Teething babies: Highlighting Razbaby teether, Freshfoods Fill and Freeze pops, and Nuk Orthostar

My baby girl was only 8-weeks-old when her first little tooth cut through her gums. She couldn't really effectively hold a teether to her mouth yet, but she needed something to soothe those gums. We had a couple of liquid-filled plastic teethers in the fridge, but she wasn't able to use them without help. What's a mum to do?



I called my mother on the phone. She suggested freezing some damp washcloths. I did. I tried baby washcloths and regular wahcloths, folded into different shapes and thicknesses. The baby lost interest with them very quickly and all of her clothes ended up very wet.






I looked online. I came across a silicone teether that looked like a bumpy pacifier, called a razbaby. It was around $3, so I thought I'd give it a try. We bought a pale pink one but they come in many colors. While it is now one of her favorite teethers as a 9-month-old, her little mouth at 2-months-old was too small to fit the nipple in. We could get the nipple in her mouth, but she looked like she had a tennis ball in her mouth - she couldn't do anything with it because her mouth had no more room. The best she could do was to chew on the handle with some help holding it there.

size comparison of NUK orthostar and Razbaby

She chewed on our fingers and knuckles. She chewed on her own fingers. She chewed on her pacifier. Then it came to me - why not make her own pacifier into a cold teether? I tried it with just two at first to see if it would work. She using NUK orthostar pacifiers, the ones made completely of silicone. I filled the nipples with water and carefully arranged them in the freezer so as not to spill the water out. A few hours later, I could tell that it was a success. She could fit it
in her mouth and keep it there, chewing on the nipple for all she was worth until the ice eventually melted and the water ran out, and then she just had her pacifier.













you can see how the edges of the holders pop together

pop propped in freezer

Fast forward to when her second, third and fourth teeth were coming in. By that time she was able to hold onto teethers and she was a fan of her fridge teethers. I used some gift cards to buy a Freshfoods Fill and Freeze Pops which I then made breast milk-pops in. I read several reviews about this pop-maker before making my purchase and so I knew that they four pop-holders were detachable, but often break when trying to get the pops out. Because of this, I took the four pops apart before filling and freezing. To facilitate freezing in an upright position, I used a kitchen towel in the freezer door to prop the pops upright as they froze. Once frozen, the towel was unnecessary. My daughter LOVED and still LOVES the breast milk pops. I knew that she was ingesting the same thing that she always eats, but to her, it was a very special cold treat. Now she sometimes points at the freezer, and I knew that she is asking for a pop. The handles are easy for a baby to hold and they are almost rubbery on the inside for extra grip. I think we started using them for our baby at around 4 months, maybe a little earlier. They are just the right size to keep her busy for quite a while without wasting too much milk. Despite the drip-catching design, she does get melted milk all over herself, so a bib is essential. Once she is eating "real" foods, we can make puree pops with fruits and veggies, and I already know that they will be a big hit with her.


The holes in the stick hold the pop in place very well