Baby teeth are something that every parent waits impatiently for, but they bring a fair share of pain and discomfort for babies. Undoubtedly, it can be challenging to watch your baby suffer through that uncomfortable teething stage. This is why, when it comes to teething, there’s nothing that moms do not try to soothe their baby’s sore gums. There are several ways to soothe your teething baby’s gums but have you tried biscuits yet?
Let me tell you, moms, biscuits work wonders to ease that pain for our babies, and they are delicious as well. In this post, I’ll tell you why you need to try teething biscuits and not the regular biscuits available on the market and some effortless recipes so that you can make them yourself.
Some babies are born with their first teeth, while others start teething around 4 months, and some after 12 months. The average age for a baby to start teething is 6 months. Some babies are blessed with no teething pain, while others feel sore and have red gums as they start to teeth. You can know if your baby is teething by their red gums, flushed cheeks, through their rubbing cheek or pulling on-ear, unusual dribbling, crankiness, slightly raised temperature, coughing, changes in eating or sleeping patterns, and chewing on things. Most babies have bottom incisors first, then top incisors, top lateral incisors, bottom lateral incisors, first molars, canines, and lastly, second molars. Teething biscuits also offer several benefits to the teething babies, it satisfies the biting urge of the baby, reduces and soothes the teething pain, aides in the development of necessary chewing skills, helps babies to learn to eat all by themselves, provides valuable nourishment, and helps in providing the proper exercise required for the development of the baby’s jawbones, muscles, and teeth. Aside from the benefits of teething biscuits, make sure that you do not tie the teething biscuits around your baby’s neck. It can lead to choking and avoid teething biscuits that are hard and contain high sugar levels to protect your baby’s teeth from cavities. You can avoid buying biscuits available at grocery stores, as there are several recipes available on the internet for gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and eggless biscuits that you can make at home in no time.
What do teething biscuits do?
Teething biscuits are dry biscuits made for teething babies to help them gnaw on the hard biscuit to get relief in their gums. These biscuits tend to dissolve as the baby chews on them and, in turn, helps soothe those sore gums. Sometimes teething biscuits are also referred to as rusks.
What’s the right age for babies to have teething biscuits?
Most of the teething biscuits found in the market are appropriate for 6 months old babies because, by that time, your baby has started taking soft foods and will be able to take those biscuits as well.
This is also the time when most babies start teething.
Are teething biscuits suitable for babies?
There’s no research to support that teething biscuits are not suitable for babies, but NHS advises parents not to feed their babies biscuits or rusks that adults usually eat, for they contain some sugar, which can cause cavities.
So, if you’re thinking of buying teething biscuits, then make sure to choose the ones that have the least amount of sugar in them or no sugar at all.
On the other hand, teething biscuits have been found to help strengthen the baby’s gums and helps them become stronger for future solid foods. Make sure to taste and check the teething biscuits before handing them to your baby; they should dissolve instead of breaking into pieces.
You should also properly seat your baby before eating to reduce any chances of your baby choking on the teething biscuit.
How to make teething biscuits for your baby?
If you’re worried about giving your baby teething biscuits found in the market, then here’s good news for you. You can make them yourself, and they are relatively straightforward.
Here are some of the best teething biscuits that can be made easily at home and are super healthy for your baby:
- Teething biscuits by What Mummy makes
- Becky’s Best Bites Teething Biscuits
- Super Healthy Kids Healthy Homemade Teething Biscuits
- Oat Banana Cinnamon Teething Cookies by Buona Pappa
Gluten-free Teething biscuits
Your little one might be gluten intolerant and unable to eat baby teething biscuits found in the market. More than often, it’s hard to find ready-made gluten-free biscuits.
Here are a few gluten-free recipes for your gluten-intolerant baby that are super easy to make:
- Gluten-free teething biscuits
- Gluten-free baby teething biscuit recipe by A Little Insanity
- Gluten-Free Teething Biscuit Recipe by gfjules
Best teething biscuits to buy online
Here are a few recommended teething biscuits for your little one, all available on Amazon, and highly rated by other parents.
Gerber Teethers Gentle Teething Wafers
One of the top rated teething biscuits on Amazon, they come in many flavors (in case your little one hates banana peach), and is made up of gluten-free wholesome ingredients. I’ve even tasted them and they’re not bad at all. They taste very light and airy, and the flavor itself is fairly mild.
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The only problem, probably with all teething biscuits, is that they tend to get pretty sticky after your little one tries to nibble on it (and drools on it) and doesn’t completely eat it, leaving it to get sticky on their little fingers and over their clothes.
Gerber Teether Wheels
From the same company above, but I had to add this as my little one did try both teething biscuits and teether wheels. It’s basically the same thing, but I did notice (after trying one myself) that these teether wheels are a bit more firm.
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This helps your little one who might be in a later stage of teething, to really get some comfort from gnawing on a more firmer teething biscuit.
Happy Baby Organic Teethers
Another product that we tried with our little one, Happy Baby makes teething biscuits that have clean organic ingredients. The main ingredient in this one being organic Jasmine rice (compared to corn meal for the above items).
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They have lots of unique flavors like pea spinach and mango pumpkin, so it’s definitely worth getting 1 or 2 different flavors to see which one your kiddo likes best.
Gerber is a great brand, and does have good ingredients, but I would recommend picking Happy Baby over Gerber if you wanted a nudge towards which teething biscuits to start for your little one.
Reasons to avoid store-bought biscuits for your baby
Most of the biscuits found in the market have zero nutritional value with no healthy ingredients whatsoever. Here are a few reasons to avoid giving biscuits available in the market to your little one.
They contain refined white flour
All biscuits in the market are made from refined wheat flour, which has no nutritional value. This white flour takes the longest to digest and makes the digestive system overwork.
As babies have yet to develop the digestive system and intestines, they take even more time and energy to digest.
They contain trans fat
Trans fats are used in processed food to keep the biscuits’ shape, flavor, and consistency. They also have no nutritional value; in fact, they can lead to serious health issues, like imbalanced cholesterol levels in the body.
Trans fats can also give rise to vision issues, nervous disorders, allergic conditions, diabetes, and obesity. So do not try biscuits available in stores, for they can really disturb your baby’s metabolism.
They contain additives
Processed foods have additives in them as well like BHA, and BHT, to avoid them from getting spoiled. These ingredients have been found to be linked with cancer.
Biscuits also contain leaving agents like baking soda, which can cause stomach problems like acid reflux in babies and toddlers.
They can cause constipation
As biscuits contain no dietary fibers, they can lead to serious constipation in your baby and lead to other complications like anal fissures, vomiting, fecal blood, and so on.
They contain a high amount of sugars
Processed foods like sodas and biscuits contain a high amount of refined sugar. This can lead to mild sugar addiction like a sugar rush, in which the baby will crave biscuits even at the expanse of a healthy meal.
Most sugar used in these foods is inverted sugar, as it is relatively sweeter than glucose, which makes it even more harmful than the glucose one.
They can trigger an allergic reaction
Most biscuits contain substances like gluten and soy lecithin, which are allergenic for babies. These allergic reactions can appear as a mild skin rash or as dangerous as difficulty in breathing due to lung inflammation.
What biscuits are good for babies?
- Homemade biscuits: You can make quite healthy biscuits at home yourself by using healthy ingredients like oats, ragi, millet, almonds, oat flour, almond flour, coconut flour, peanut butter, and raisins, etc. So, use homemade biscuits and replace the white flour with healthy replacements.
- Whole Wheat biscuits: Whole wheat biscuits are also a great option as they have no refined wheat flour. They are readily available in grocery stores or can be made at home in no time.
Conclusion
Biscuits are an amazing and delicious way to soothe your baby’s teething pain, but make sure to use the ones that are dissolved instantly in the mouth. There are hundreds of delicious recipes that can be used to make teething biscuits for your baby. You can also buy special teething biscuits from amazon that are made entirely of natural ingredients.
Make sure never to use store-bought biscuits containing refined wheat flour, inverted sugars, preservatives, and trans fat, as they can destroy your baby’s metabolism and cause serious health issues.
I hope this post has made it very clear about which biscuits to use and which to not. Try the mentioned recipes or share yours in the comments below!
