Best Baby Teething Toys

Last Updated: Oct 12, 2021 @ 4:50 pm.

Best for Premature Babies: Mombella Mimi The Mushroom Soothing Teether

Let’s talk the best teething toys for baby!

As the authors of a best-selling book on baby gear, we get a lot of feedback from readers. And when you have two million readers, they communicate their likes and dislikes frequently!

Teething toys are a good example. We hear from our readers all the time about their favorites in this category. We took these suggestions and then did some testing with actual babies. We wanted to see which teething toys worked best in the real world.’

For the best teether for preemies, we liked the Mombella Mimi The Mushroom the best. Yes, it looks like a mushroom. But beyond the cute looks, it actually works well at teaching babies (especially preemies) how to cup and suck. Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Stem is easy for baby to grab.

• Dishwasher safe.

• Babies love to bite and suck on it.

• Affordable.

• Freezer safe.

What Needs Work

• Silicone can tear. This is an issue for many silicone teething toys, however. As a parent, you have to supervise baby when using any teether.

Best Tried & True Brand: Not-Too-Cold-To-Hold BPA-Free Silicone Teether for Babies

Frida Baby is probably best known for making clever baby care items like the Nose Frida, but the brand recently expanded into teething toys with this entry: the Not-Too-Cold-To-Hold BPA-Free Silicone Teether.

What we like about Frida Baby is their innovative design. Remove the inserts for this teether and stick them in the refrigerator. Put them back in the teether and voila! The handles remain room temperature while the double-sided inserts (four shapes in all) can be chilled for teething bliss. Impressive!

What We Liked

• Interchangeable inserts can be swapped.

• Four different textures

• Babies loved that the inserts helped them reach just the right spot to relieve discomfort.

• Easy to clean.

What Needs Work

• Not freezer safe. Yes, you can put these teething toys in a refrigerator, but not a freezer. As a result, some folks are disappointed the teether doesn’t stay cold long enough.

• Not dishwasher safe. Also can’t be boiled, steamed or sterilized.

• Watch for gel leaks. 

Best Budget-Friendly: Baby Teething Toys – BPA Free Silicone Toy

No, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good silicone teething toy. Case in point: this teether from Elefun. Our readers tell us babies love the five different textures—and the clever handle-through-the-middle design makes it easy to hold.

What We Liked

• Easy to clean.

• Easy to hold.

• Food grade silicone.

• Can be sterilized by boiling, microwave or UV/steam sterilizer.

• Dishwasher safe.

• Affordable.

• Freezer safe.

What Needs Work

• Slight odor when first removed from box.  

Best Set: HAILI XMGO Baby Teething Toys

If you’ve been invited to a baby shower and want to get a set of teething toys for your friend, this set by Haili Xmgo is a reader favorite. Yes, the cute designs are the draw here . . . but the teething toys are good quality and easy to hold.

What We Liked

• Nice bang for buck: 4 teething toys plus two finger toothbrushes.

• Soft.

• Easy to hold.

• Easy to clean.

• Freezer safe.

• Dishwasher safe.

What Needs Work

• Small size of the fruit teething toys may be too easy for babies to gag on—always supervise baby when using a teether.

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability. When we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!