The benefits of All-Natural Wooden Teething Rings

If your baby has started to put things in their mouth, you’ve probably been looking for a teether or trying to learn what the best teething toys for them would be. 

As a designer for BREAN baby essentials, I understand that everything you give to a newborn has to be carefully vetted. But since the ones that go into their mouths need to be all the safest many parents facing lots of questions.

Should it be silicone or wood? Soft or hard? What are teething rings? At what age does your child need a teether? These questions come up frequently in our moms group and in the following blog post I will cover everything you need to know about teethers from when to use them to the best teether material. 

Why do babies need teethers?

Most babies start teething within 4-6 months, which is a great time to start introducing teethers. Your baby may start teething sooner or later than this window.

Usually, the two bottom front teeth are the first to show, followed by the four upper front teeth. Your child should have a full set of primary (baby) teeth by the time they’re almost three.

Why Do Babies Like Teethers?

Babies like to put toys in their mouth. They chew, bite and munch on their toys. Why do babies like teethers so much? 

Reasons Why Babies Use Teethers

For teething babies, biting into something is a way to explore the sensation and reduce the pain of their swollen gums.  

There are many other reasons though why babies like to put teether toys in their mouth to chew on. It is not just about relief when their teeth are emerging. It is also part of child development that babies will try to put things into their mouth at an early age. All that mouthing and munching encourages a baby to move their tongue inside their mouth. This gives the child awareness of their mouth. These motions help to lay the foundation for learning speech sounds as babies begin to babble while learning to say their first words, "mamama" and "dadada".

Since babies love to chew on items, especially when they are teething, parents should not be surprised if they bite on blankets, favorite stuffed toys, edges of the cribs, crib sheets, keys, their fingers, or even their parents' fingers. These are great signs to let you know it is teething time.

Other signs of teething may include excessive drooling, constantly being cranky or irritable, having sore gums, or even running a mild temperature. You could even gently run a finger along their gums to feel for any growing teeth. 

There are plenty of baby teethers on the market, but many contain plastics, BPA and other potentially harmful chemicals that we certainly don’t want in our young one’s mouths! If you’re currently going through teething woes with your baby, we wanted to shed some light on one kind of teething ring that is both effective and safe – wooden teething rings!

Why we recommend wooden teethers?

From plastic to silicone, from beads to bracelets to necklace, there are all sorts of teethers available in the market today, each one shinier than the previous.

This safety ranges from the materials used to make, paint, and polish the toy to the design and shape of the teether.

For instance, a plastic teether filled with shiny, colourful beads may grab your child’s attention, but they can be toxic to put into the mouth as well as a choking hazard. 

We believe that the best teethers are made of wood and designed to be light, textured, and easy to hold.

Some other reasons we love wooden teethers are

1) Durable

Teethers and teething toys made of wood do not break easily. They are durable and with the right care, can last a really long time. This means that your wooden teething ring will far outlast any plastic or cheap teether you could purchase for your little one. The durability of these wooden teething rings makes them last longer, which in turn creates less waste from otherwise disposable products. The durability factor of these wooden teethers brings us to our next benefit – sustainability.

2) Sustainable - eco-friendly

They are long-lasting, so you do not need to keep replacing them. Most of our wooden teething rings for babies are made with white maple or other hard woods. White maple is uniquely sustainable in that it can be grown in renewable and managed forests. This means that more wood can be grown to replace the trees that have been used and cut down. This makes these teethers a better choice for the environment too. BREAN values sustainability for all the products we design. That’s it why we combined our Natural Bamboo Bunny ears with the white maple teething ring providing an amazing wooden teething ring product line as the best option for soothing babies’ gums!

3) Naturally antibacterial

Most plants used in teether rings like white maple have antibacterial properties which not only make them good for your child to bite into, but they can also help soothe aching gums. Wood actually has natural antimicrobial properties and is therefore naturally antibacterial. How cool is that? As parents, we are constantly worried about germs around our babies, so this aspect of wooden teething rings is a huge plus! Not only is it one less thing to worry about, baby teethers are constantly in babies’ mouths so this factor is especially important for a product like this one.

4) Safe, Non-Toxic

Wooden teething rings are safe for baby to take in the mouth.  From harmful chemicals like BPA to toxic paints and dyes, plastic teethers may pose several risks for your child’s health. Wooden teethers are a sure shot way to avoid ALL chemicals, making them 100% child-safe! No finishes, paint or chemical coatings – a totally organic teether. Our BREAN natural teethers are the perfect answer to concerns over toxic chemicals and finishes. The Wooden Baby Teethers are all-natural and made in Canada.

5) A sensory experience, calm play

Wooden teething rings provide a wonderful sensory experience – Teething rings are smooth, textured, and wonderful for your baby to touch. This coupled with the natural bamboo bunny ears (matching our Bamboo towel collections) will provide a great sensory play. The ring’s natural feel, opposed to cold and hard plastic, and the softest bamboo from the bunny ears will provide a delightful play experience! If you are worried about splinters, keep in mind that wooden teethers are made from hardwood so they will be sturdy and smooth. Like all wooden teethers made of wood are also less shiny, distracting, and overwhelming for a baby. The calming natural tones and gentle feel of the toy will help your child focus, develop their curiosity, and engage in quality play!

So now you know about the amazing benefits of option for wooden teething rings over plastic, metal, or other baby teethers. Let’s look at some of the cute and practical wooden teethers and their characteristic we sell at BREAN

• BREAN Natural teethers are the perfect answer to concerns over toxic chemicals and finishes. The BREAN Teethers are all-natural, Grown and made in Canada. Each is rounded and sanded smooth to the touch and to the mouth and gums. Large enough for babies to get their hands and arms around and small enough to be comfortable in the mouth.
• No finishes or chemical coatings – a totally organic teether.
• Product Care Instructions: The teether may be used as is, or you may choose to apply Coconut oil to provide extra antibacterial protection. Wash by wiping with warm soapy water. Do NOT soak wood products in water or put them in the dishwasher as they may dry unevenly, causing the wood to be rough and even crack.
• Material: 100% Bamboo (the ear)
• Length: 45 cm when its open 
• Ring diameter: 6.5 cm
• Wooden ring: Canadian white maple wood specially made for teething
• Based on personal preference the wooden ring can be treated with coconut oil to add further antibacterial properties
• Care: Machine wash bunny ear in 30°C, easy to take off the ring
• Suitable from birth
• Comes in 4 colours matching the BREAN towel collection