A teething toy has one job, which is to give sore gums something to press against, and a second job, which is to be the thing a baby reaches for instead of your finger, the remote or the dog. The differences that matter are material (natural rubber, silicone or water-filled plastic), whether it can go in the fridge or freezer, whether a baby who cannot yet hold things can still use it, and how easy it is to clean. Price ranges from a few dollars for a silicone turtle to the cost of a classic giraffe.
We went through the 209 teethers in our baby catalog and kept five with at least 1,400 owner ratings and a 4.7-star average or better. This is a comparison of listed materials and owner reviews, not a pediatric study; we did not test these with babies ourselves. Prices are not printed because they change daily, and every button opens the live Amazon page.
How we picked
- Owner ratings of 4.7 stars or higher with at least 1,400 ratings each, and three picks above 7,000. Teethers get chewed daily for months, and a long run of high ratings shows which ones hold up and get used.
- Materials stated on the listing. Every pick lists what it is made of and what it is free of; we quote both and nothing more.
- Five different ages and uses. A classic rubber toy, a chillable set, a freezer-safe multi-pack, a mitten for babies who cannot grip yet, and a flat silicone sensory teether for the diaper bag.
- No gel-filled picks. The water-filled set here is filled with water, which one owner specifically preferred, and the rest are solid rubber or silicone.
The picks
Sophie la girafe Original Teether for Babies, Natural Rubber, Soothes Sore Gums, Easy to Grip, Sensory Development, Classic Toy Since 1961
Sophie has been chewed by babies since 1961 and the listing still reads like a toy, not a device: natural rubber from the hevea tree, hand-painted spots, a squeak and a gift box with a booklet. The shape is the reason it works. Legs, ears, horns and neck give a baby five or six different thicknesses to bite depending on where the tooth is coming through, and the body is easy to hold with two hands. It is free of BPA, phthalates, latex and lead, and this edition includes an AuthenticVision QR code so you can confirm it is the real thing.
Owners rate it 4.7 stars across more than 20,900 ratings. The reviews are from parents who buy it for every baby shower and from a three-year-old who asked Santa for a replacement after losing hers. The same reviews admit the price, and it is several times the cost of anything else on this page. The care instruction that comes with natural rubber is to wipe it clean rather than soak or boil it.
- 20,900+ owner ratings at 4.7 stars, the most of any teether we track
- Natural rubber that is soft to chew and squeaks, with legs, ears and horns at different sizes for different gums
- Authenticator QR code to confirm it is genuine
- Owners say it stays a favorite into toddlerhood
- The most expensive teether here by far
- Natural rubber should be surface-wiped, not soaked or boiled
Itzy Ritzy Water-Filled Teethers for Teething Relief, Set of 3 (Bows)
The Itzy Ritzy set is three water-filled bows, textured on both faces, that go in the refrigerator so the cold does part of the soothing. The open loop shape gives a baby something to hook fingers through, and because there are three, one can be in the fridge while another is in use and a third is in the diaper bag. They are EVA plastic, BPA-free and filled with water, which one owner preferred to gel.
Owners rate them 4.7 stars across more than 9,300 ratings; one bought the set a second time and reports the chill lasts a good while and the material has outlasted incoming teeth, another says they fit a five-month-old’s hands and get chewed at room temperature and cold alike. The listing’s care notes are the limits: wipe with a damp cloth and mild soap, air dry, and avoid extreme temperatures, which rules out the freezer.
- Three teethers for the price of one, so one can always be chilling
- Water-filled rather than gel, which owners call out
- Open bow shape is easy for small hands to grip
- 4.7 stars across 9,300+ ratings
- Fridge only; the listing says to avoid extreme temperatures, so no freezer
- Wipe-clean only, not dishwasher
Teething Toys (5 Pack) - Tinabless Infant Teething Keys Set, BPA-Free, Natural Organic Freezer Safe for Infants and Toddlers, Silicone Baby Teethers
The Tinabless keys are five fruit-shaped silicone teethers on stems, each with its own pattern of beads and bumps, sold as a set so there is always one clean and one cold. They are food-grade silicone, free of BPA, lead, PVC and phthalates, and the listing says freezer safe, which is the real advantage over the Itzy Ritzy set. The stem is sized for a small hand to wrap around, and the fruit shapes double as something to name once the baby is old enough to care.
Owners rate them 4.7 stars across more than 7,300 ratings. A grandmother of a four-month-old likes that they are flat and firm enough to fit a small mouth and that all five go in the freezer for rotation; a grandmother of six-month-old twins calls the five-pack a bargain. They are easy to clean and easy to grab, and they are not a toy a baby will cuddle the way some do with Sophie.
- Five teethers with five different textures, so there is always a clean one
- Freezer safe, which the Itzy Ritzy and Sophie are not
- Flat, firm shape that owners say fits a four-month-old's mouth
- 4.7 stars across 7,300+ ratings
- Lighter and simpler than a shaped toy like Sophie
- No strap, so a young baby will drop them
2 Packs Baby Teething Toy Silicone Teething Mitten for Babies Over 3 Months Anti Dropping Wrist Hand Teethers Baby Chew Toys for Sucking Needs, BPA Free (Penguin)
The ChooKaChoo mitten solves the problem of the youngest teethers: they want to chew, cannot hold anything and drop everything. The soft silicone mitten slides over the hand, an inner bar gives fingers something to grip, and textured bumps on the outside do the soothing. The penguin’s arms are shaped like a nipple for sucking, and the mitten stops the baby chewing their own hand. It is BPA-free food-grade silicone with no small parts, and it cleans with a cloth, in the dishwasher or chilled in the freezer.
Owners rate it 4.8 stars across more than 7,100 ratings, the highest average on this page. Parents of three- and four-month-olds say it is easy to hold on to and gets chewed happily, including before teeth have actually started. It has a short useful life by design; once a baby can grip, the Tinabless or Itzy Ritzy sets take over.
- Stays on the hand, so a three-month-old can use it without the grip to hold a toy
- Protects the hand from being chewed raw
- Dishwasher and freezer safe, the easiest care on the page
- 4.8 stars across 7,100+ ratings, the best average here
- Only useful for a few months, until the baby can hold a normal teether
- Fit depends on hand size; check the age guidance
The Nuby Teethe N’ Pop is a flat silicone turtle, about three inches across and a quarter inch thick, with textured edges for chewing and a bubble in the shell that pushes in and pops back out. It is 100 percent silicone, free of lead and phthalates, and rated for babies three months and up. Nuby is a long-standing baby brand with a wide feeding and soothing range, and the listing emphasizes that the teether was developed and tested with that record in mind.
Owners rate it 4.8 stars across more than 1,400 ratings. It is the teether to keep in the diaper bag or the car, because it weighs nothing and takes no space, and the pop bubble holds attention once the chewing stops. It will not replace a thicker toy for a baby who wants to bite down hard, which is why it sits last on this list and why it pairs well with any of the other four.
- Flat quarter-inch silicone slips into any bag pocket
- Pop bubble gives a baby something to do besides chew
- Multiple textures on one small piece
- 4.8 stars across 1,400+ ratings from a long-established baby brand
- Fewest ratings of the five
- Too thin to offer the deep bite of a shaped rubber toy
Compare the picks
| Product | Material | Chilling | Set | Owner rating | Our score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophie la girafeSophie la girafe | Natural rubber | No | 1 | 4.7 / 20.9k+ | 9.4 | See price |
| Itzy Ritzy water-filledItzy Ritzy | EVA, water-filled | Fridge | 3 | 4.7 / 9.3k+ | 9.4 | See price |
| Tinabless keysTinabless | Silicone | Freezer | 5 | 4.7 / 7.3k+ | 9.4 | See price |
| ChooKaChoo mittenChooKaChoo | Silicone | Freezer | 2 | 4.8 / 7.1k+ | 9.6 | See price |
| Nuby Teethe N' PopNuby | Silicone | Not stated | 1 | 4.8 / 1.4k+ | 9.6 | See price |
What to look for in a teething toy
Read the material line. Every pick here states what it is made of and what it is free of. Natural rubber (Sophie) is soft and squeaky; food-grade silicone (Tinabless, ChooKaChoo, Nuby) is firmer, dishwasher-friendly and freezer-safe; water-filled EVA (Itzy Ritzy) holds a chill.
Cold helps, but check how cold. The Tinabless and ChooKaChoo listings say freezer safe. The Itzy Ritzy set is for the refrigerator and warns against extreme temperatures. Sophie is not for chilling at all. A frozen-solid teether can be too hard on gums, so many parents use the fridge even when the freezer is allowed.
Match the toy to the baby’s grip. Before about five months a baby cannot reliably hold a toy, which is what the ChooKaChoo mitten is for. Once they can grasp, stems (Tinabless) and open loops (Itzy Ritzy) are easier than solid shapes.
Buy more than one. A teether is always being washed, chilled or lost under the car seat. Sets of three (Itzy Ritzy) and five (Tinabless) exist for this reason.
Think about cleaning. Silicone goes in the dishwasher. Natural rubber and water-filled teethers are wipe-clean only, per their listings.
Texture variety beats novelty. Different thicknesses and bump patterns let a baby find the spot that matches the tooth coming in; Sophie’s five body parts and the Tinabless set’s five patterns both do this.
For the rest of the nursery, see our baby monitor camera guide and baby grip sock guide, and the baby catalog lists every teether and soother we track.
When do babies start teething and need a teether?
Most babies start showing signs such as drooling and chewing between three and six months, though the first tooth can arrive later. The ChooKaChoo mitten and Nuby turtle are rated for three months and up, and a mitten is the practical choice before a baby can hold a toy.
Can I put a teether in the freezer?
Only if the listing says so. The Tinabless silicone keys and ChooKaChoo mitten are listed as freezer safe; the Itzy Ritzy water-filled set is for the refrigerator only and warns against extreme temperatures; Sophie la girafe is natural rubber and should not be chilled. A fridge-cold teether is gentler on gums than a frozen one.
How do I clean a teething toy?
Silicone teethers such as the Tinabless, ChooKaChoo and Nuby can go in the dishwasher or be washed with warm soapy water. Natural rubber (Sophie) and water-filled teethers (Itzy Ritzy) should be wiped with a damp cloth and mild soap and air dried, per their listings; do not boil or soak them.
Is natural rubber or silicone better for a teether?
Both are widely used. Natural rubber is softer and squeaks, which is part of Sophie's appeal, but needs gentler cleaning. Silicone is firmer, dishwasher safe and freezer safe. Many parents own one of each; what matters is that the listing states the material and what it is free of.
Why does my baby drop every teether?
Grip develops over the first several months, and a baby under about five months often cannot hold a toy for long. A teething mitten such as the ChooKaChoo stays on the hand; after that, teethers with a stem or an open loop, like the Tinabless keys or Itzy Ritzy bows, are easiest to hold.
Bottom line
Sophie la girafe is the teether to give and the one most parents end up with, backed by more than 20,000 owners and sixty years of babies. For everyday use, pair it with a set: the Itzy Ritzy water-filled bows for fridge-cold relief or the Tinabless keys for five freezer-safe textures. Start a three-month-old on the ChooKaChoo mitten until they can hold a toy, and keep the Nuby Teethe N’ Pop flat in the diaper bag for the moments in between.
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