicone is soft enough to chew without bruising gums, doesn't splinter, and can be sterilized. Wood teethers look beautiful in photos and dry out fast; painted wood is a hard pass.
- Freezable, not water-filled. Older water-filled rings can leak, and the FDA has flagged them as a choking and contamination risk. Solid silicone you can chill in the freezer for 20 minutes does the same job without the failure mode.
- Easy to grip from any angle. A three-month-old has terrible aim. A teether with multiple loops, knobs, or arms means the baby's flailing hand will eventually catch something chewable. Single straight rings get dropped constantly.
- Dishwasher safe. Teethers live on the floor. They get spit on, dropped in strollers, and gummed by other people's babies at playdates. Anything you can't run through a sanitize cycle is more work than it's worth.
- One piece, no detachable parts. Anything with beads, clips, or a removable cover is a choking risk waiting to happen. This is also why we won't recommend amber necklaces, more on that below.
Our pick, and why
The Winkel works because of its shape. The interlocking loops mean a baby can grab it without looking, and there's always a fresh cool surface to chew on. It's made of food-grade silicone tubing on a plastic frame, so it survives the dishwasher and chills evenly in the freezer.
Sophie la Girafe is the more famous option and has the better Instagram aesthetic, but it's natural rubber with a hollow body and a pinhole, which means moisture gets inside and mold has been a documented problem for years. The Nuby IcyBite is cheap and effective but smaller and harder to grab. The Comotomo Silicone Teether is genuinely good, one solid piece, no seams, easy to sanitize, and we'd buy it as a backup. The Winkel just gets picked up more often.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using benzocaine or lidocaine teething gels. The FDA has warned against benzocaine products for children under two since 2018 because of the risk of methemoglobinemia, a serious blood disorder. Pediatric dentists generally recommend a cold teether and, if needed, an age-appropriate dose of infant acetaminophen or ibuprofen, not topical numbing gels.
- Buying an amber teething necklace. The claim is that body heat releases succinic acid from the amber, which has no scientific basis. The actual risks, strangulation and choking on loose beads, are documented. The American Academy of Pediatrics has been clear on this. Don't.
- Freezing teethers solid. A rock-hard frozen teether can bruise gums. Twenty minutes in the freezer gets a silicone teether cold without turning it into a hammer. Refrigerator-cold is often enough.
- Owning only one. Buy two or three of whatever you choose. One is always in the dishwasher, one is on the floor under the car seat, and one is in the freezer. This is also true of bibs, pacifiers, and most baby gear, our diaper bag packing list assumes redundancy as a baseline.
What we'd skip
Skip anything labeled "homeopathic teething tablet", the FDA recalled several of these in 2016 and 2017 after finding inconsistent levels of belladonna, a toxic plant. Skip teething mittens with Velcro closures; they fall off and the rough interior fabric can irritate skin. Skip anything beaded, including the silicone bead necklaces marketed to moms as both jewelry and teether, the strings break.
And skip the urge to buy the prettiest wooden teether on Etsy. We understand the appeal. They photograph beautifully alongside a curated grooming kit on a linen blanket. They also crack, harbor bacteria in the grain, and aren't dishwasher safe.
See Manhattan Toy Winkel on Amazon
Frequently asked questions
When does teething usually start?
Most babies show first signs between four and seven months, though some start as early as three months and others not until close to a year. Drooling alone isn't a reliable sign, babies drool for plenty of reasons. Visible swelling along the gum line and chewing on everything in reach is more telling.
Is it safe to put a teether in the freezer?
Solid silicone teethers, yes, for short periods, about 15 to 20 minutes. The goal is cold, not frozen solid. Don't freeze water-filled or gel-filled teethers; cold gel and ice can be hard enough to bruise tender gums, and older gel-filled designs have been recalled for leaking.
Do teething gels actually work?
The numbing gels sold over the counter mostly contain benzocaine, which the FDA has explicitly warned against for children under two. There is no strong evidence they help, and there is real evidence they can cause harm. A cold teether and, if your pediatrician approves, an age-appropriate dose of infant acetaminophen or ibuprofen is the standard recommendation.
Can teething cause a fever?
Teething can cause a low-grade temperature increase, below 100.4°F, but it does not cause true fevers. If your baby has a temperature above 100.4°F, assume it's something else and call your pediatrician. The "it's just teething" assumption misses a lot of ear infections.
How many teethers do we actually need?
Two or three of the same model. One in rotation, one in the freezer, one in the diaper bag or car. Buying five different styles to "see what they like" mostly results in a basket of unused silicone. Babies aren't picky, they want whatever's cold and within reach.
