Good Teething Biscuits That Won't Crumble?

Updated on March 16, 2010
M.O. asks from Barrington, IL
8 answers

I've got a 5 month old who appears to have some little teeth buds. He likes to chew on things but isn't yet at a point where he can hold things well by himself, chew solids or push up/sit up by himself. I'd like to help him gnaw on something but most teething biscuits I've found do break apart and he will choke on them. Right now he's "playing" with the Gerber "puffs", but can only handle 1/2 of one at a time. HE LOVES THEM. He loves rolling them around in his mouth.

Any suggestions? I'd love something all natural. He's too little to "hold" the mesh feeder we have. I can't wait to give him some frozen foods in there, but right now he just gets frustrated because he keeps dropping it.

I'd love your ideas! I realize soon enough he'll be able to hold things on his own and self-feed we're just a little stuck right now.

Thanks

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So What Happened?

Well it doesn't sound like anyone knows of any other biscuits, but I'll try the Gerber ones. I've also heard people use celery, but I worry about the choking hazard.

We do have several good "chew toys" and fridge toys already.

I'm going to keep searching for a homemade product or something else edible without the choking hazard.

Thanks!

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B.M.

answers from Chicago on

I too believe that the teething biscuits are not safe...not yet. And if you were to use them, put them in the mesh feeder...they all crumble. I think we only bought one box of them as well.

Since he's too young to hold the feeder, stick with things he can handle...like the puffs.

When my kids were than age, we did small pieces of banana rolled in crushed up cheerios (because the bananas alone were sometimes difficult for those little fingers to pick up).

Cheerios (or the like) are a good "first food" as well.

Good luck.

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K.L.

answers from Chicago on

You might try wetting a corner of a washcloth and putting it in the freezer. That way your baby can chew on the frozen part but still hold on to the soft, unfrozen part (usually rags/cloths are easy enough to grab on to by 5 months).

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K.J.

answers from Chicago on

With baby #2 I've discovered "Baby Mum Mums" which I have found at Walgreens, Walmart, and Babies R Us. They are fantastic! Yes, they do crumble a bit, but they melt in the mouth and my son has not gagged on them yet. They are made of rice (gluten free), no added colors or flavors, no preservatives. Now that he has a few teeth I've started giving him some of the Gerber biscuits, but he still uses the Mum Mums every day.

R.D.

answers from San Francisco on

I'm not sure if they still have them but, the Gerber Biscuits and I don't mean the thin ones'. They used to be quite thick and a little harder because of the thickness. Somewhat messy but that happens with almost anything that they can chew. If you can find these they are great and takes a long time to break apart. Its either Gerber or Heinz, the picture will show the thicker biscuit. Good luck!!

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

I agree with Denise - I hate the teething biscuits. I bought one box and never gave them back.

When it came to them wanting to chew on things, we had a ton of the rings that clip into one another and let them chew on those. When it came to food items, we'd let them gnaw on apple slices/pear slices (skin off), I remember our son being about that age and chewing on the crust of a soft piece of pizza (of course we were right there to monitor), our daughter loved pretzel rods that she'd gum. Bananas (just the whole banana) that they could gnaw on were favorites around that age too.

I think the important thing is to be there as they're learning to handle food in their mouths and to assist if needed. The American Academy of Pediatrics reversed their policy on foods to state that they can have anything that doesn't pose a choking hazard and isn't a known family allergen.

Good luck. It's such a fun age.

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J.K.

answers from Chicago on

My son has one of these (see link below) - not for teething, in his case, but for learning to chew (he has oral motor issues). But it also makes a great teether! Your son would have to hold it, but it's easy to grasp, and it's light and not floppy like the net feeders. It's about 4 inches tall. They have scented and non-scented, but maybe not at Amazon. You might have to search around a little.

http://www.amazon.com/THE-GRABBER-ORAL-MOTOR-CHEW/dp/B001...

Also, his therapist recommended using carrots about the size of a Crayola Marker. You could try freezing them too.

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L.J.

answers from Omaha on

Dear Mom:

The best part is that your baby does not have to begin equating food with soothing pain or feeling better in general. When my son was teething, I let him chew on semi-hard to soft items that seemed to work for him. Your baby tends to show you what works by accepting or rejecting them. Sometimes I simply massaged his gums with a little pressure, not much. He would bite down on wet baby wash clothes, which is how I knew he liked those. Sometimes, he would bite pretty hard too. I don't have an actual item to recommend. However, I recommend that you try a variety of things, and stop when he lets you know what's working. You'll know because those items help him settle down more, and that's what we really want to see happen anyway, right?
By the way, you have probably already figured out that bibs save on clothing changes with all the drooling that comes with teething. Get lots of them. My son liked the small terry ones because they were comfortable. Again, I knew this because he was more relaxed with those than bibs made of other substances. Big bibs inhibit baby's mobility because they trip on them when they try to roll or crawl.

Just remember, there are other forms of comfort than food especially for a five month old.

Hope this helped.

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I hated "teething biscuits" for that very reason! I was never O. to give them to my little O.. I still cringe when I see kids that age gumming a pretzel rod, cookie, etc.
Stick to puffs and other soft stuff he can safely handle. He's got the rest of his life to eat crunchy stuff.

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