Top Baby Teething Products You’ll Wish You Had Sooner! (1-3+ Months)
From the moment they’re born, babies use their mouths to explore the world. Mouthing isn’t just about teething—it plays a critical role in oral development, sensory learning, and the foundation for feeding and speech skills. As a feeding specialist, I encourage parents to embrace this stage and provide safe, developmentally appropriate tools to support it. Early oral exploration helps babies develop coordination, body awareness, and self-soothing skills, all of which are essential for future milestones like chewing, swallowing, and even talking.
Whether your baby is just beginning to discover their hands and mouth or starting to teethe, here are my top recommendations for safe and effective tools to encourage healthy oral habits from the very start!
Tips for Helping Your Baby Explore & Enjoy Teething
Your baby’s grasp reflex allows them to naturally hold onto objects, but in the early months, they may need a little help bringing teething tools to their mouth. Gently guide the teether toward their lips and let them explore at their own pace.
To support oral development, try moving the teether to different areas of the mouth, including the side molars, to encourage tongue movement, and chewing skills. Keep it fun—talk, sing, and make eye contact to create an engaging, positive experience.
And always remember—supervision is key! Stay close, follow your baby’s cues, and enjoy this special stage of discovery together.
Guide for 1+ Month Babies
At this stage, your baby will instinctively bring their hands to their mouth, marking the beginning of the hand-to-mouth connection—a crucial step toward future self-feeding. Your baby is also beginning to develop an oral map, which is how they learn to recognize and interpret sensations inside their mouth.
An oral map helps babies understand where different parts of their mouth are and how to use them. The better the sensory input (touch, taste, and movement inside the mouth), the better the motor output (coordinated movements for feeding and speech). By exploring with their hands, fingers, and safe teething tools, babies strengthen their awareness of their tongue, cheeks, jaws, and gums—laying the foundation for chewing, swallowing, and even early speech sounds.
Here are some great ways to support this stage of oral development:
1. Your Finger or Baby’s Own Hand!
Allowing your baby to mouth their own fingers—or yours—is a simple yet powerful way to build oral awareness, hand-to-mouth coordination, and self-soothing skills.
How to Try It:
✔ Use a Clean Pinky Finger – Wash your hands or wear a glove, then offer your pinky (it’s the perfect size for baby’s mouth).
✔ Gently Swipe the Gums – Move your finger left to right along the upper and lower gums to help baby explore their mouth.
✔ Encourage Munching – Rest your pinky on their gums and let them munch, which triggers the bite reflex and strengthens their jaw.
✔ Watch Their Tongue Move – Notice how their tongue follows your finger—this builds coordination for future feeding and speech.
Even before teeth emerge, introducing oral hygiene is beneficial. The Haakaa Baby Toothbrush features ultra-soft bristles that gently stimulate the gums while familiarizing babies with the feeling of a toothbrush. This helps establish a positive oral care routine early on, making future transitions to brushing much smoother.
Guide for 2-3+ Month Babies
As babies grow, their curiosity about the world around them—including their own mouths—deepens. Around this stage, they begin to develop better hand-to-mouth coordination but still need gentle guidance to explore teethers effectively. Assisting them by bringing a teether to their mouth and encouraging munching on their molars helps strengthen oral muscles needed for future feeding and speech. By three months, babies start to gain more control over their hands and mouth, making this the ideal time for supervised and guided self-exploration with safe teething tools.
1. Bright Starts Oball Easy Grasp Classic Ball
The Oball is more than just a fun toy—it plays a crucial role in developing bilateral coordination. The open design encourages babies to bring their hands to the midline, a necessary skill for feeding, independence, and future fine motor development. This simple activity lays the groundwork for skills like holding a bottle, using utensils, and even speech development.
The ARK Baby Grabber® is a favorite of many feeding specialists because it helps babies practice chewing skills safely. The easy-to-hold design promotes independent grasping, while the two short nubs allow safe chewing on molars without any choking risks. This tool is excellent for strengthening oral muscles needed for feeding and speech.
The Tri Chew Yellow Soft is designed to encourage bilateral hand use while providing soothing relief to sore gums. Its ergonomic shape makes it easy for little hands to grasp, helping babies develop fine motor coordination and oral motor strength—all essential for self-feeding and speech development later on.
This adorable teether is designed with baby-friendly materials that are safe, soft, and easy to grasp. The Mombella Elephant Teether promotes early grasping skills, encourages oral exploration, and provides gentle relief for teething discomfort. It’s a great choice for babies learning to manipulate objects with both hands, a crucial skill for early feeding.
Final Thoughts
As a feeding specialist, I always emphasize the importance of early oral development. Encouraging your baby to explore their mouth safely helps lay the foundation for successful feeding, speech, and independence. The tools listed above are excellent choices for promoting these milestones in a fun and engaging way.
By incorporating these simple yet effective strategies, you’re setting your baby up for success—one chew at a time!
