A well-chosen teething ring is soft, made in one piece, has no small detachable parts, and is big enough that it can't fit entirely in your baby's mouth. Offer it as soon as your baby starts chewing on everything, often between 3 and 8 months, and cool it in the fridge, never in the freezer. The rest of this article covers materials, shapes, cleaning, and what official sources say about the alternatives to avoid.
Teething isn't an illness, and no object speeds it up. A teething ring does just one thing: it gives your baby something safe to bite on when their gums are itchy.
At what age should you offer a teething ring?
From the first signs of teething, most often between the 3rd and 8th month according to Santé.fr (the French government's public health information service). The first milk teeth come through in this window, and all of them are in place by around 3 years. There's no regulatory minimum age: a teething ring becomes useful when your baby wants to bite.
Parents know the signs well: fussiness, crying, fingers in the mouth, lots of dribble, a need to chew on anything within reach. This behaviour is part of a wider stage of development, described in our article on why babies put everything in their mouths. Oral exploration starts at around 3 or 4 months and isn't only about teeth.
One point is worth repeating, because it changes what you should do. According to the ARS Nouvelle-Aquitaine (a French regional health authority), teething does not cause a fever above 38°C, a decline in general health, or diarrhoea. Santé.fr adds that fever and diarrhoea at the same time are probably a coincidence. If these signs last, see a doctor, as our article on fever in babies explains.
How do you choose a teething ring?
Four criteria are enough, and they matter more than colour or brand.
A soft material, in one piece
Santé.fr and Vidal (the French medicines reference guide) recommend an “elastic material”: your child should be able to bite hard without hurting their gums. Food-grade silicone and natural rubber both meet this criterion. Untreated wood is harder, and is better suited to gripping than to intense chewing.
Natural rubber contains latex: if there's a known allergy in the family, silicone is the cautious choice. Either way, the ring should be moulded as a single piece. A ring assembled from several parts, with beads, bells or a cord, has more points that can break.
A size that won't fit in the mouth
The object must stay too big to be swallowed or lodged at the back of the mouth. A handy rule of thumb: if it fits through a toilet roll tube, it's too small. Open-ring or wide-bracelet shapes are the easiest for a 5-month-old's hand to hold.
No small parts, no questionable liquid
Liquid-filled teething rings have been around for a long time. Santé.fr says they can be kept in the fridge. They should be checked before every use: a punctured membrane lets the liquid out, and the ring should then be thrown away. A solid silicone ring doesn't have this weak spot.
A compliant toy, not a piece of jewellery
Under European regulations, a teething ring is a toy. It must carry the CE marking and meet the requirements of the EN 71 standard, which covers small parts, materials and, for liquid-filled rings, leak-tightness. We explain this framework in our article on the EU toy safety regulation, and the substances to avoid in our guide to the chemical safety of baby products.
Classified phthalates are banned in toys and childcare items that a child can put in their mouth. A product sold without markings, without a manufacturer's name or a warning, shouldn't go anywhere near a baby's mouth.
Cooling teething ring: fridge or freezer?
Fridge, never freezer. Santé.fr, Vidal and the ARS Nouvelle-Aquitaine all give the same advice. Gentle cold soothes the gums with a mild numbing effect. A frozen ring becomes rock hard and too cold for delicate gum tissue: it can hurt and cause a cold burn.
In practice, keep two rings on rotation: one in the fridge, one in your baby's hand. Fifteen to thirty minutes in the fridge is enough. Wipe the ring before handing it over, and keep an eye on your child while they chew, as with any object that goes in the mouth.
How do you clean a teething ring?
Rinse it in warm soapy water after each use, then let it dry completely. Solid silicone can go in the dishwasher if the manufacturer says so. Liquid-filled rings, wooden rings and natural rubber rings should be washed by hand, without long soaking.
Routine sterilising isn't necessary for a healthy baby past the first few months. What matters is checking: a crack, a part coming loose, a lingering smell or discolouration means the object has reached the end of its life. A damaged ring gets replaced, not repaired.
What else can ease teething?
A teething ring is just one of the measures recommended by Santé.fr and Vidal, and it isn't the first.
- Comfort your child: closeness and carrying often soothe as much as any object.
- Wipe their face regularly to avoid irritation from dribble.
- Gently massage the gums with a clean finger or a damp compress wrapped around your finger.
- Give paracetamol if the pain persists, dosed by weight, after checking with a doctor for the youngest babies.
For the hygiene routine once the tooth has come through, our articles on brushing your baby's teeth and on choosing a first toothbrush take over.
What to avoid: gels, necklaces, food to chew on
Official sources agree on four warnings.
Numbing gels and alcohol
Santé.fr and Vidal advise against rubbing the gums with alcohol or a gel containing a local anaesthetic: your baby swallows the product. Vidal doesn't recommend any gel. If medication is needed, the doctor prescribes it, dosed by weight.
Amber necklaces, and any necklace
They have never been shown to work: Santé.fr found no studies at all on their effect, and in 2012 the French advertising control committee had a manufacturer's claim withdrawn. The danger, on the other hand, is documented. In its 2015 investigation, the DGCCRF (the French consumer protection authority) found 28 of the 32 necklaces and bracelets it tested to be dangerous, due to the risk of strangulation or suffocation. Half of the products carried no warning at all. No necklace should ever go around a baby's neck, whether amber, hazelwood or a silicone teething necklace.
Raw food and teething biscuits
No carrot, apple or bread to chew on: the risk of choking is real. Teething biscuits are sweetened and have no effect on pain, notes the ARS Nouvelle-Aquitaine. A piece of hard vegetable is not a teething ring.
Home remedies
Sugar on the gums, a cold spoon, alcohol, trying to pierce the gum: none of these is recommended, and the last one can injure and cause infection. The gum opens on its own.
Do you need a teething ring for every situation?
No. Two rings are enough for most families, rotating between the fridge and your baby's hand. Teething mittens, teething brushes with a handle and chewable rattles meet the same need with the same criteria: soft, one piece, no cord. Adding more objects achieves nothing, and a ring left lying on the floor gets washed more often than it gets used.
The time of day when your baby chews most is often floor play, when their hands are free and everything goes into the mouth. A clean, clear space limits what gets picked up off the floor, and a Treelys play mat wipes clean with a sponge between sessions.
Key takeaways
Choose a teething ring that is soft, moulded in one piece, big enough not to be swallowed, and CE-marked. Keep it in the fridge, never the freezer, and throw it away as soon as it's damaged. Steer clear of amber necklaces and numbing gels; simple measures (comfort, massage, a wiped face) remain the foundation. Questions about our materials and our safety testing are answered in the Treelys® FAQs.
Sources
- Santé.fr (Service public d'information en santé, the French government's public health information service), “Poussée dentaire”, fact sheet published 7 February 2020, updated 13 August 2026.
- Santé.fr, “Les colliers d'ambre soulagent-ils les poussées dentaires des bébés ?”, Décryptage, published 20 March 2023.
- Vidal, “Que faire en cas de poussées dentaires ?”, updated 12 June 2020.
- DGCCRF, “Sécurité des colliers et bracelets pour jeunes enfants”, 2015 investigation, published 18 May 2017.
- ARS Nouvelle-Aquitaine, “Prendre soin des dents de mon enfant, 0-3 ans”, undated leaflet, accessed 21 October 2026.
