In Germany, babies are given strands of amber beads to gum when they're teething. The upside is they're reusable as a necklace once teething is done!

I froze larger carrots and then gave them to me little one to chew on (just need to supervise in case they actually chew off a chunck)

Strands of beads are not a good idea. If the string were to break the beads would become a choking hazard. Bad idea!

I remember my step mother giving my little sister a (unfinished) wooden spoon from the kitch to "chew" on. I would hazard to guess that pretty much any all natural, hypo-allegenic, rounded, smooth object (that is too large to swallow) will be safer than teethers.

Phathalates are certainly a concern in many products. However, for parents who are truly concerned about the risks these chemical components pose for their developing children, check out the method of disposal of the chemical by-products of the process (sludge) and the application of "biosolids" (sludge) to America's cropland, including foods produced directly for human consumption. Several reputable American studies are linking phathalates to the feminization of America's male children.

Frozen bananas in the mesh bag baby feeder works like a charm. I am not sure what the mesh is made of though.

I gave my son twizzers and watch him it took quite away for him to break though . but this seems to help his gyms a lot .

When my son was teething, I would take an ice cube, place it the center of a washcloth and rubberband the ice cube tightly inside. The cold from the ice cube helped numb the swelling in the gums that occurs with teething, and the washcloth provided enough roughness to rub on the gums. If you rubberband the ice cube tightly, there is no risk of the ice cube popping out. It just melts and the child can't swallow a washcloth. Plus everything is non-toxic and no pieces can break off to be swallowed because everything is contained in the washcloth.

Thank you so much for this information. Gosh anything to make my home less of a toxic zone for my children. .

I'm concerned about "sippy cups." What sort of damage have I been doing with those???? My son is 4 and has been drinking from (and gnawing on) those for his whole life. Some are hard as a rock, but his favorite ones (and most easy to clean) are softer and he's really chewed up the "lips" of them (i.e. the spout, whatever you call it). I am happy to say he wasn't bottle-fed so at least I don't have to worry about what those were made of, but still. We use sippies a lot around the house and in the car due to the amount of spillage they help us avoid....but I am thinking I should stop. So what if I spend all day mopping stuff up! :-)

Wooden items ARE great, but only if they are Pediatrician approved. Although, my Dr. when I was child told my mother to give me a wooden/un-finished mixing spoon and it SHATTERED in my throat before AGE 1!! Yikes....I'm glad I don't remember any of that horrid experience :)

We lived in Switzerland when my soon was teething. The pharmacist at our neighbor hood "Apoteke" suggested dried valerian root. It gave him something to knaw on and helpped dull the pain. It worked!

This info is impt for mothers, I am email to a nursing mom.
Thanks

The EU doesn't allow phthalates in any children's products or packaging. So, if ou look at the package and it says it is tested to EN71 standards, which is the mark for European standards, that will mean that the product has no phthalates. I have found this to be very useful information in shopping for my children.