Like so many other parents of young babies, I am in the, “Is she teething, or just being fussy?” stage of motherhood. There’s occasional bouts of drool. Inexplicable frenzies of needing to chew on anything and everything. There’s the sawing of toys against her gums while freaking the $#%^ out. Ya know, the usual odd baby stuff.

Anyhoo, a gal who had her daughter about a week before I had mine asked me for my view on wooden teethers. Which is an excellent question. While I always had a loose idea that I would prefer Tessa to be cutting her gums on a natural and safe teether like wood, I hadn’t gotten to the point of actually investing in my little zombies pain relief since every sign of her teething would vanish as quickly as it surfaced.

But at 4 ½ months old, I figured it’s time to dig in to the world of safe and savvy teethers. I contacted the lovely family that owns and operates Seven Acre Toys, and asked for their assistance in my research, and they were awesome enough to send me one of their organic wooden teethers for my on-the-cusp-of-teething baby girl!

Why Your Choice of Teething Toys Is Important

Babies, by nature, put everything in their mouths. EVERYTHING. Toys, blankets, your shirt, your hair, the cat. Nothing is safe from the curious taste buds of a newly hatched human.

But a teething baby? Maximize the oral fixation by, like, a trillion. When babies are teething, anything is fair game when it comes to soothing their aching gums. Not only are teething toys good for babies, they are absolutely essential. Your child NEEDS something to ease their pain and assist their gums in doing something big and scary that they have never done before.. rip open to grow a new tooth! If you don’t provide your baby with a teething toy, they’ll find something that will act in that role. (And your cat / iPhone / nipple may not like that.)

So when it comes to designating a “put this in your mouth and nom on it” toy, I think it goes without saying that choosing a natural, safe and toxin-free product is important.

The Problem With Plastics

During the first few years of life, when babies’ cells continue to undergo “programming,” exposure to certain toxic chemicals can disrupt the delicate process. The biggest toxic culprit to infants health is Bisphenol A, better known as BPA.

BPA is a compound in hard, clear polycarbonate plastics that mimics the effects of estrogen in children (and adults!) and has raised particular concern because it interferes with hormone levels and cell signaling systems. BPA’s have the potential to cause permanent and lasting damage to infants health.

Many teethers have BPAs in them, and while the number is rapidly declining given all the recent publicity about them, it’s better to play it safe and avoid using plastic when it comes to mouth-specific items for your baby (teethers, pacifiers, nipples, etc.) .

Latex teethers are also no-no’s, known to leak low levels of nitrosamines, a known carcinogen. Still other teething toys are made with diisononyl phthalate (DINP) or phthalate esters, which can be released during sterilization.

Silicone and 100% rubber are safe and toxin-free options for your baby’s delicate mouth, and excellent choices for nipples and pacifiers, but tend to be too soft and malleable for teething toys. So this leaves us.. wooden teethers!

The Benefits of Wooden Teethers

First off, as mentioned above, wood that is either completely unfinished or finished with non-toxic substances such as water based, oil based or beeswax finishes are much safer than plastic toys – which often contain chemicals that leech out.

Additionally, studies are showing that some hardwoods (such as maple wood) have natural antibacterial properties. In a 2002 study comparing the hygienic aspects of wood and polyethylene cutting boards regarding food contaminations, Gehrig, Schnell,  Zürcher and Kucera discovered that cutting boards made of wood (maple, beech and oak) were far more resistant to bacterial contamination than plastic polyethylene. (This is always a bonus when it comes to an object intended for your child’s mouth!)

Wood is also far more durable than plastics. Well constructed wooden toys, particularly those that are handmade, last a very long time. Depending on the quality of your child’s chomping, you could even keep a wooden teether around for child #2! (Though they are so affordable, buying new ones won’t exactly break the bank!)

Finally wood is porous and absorbent, so you have the option of infusing the teether with natural numbing (and child safe!) oils, like clove oil, for really horrid teething pain.

About The Teether

Seven Acre Toys sent me their newest addition to their teether line: the Organic Fish Shaped Maple Wood Teething Toy.

The teether is made from durable, FSC certified sustainably harvested North American hardwood maple (also available in walnut) and comes with an unbleached, undyed, handmade organic cotton yarn fin. The product is finished with Seven Acre Toy’s all natural oil and wax blend, using only the safest and most environmentally friendly materials.

The finish is a food safe, baby safe blend of beeswax, carnuba wax, and mineral oil – all eco-friendly. Seven Acre Toy’s does not use dyes, stains or pigments of any kind, so it is 100% safe and toxin free.

This hand carved toy has a whimsical shape that is visually stimulating for little ones, and it features two sizes of holes that provide many options for little fingers to grasp. I was surprised that the fin is also a great surface for biting and grabbing, at times Tessa seemed more interested in the fin than the actual fish! She kept switching back and forth between the silky smooth hard wood and the soft, textured tail.

The teether came in a cute cloth pouch, with an information card that recommends wetting the tail and sticking the toy in the freezer for added soothing and for a cold, crunchy sensation for your little one. The cotton tail is also removable and machine washable.

This toy really is a unique, beautifully hand crafted, and functional work of art.

About Seven Acre Toys

Seven Acre Toys is a family business started in 2010 by husband and wife team Hannah and Chris Blackburn.  Hannah and Chris met at art school in Rhode Island, where they both worked primarily in wood, though in different disciplines.

As life long makers, it was only natural that when friends and family started having babies, Hannah and Chris went to the wood shop to make baby shower gifts rather than buy them.  After being encouraged by several of their close friends, Hannah and Chris started Seven Acre Toys as a side project.  When their first child was born, they quickly realized how few options there were for quality wooden toys that weren’t the same old thing – and almost no options that weren’t made in China.

The line of products quickly grew; and as word spread, what started as a fun side project slowly began to takeover more and more of the wood shop. Now it is a full time business! Hannah and Chris now have 2 wonderful children who provide the inspiration and motivation for new products – everything from classic wooden blocks, to teethers, rattles, mobiles and more!

The design process at Seven Acre Toys usually starts with “You know what our kids would love?”  And there is usually a rough prototype in the house within a couple of days.  Not everything makes it to the shelf, but they find that it is a fun way of working through ideas, and expanding in different directions.

Chris and Hannah make every toy by hand.  Wood is purchased as FSC certified rough lumber and taken through all the milling steps by hand to create the highest quality products.  In this way all items are inspected and quality checked multiple times throughout the process.  Every Seven Acre Toys product is hand sanded and hand finished and polished, made by Chris and Hannah.

[Disclaimer: There are no affiliate links in this review. I am an independent product reviewer. I only review products I am truly interested in. I don’t accept payment for reviews. The products I take the time to jabber on about are either items I have personally purchased, or the product has been provided for review after me incessantly nagging for a sample. All of my reviews are unbiased regardless of how the item was obtained.]

If you are looking for a safe, quality teething option for your child, I highly recommend Seven Acre Toys. Give your child the best.. And you can’t get much better than handcrafted hardwood teethers!

***Good news for my readers! If you use coupon code DGG at checkout, you can get 15% off your purchase, good for the next 3 months! (Expires April 30th.)***