Guide to Food Teethers for Babies

When baby is ready to start solids, there are many kinds of food to offer beyond purees. Our licensed pediatric professionals explain the benefits of food teethers. 

What are food teethers? 

Food teethers are long hard sticks of food that help babies learn to chew and do not easily break apart as baby munches, such as a mango pit, a pineapple core, or corn on the cob. Check out our favorite food teethers.

What are the benefits of food teethers? 

Benefits include:  

To learn how to take manageable bites, push food around with the tongue, and chew a variety of textures, babies rely on feedback from touching and moving muscles within the mouth. This creates what’s known as a “mental map” of the mouth. 

Are food teethers safe?

Yes, food teethers are safe for babies as soon as they are ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age. 

As pediatric feeding and swallowing specialists, we have worked with thousands of babies—including hospitalized babies with medically complex needs—and we know that there are tremendous benefits of food teethers that help baby learn to chew in a low-risk way. 

Which foods make the best food teethers?

There are many foods that can work as food teethers, and our favorites are unbreakable and filled with flavor, which “wakes up” the senses in the mouth. 

In addition, food teethers can also be foods that are resistive enough to not break, but may get mashed a bit as baby munches. These foods include:  

While these food teethers are not unbreakable, they offer all of the benefits of food teethers, just in a less intense way. If you are not sure about food teethers, you can also offer a baby spoon dipped in puree or mash.

How do food teethers help baby learn to chew?

Food teethers stimulate two key chewing reflexes: the tongue lateralization reflex and the phasic bite reflex. Practicing with a food teether encourages baby to repeatedly use these movements, which builds muscle memory for chewing. Food teethers are also easy for babies to hold and move in, out, and around their mouths while activating senses with flavor. This helps babies build a “mental map” of their mouths, which they need for thorough chewing.

Should I give a food teether or teething toy? 

Both are fine, but we encourage you to try offering a food teether because they offer advantages. While both food teethers and teething toys encourage tongue and jaw movement, food teethers offer flavor, texture, and variety, which actually makes a difference when it comes to learning. Teething toys are always the same, while a piece of food varies greatly. These differences encourage the brain to problem solve, adapt, and build new patterns of movement. 

In addition, the research is clear that the brain needs to practice a task in order to learn how to do it. For example, if you want to get better at hitting a tennis ball, you have to practice hitting a tennis ball. Exercising arm muscles may make you stronger, but that won't necessarily make you a better tennis player. And swinging a racket back and forth over and over won’t build up the nuanced movement patterns needed to connect with a ball. Similarly, munching on a teething toy helps build strength and muscle movement, but these skills are less directly transferable to chewing food. 

How can I increase consumption with food teethers? 

While food teethers build chewing skills, they do not result in much food in the belly. If your goal is to encourage baby to consume food, try pairing food teethers with a favorite puree or mash: 

Be prepared for the possibility that baby may not want to let go of the food teether. That’s okay; try not to force it. Breast milk and formula are the primary source of nutrition until baby has the skills to fill the belly. Let baby explore and build skills at this stage. 

When to offer food teethers

All babies can benefit from practice with food teethers, but some new eaters do especially well with them. Common situations where food teethers are particularly useful include:

It is also typically safe to continue offering food teethers to older babies and toddlers with teeth as these foods, by nature, are extremely hard to bite through. 

Looking for step-by-step guidance on starting solids? Explore the Solid Starts App to get a guided experience for introducing real food to babies.