12 best teethers that provide relief (and fun) for tots

We found this teether was our six-month-old’s absolute favourite for when teething storms really descended. Our baby was able to grasp it right away, and was intrigued initially by all the textures. They chewed the bumpy raspberry and leaves, and it seemed to bring them huge relief. We also like that you can pop this in the fridge, or sling it in the steriliser.

Here’s a familiar friend for your teething bub. This multi-coloured Hungry Caterpillar is small enough to be grasped by little hands – although they can swing it about and thwack themselves in the face with it. There are bits to suck – such as our baby’s favourite, the antennae – and the hard-plastic handle is great for a chew. It’s also very tactile and crinkly, adding an extra sensory experience.

A classic in the world of baby toys (yes, that is a thing), Sophie’s clever yet cute design has really stood the test of time – 60 years, in fact. Our little tester picked up Sophie with no trouble, as her legs are thin enough to fit little paws. Then they enjoyed gnawing her hooves mainly, but there are loads of nice textures. Perhaps your child might like the ears or nose instead. Sophie is made from soft natural rubber, which gives a nice grippy finish and means it’s free from nasties. Every time you give Sophie a squeeze, she lets out a non-annoying little squeak. Unless you put her in a steriliser… then she loses her voice. Sorry, Soph.

We love Mum-owned Etta Loves for fantastic, age-appropriate sensory toys. Originally it made muslins that would appeal to young babies thanks to their black-and-white (and frankly gorgeous) designs, but the brand has now branched out into other areas including teethers. The teething ring is thin and light enough for six-month-olds to hold and bring to their mouths, while the smooth and hard wood will feel nice against their gums.

The muslin on the sycamore has a design with multi-coloured repeated patterns of sycamore seeds, and is made in colours and at a scale that supports babies’ cognitive and visual development from five months. Our baby loved to watch the shapes dance about in front of their eyes, and it is great for playing peek-a-boo with.

Our six-month-old was a big fan of these keys. You can pop them in the fridge to chill them for extra relief for gums, and there’s the added bonus that you can thoroughly wash them, too. The squishy key part has lumps and bumps for extra interest, while the harder handle also has different textures. Plus, when you wave them around they make a satisfying clacking sound. We found they’re perfect for chucking in the change bag and whipping out at those moments when we really needed something to entertain our baby.

As with all good teethers, this isn’t just good for teething – it’s a great toy too. The ring twists in sections in different directions, with each section having a different colour and texture. Our six-month-old loved the sensory exploration of twisting and moving it before he even figured out it was a teether. Despite having plenty of teethers to choose from, this is one our baby goes back to time and again.

A teether that packs in loads of sensory experiences, the handychew has one ear that’s crinkly (and great for sucking, apparently), and one ear that’s made from food-grade silicone and has loads of lovely textures on it. It also has some pokey ribbon bits to flick around and a fleecy back. Told you it was packed. We liked that you could pop the loop around our baby’s wrist, so we could give it to them in the pram or car seat, and they wouldn’t instantly lose it. Plus it’s cute – we like the friendly lion face, and the colours are nice and calming. You can chuck it in the washing machine too.

All our kids loved Mizzie, from our six-month-old to our four-year-old. The latter wasn’t using it as a teether (imagine four years of teething – yikes!), but was drawn to the tactile natural rubber texture and the squeak. Children are quite like dogs, aren’t they? Anyway, Mizzie is very fun and a great teether. It’s on the chunkier side, so our younger baby initially found it hard to grasp her, but now loves her. The different textures provided by the nose, ears and hair are perfect for teething bubs. Plus she’s so bright and colourful that she’s easy to find in a sea of baby toys.

We loved that this penguin has been designed with such thought for children’s development. It is made to help with both front and back teething, and to encourage good development of teeth, gums and tongue control. We also think she’s pretty damn cute, too. Our baby could easily hold Peggie, and gnaw away at her beak to their heart’s delight. It also comes with a safety clip and ribbon, so you can attach it to clothing and not lose her while you’re out and about.

This lovely little gift set comes with four cheerful musical instruments. Our six-monther had no problems picking them up and loved investigating them. We liked that as well as teethers, they introduced some musical play into our lives, which can really aid a baby’s development. Our mini tester mainly liked chewing them though, especially the guitar as it has fun rings and plenty of surfaces to gnaw at.

You strap this mit onto your baby’s hand, meaning they don’t have to worry about holding onto it. This is really handy if your baby’s grasp isn’t very strong yet, and it stops them scratching themselves too. Our mini tester loved chewing the textured silicone edges, and we think it really helped them with their teething. The red colour is great, as it’s one of the first colours babies can really see, which means our tester could pick this mit out of a bunch of toys. And the crinkly sound it makes is a nice sensory extra too.

This cheeky chimp has loads of lovely experiences for your baby. It’s probably better for a slightly older child though, as our six-month-old tester found it slightly overwhelming – but, over time they have grown more and more interested in it. As well as rattles, crinkle areas and loads of different textured fabrics, there’s a detachable banana teether. You can attach this around your baby’s wrist too, so they don’t lose it. There’s even a hook so you can attach it to a pram or car seat, for fun on the go.

The Skip Hop bandana buddies activity monkey is so popular that it’s currently sold out but you can sign up to be notified when it’s back in stock.