The Importance of Teether Play: More Than Just Soothing Sore Gums
When a baby is teething, we often reach for teethers to help soothe their sore gums. But did you know that teether play is beneficial for so much more than just soothing? Teething toys play a crucial role in your baby’s development, particularly when it comes to their oral motor skills, sensory exploration, and even preparing them for future milestones like eating and speaking.
Teether play provides an excellent opportunity for your baby to develop important oral motor skills.
When babies chew on teethers, they’re not only soothing their gums but also strengthening the muscles in their jaw, mouth, and tongue. These muscles are critical for later skills like feeding and speech.
The act of biting and chewing on different textures helps babies build strength in their jaw muscles, which is important for chewing solid foods later on.
Moving the tongue around the mouth to manipulate the teether helps improve tongue coordination, a key skill for swallowing and speaking.
Biting and holding a teether encourages babies to close their lips around objects, which is important for forming sounds and words.
By engaging in teether play, babies are working those essential muscles that will help them with eating, drinking, and speaking as they grow.
Teethers come in various shapes, sizes, and textures, offering babies a variety of sensory experiences. Babies use their mouths as one of their primary ways to explore the world, and teether play provides a safe and stimulating way for this to happen.
The different textures of teethers (smooth, bumpy, soft, hard) give babies a chance to experience and process a variety of sensations, which helps with sensory development.
Grasping a teether and bringing it to the mouth helps develop hand-to-mouth coordination, which is an important skill for feeding and self-soothing.
Babies can also use teethers to explore the back of their mouths, helping to normalize their gag reflex, which is important for transitioning to solid foods.
By offering different types of teethers, you are helping your little one develop these sensory and motor skills that will make exploring food just that much better for them!
Teether play also promotes independence in your baby. As they learn to hold and chew on a teether by themselves, they are practicing self-soothing techniques. This sense of independence is empowering for babies and can help them feel more in control during times of discomfort. This independence can help babies manage their discomfort without always needing a parent to step in, giving you a little break!
Want to try for yourself? Here are a few tips to make teether play as beneficial as possible for your baby:
Choose teethers with different shapes, sizes, and textures to give your baby a full sensory experience. Some popular options include silicone rings, soft-textured teethers, and teething mitts.
While teethers are designed to be safe, always supervise teether play to ensure that your baby is using the toy appropriately
Teether play can start as early as 3 months (babies this young may need you to help guide the toy to their mouth since their hand eye coordination isn’t perfected yet)
Babies put teethers in their mouths frequently, so it’s important to clean them regularly.
As a pediatric physical therapist, I have some teethers I recommend regularly for my families. For a good variety, check out my Amazon list HERE. I also love Innobaby teethers, which you can find HERE. Use code JMBRITA for 15% off.
Teether play is so much more than a solution for sore gums. It’s an essential part of your baby’s development that supports oral motor skills, sensory exploration, and future milestones like eating and speaking. By providing a variety of teethers and encouraging safe, supervised play, you’re helping your baby build the foundation for a lifetime of healthy development.
If you’re looking for guidance on teether play or other ways to support your baby’s development, reach out to a pediatric physical therapist near you!