Teethers...

I have, in my possession, every type of every brand of teether made. I only like one, and that isn't by much. The problem is that teething sucks. Teething has to be one of the most painful trials to endure as a human being. Unfortunately, as a parent, there is very little we can do for our little ones but give them a squirt of Tylenol or Motrin, stick something in their mouth to chew on, and hope for the best. Everyone gets through it one way or another.

For the sake of blogging about it, my wife and I came across a brand of teether called the Nuby "Softees" Teether that seemed to work best for our daughter. It worked because it was easy for her to hold, and it was squishy enough to keep her interest. It also happened to be a fairly expensive item in a sea of cheap teethers (about $5.00), and of course you need several as there never seems to be one available or clean when you need on, but at least it did the job. Oh, and it could be found at Target, and Babies r Us and many other retailers, and they are very cute to look at.

Now that a recommendation is out of the way, I have to rant for a moment. My daughter seemed to like the "Softee" more than any other teether because it is easy to hold, it is squishy and it isn't ice cold. When testing the liquid style teethers that you freeze and hand to your child it became apparent that babies don't like when their hands become little ice cubes. I think my daughter actually learned how to throw because of cold teethers. Also, keeping them clean enough to continue placing them in a baby's mouth over and over again is impossible as they hit the floor more than just about anything you could give your baby.

So is there a solution that isn't expensive, can be easily cleaned, and doesn't freeze your baby's hands? Yes - a wet wash cloth. Seriously. I noted this from several experienced moms, and the wonderful woman who runs the day care center - babies like washcloths. There are always lots of clean ones handy. They are cheap and they certainly don't freeze your child's hands. Save your money - don't buy teethers.