The best things to give a teething baby are simple: something cold and something safe to chew on. Most babies start teething around 6 months, with the bottom front teeth typically arriving between 5 and 7 months. The discomfort is real but manageable with a few reliable remedies, and knowing what to avoid is just as important as knowing what works.
Cold Items That Soothe Sore Gums
Cold is the most effective non-medical tool for teething pain. It reduces swelling in the gums and provides a numbing sensation that gives babies noticeable relief. The key is keeping things chilled, not frozen, since items that are too hard can actually hurt delicate gum tissue.
A damp washcloth twisted into a rope and placed in the freezer is one of the simplest options. Babies can gnaw on it, and the texture combined with the cold does double duty. A chilled teething ring works well too, but keep it in the refrigerator rather than the freezer. Frozen teething rings become rock-hard and can bruise or damage your baby’s gums.
A metal spoon stored in the fridge (not the freezer) until cool is another easy option. You can press it gently against your baby’s gums or let them mouth it under your supervision.
Cold Foods for Babies on Solids
If your baby is already eating solid foods, cold foods pull double duty as both nutrition and pain relief. Very cold applesauce, pureed peaches, and yogurt are gentle options that work well for younger babies just starting solids. Homemade popsicles made from breast milk or pureed fruit give babies something to grip and suck on.
For babies older than 8 months, harder chewy foods like frozen bagels and frozen bananas can help. These give babies something substantial to work their gums against. Cut pieces small enough to swallow safely, keep your baby sitting upright, and stay close while they eat. Avoid salty or spicy foods, which can irritate already-tender gums.
Safe Teething Toys and Materials
Teething toys give babies something firm to bite down on, which creates counter-pressure against the gums and relieves the aching sensation of a tooth pushing through. The material matters more than the shape.
Food-grade silicone is one of the safest and most widely available options. It holds up to heavy chewing, handles drool well, and is easy to clean in the dishwasher. Wooden teethers are another solid choice. Wood is naturally antibacterial, so a quick drop on the floor is less of a concern. Look for untreated, unpainted wood with a smooth surface. Some parents condition wooden teethers with beeswax or coconut oil to keep them from drying out.
Gum massage is free and surprisingly effective. Wash your hands, then rub your baby’s gums firmly with a clean finger. The pressure alone can provide immediate relief, and it’s something you can do anywhere.
Pain Relief With Medication
When cold items and chewing aren’t enough, infant-appropriate pain relievers can help. Acetaminophen is generally suitable for babies 3 months and older, while ibuprofen is typically used for babies 6 months and older. Follow the dosing instructions on the package based on your baby’s weight, not age, for the most accurate dose.
These are best reserved for times when your baby is clearly miserable, especially at bedtime when teething discomfort tends to peak and can disrupt sleep.
Products to Avoid
Several popular teething products carry serious risks that far outweigh any benefit.
- Numbing gels with benzocaine or lidocaine. The FDA has warned that these topical gum medications offer little to no benefit for teething and are associated with serious dangers. Benzocaine can cause a condition called methemoglobinemia, where red blood cells lose much of their ability to carry oxygen. This can be fatal. Lidocaine solutions can cause seizures, heart problems, severe brain injury, and death in infants, particularly when too much is applied or accidentally swallowed.
- Homeopathic teething tablets. The FDA has urged consumers to stop using homeopathic teething tablets containing belladonna. Testing of products sold by major brands found that levels of toxic compounds varied wildly from tablet to tablet, with some containing far more than what was listed on the label. The inconsistency means there’s no way to predict whether any given tablet contains a safe amount.
- Amber teething necklaces and jewelry. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend that infants wear any jewelry. The FDA issued a formal warning after reports of children choking on broken beads and an 18-month-old dying from strangulation by an amber necklace during a nap. The risks are strangulation when the necklace is worn around the neck, and choking if beads break off. There is no reliable evidence that amber releases meaningful amounts of any pain-relieving substance through skin contact.
Teething Fever vs. Real Illness
Parents often attribute fevers to teething, but research shows the temperature increase is modest. A study tracking infants through tooth eruption found that average body temperature rose slightly in the days before a tooth came through, peaking at about 37.6°C (99.7°F) on the day of eruption. That’s a mild elevation, not a true fever.
If your baby’s temperature reaches 38°C (100.4°F) or higher, teething alone is unlikely to be the cause. Babies in the teething age range are also losing the immune protection they received during pregnancy, which means they’re catching more infections around the same time teeth start appearing. It’s easy to blame the teeth, but a genuine fever usually points to something else.
Caring for New Teeth
Once that first tooth breaks through, oral hygiene starts immediately. Brush twice daily with a soft, infant-sized toothbrush and a tiny smear of fluoride toothpaste, roughly the size of a grain of rice. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends scheduling your baby’s first dental visit when the first tooth appears, or no later than their first birthday.