The Best Teething & Self-Feeding Tools for Babies Starting Solids (Expert Picks!)
At around six months, many babies begin their journey with solids, sitting up independently and maintaining strong head and neck control. This is a sensitive period of development, where consistent exposure to a variety of textures and flavors plays a crucial role in shaping a child’s future eating habits. During this stage, your baby will continue enhancing their oral motor skills, making significant strides in chewing, swallowing, and exploring different foods. Providing the right teething and feeding tools can help your baby transition smoothly into solids while soothing sore gums and reinforcing essential oral skills.
Why Teethers Matter for Feeding Development
Teething tools are not just for soothing gums—they also support key oral motor skills necessary for eating. The repetitive act of mouthing, munching, and chewing outside of meals strengthens the tongue, jaw, lips, and cheeks, helping babies develop the coordination required for managing solid foods.
This practice allows babies to:
Improve tongue lateralization, which helps move food effectively to the molars for chewing.
Strengthen jaw muscles, providing stability for coordinated tongue and lip movements.
Enhance oral sensory processing, making them more comfortable with different textures and reducing sensitivity to new foods.
Develop hand-to-mouth coordination, which is essential for self-feeding.
By taking advantage of this crucial window of development, parents can introduce a variety of flavors and textures through teething and feeding tools, helping babies learn to enjoy a wide range of foods as they grow.
Top Teething & Feeding Tools for Babies
Why We Love It: The NumNum Baby Spoons are an excellent first utensil for babies starting solids.
Unique grooves trap purees, making self-feeding easier and less messy
Large, textured handles provide a secure grip, helping babies practice utensil use
Encourages mouthing, which strengthens oral muscles for speech and eating
Supports independent eating skills while enhancing oral motor development
Why We Love It: The ezpz Tiny Pops make exploring flavors fun and exciting for both you and your baby.
Fill with breast milk, purees, or smoothies for a nutrient-rich snack
Cold sensation soothes achy gums while providing a sensory experience
Helps introduce different temperatures and flavors in a playful way
Small, easy-to-hold handles encourage self-feeding and independence
Why We Love Them: These teething sticks provide both sensory and feeding benefits, supporting the transition to solids.
Hollow design allows you to fill them with purees using a syringe for added flavor exploration
Soft, flexible texture provides gentle gum massage and soothes sore gums
Encourages mouthing and chewing practice, helping strengthen oral muscles
Includes pipe cleaners for easy cleanup
Why We Love It: ARK’s Textured Grabber is a versatile tool for babies needing extra oral stimulation or working on chewing skills.
P-shaped design makes gripping easy for little hands
Offers different textures and firmness levels for sensory exploration
Provides gentle gum massage while helping babies safely reach their back molars
Supports oral motor skill development, which is essential for feeding and speech
That’s A Wrap!
As your baby begins their solids journey, offering teething and feeding tools that promote mouthing, chewing, and texture exploration will set the foundation for a smooth transition to self-feeding. This sensitive developmental period is an opportunity to help your baby build strong oral skills, expand their palate, and become a confident eater. By introducing a variety of safe and stimulating teething tools, you can encourage a positive and successful feeding experience right from the start!
If you’d like personalized guidance on your baby’s transition to solids, Visit our contact page to send a question or request a consultation.
