Devan got his first tooth at 8.5 months. The fastest among his siblings. Darris was at 11 months, and Dellynn at 10. Both were almost at the same time with their first steps. With Devan, I realized there was a new tooth when it slightly scratched the metal spoon I use to feed him. Oh well, that explains the slight fever he got a few days ago. When I thought he was going to catch a cold because his brother is constantly coughing and her sister got runny nose.

Now I’m planning to buy him a feeding teether. Hmm…this Sassy Feeding Teether looks tempting. It has replacement bags too. I think I’m going to grab it at the nearest baby store.

Since Devan is my third child, I supposedly have tons of teethers available without having to buy a new one, right? Mmm nope. Well I bought one or two for Darris, but turns out he and my 3 years old girl Dellynn was not very of fond putting everything into their mouth. But this baby seems to have his mouth as hands-expansion. Once something within his grab, the next second it’s in his mouth.

When a baby is growing a tooth, some symptoms like ‘chewy’, drooling, slight fever, or crankiness might occur. Feeding time could become a challenge too since they don’t feel comfortable with their mouth and gum.

Teether won’t be much useful if your baby is not the chewy kind. Maybe the one with freezable gel inside will still work to comfort the swollen gum. But the others will just work as a usual toy. The drooling baby will need a bib more than a teether, while the cranky one just wont stop bugging you or they tend to nurse more often than usual to seek comfort.

So, teether is not for every baby. Teether doesn’t stimulate growing a tooth either. Every baby has their personal schedule when it comes to a milestone. No need to hurry things up. Hurrying things will make us frustrated with multiple failures. The ability / skill will eventually show up when it’s time.

The bottom line is there’s actually no need to give your baby a teether unless he's always looking for something to chew (like your fingers or nipples :) ).  Frozen finger foods will be more useful, healthier, and more hygienic than a teether.

*first published in http://mommiesdaily.com/2009/12/14/first-tooth-teether/