# You'd Think Teething Rings Could Go In The Sterilizer... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 25, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946 "2005-02-25T23:07:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/1 "2005-02-25T23:07:51Z")
…but you’d be wrong. I now have a grumpy, teething baby, and no teething rings in the house. However, I now have several very colorful lumps of melted plastic. :smack: _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![DWToml815](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DWToml815](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWToml815)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/2 "2005-02-25T23:18:06Z")
Two words…Frozen Waffles ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/3 "2005-02-25T23:24:39Z")
or frozen green pepper strips. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/4 "2005-02-26T00:17:15Z")
> [@DWToml815](#): > > Two words…Frozen Waffles He’s only 3 mos though…We haven’t done solids yet. Is it safe? I wouldn’t want him to explode… ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/5 "2005-02-26T00:18:39Z")
> [@Eureka](#): > > or frozen green pepper strips. I have a rare, but deadly, allergy to peppers. Hence I couldn’t give those to him without wearing gloves. :eek: We don’t even have peppers in the house. But maybe I will try the waffle idea… I let him suck a cold baby carrot the other day, and that made him happy. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/6 "2005-02-26T00:46:50Z")
My nieces and nephews teethed on dill pickles. Cold, gummable, tasty and not too sweet. StG ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/7 "2005-02-26T01:10:09Z")
My son loved to gum on a frozen facecloth. (Get it wet, wring it out so it’s damp and stick it in the freezer until it gets stiff) ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/8 "2005-02-26T01:31:03Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > My nieces and nephews teethed on dill pickles. Cold, gummable, tasty and not too sweet. > > StG Yep, dill pickles are the best! The cold and the salt really seemed to help. Then when he was through the dog came by and ate them! Have you tried Hylands all natural teething tablets? These were like miracle pills for Charlie when he was teething. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/9 "2005-02-26T02:23:04Z")
I don’t have any direct advice, seeing as I don’t have any children of my own; but, my mom said she used to give me frozen, crinkle cut french fries. ---
**Author:** ![foxymoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@foxymoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foxymoron)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/10 "2005-02-26T02:28:33Z")
I think the next round of teething toys could be sterilized in the dishwasher. Until then, a carrot sounds like a good idea, but I’d give him a regular-sized (and peeled) one rather than a baby carrot. Less chokable. ---
**Author:** ![DWToml815](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DWToml815](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWToml815)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/11 "2005-02-26T02:59:41Z")
> [@inkleberry](#): > > He’s only 3 mos though…We haven’t done solids yet. Is it safe? I wouldn’t want him to explode… He’s not going to chew them up and swallow them…Just cold and soothing, and when they thaw they get soft and gooey, not crunchy. But, as with anything your teething baby has, keep an eye on him. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/12 "2005-02-26T05:08:39Z")
Frozen washcloths are the best. They are soothing, non-chokable, absorb the excess drool of teething and can be thrown in the wash. Best part is that they freeze fairly quickly if they’re not too wet, and they shouldn’t be too wet. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/13 "2005-02-26T05:12:03Z")
Stay away from soft plastic things, The Establishment says that pthalates don’t do any damage when they leech out of the PVC toys. I think They’re lying. Google it, maybe you’ll find something horible. Arrow root biscuits are good for the little brat, and mammas like to nibble on 'em too. And they don’t cause any long term kidney or liver damage like PVCs don’t. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/14 "2005-02-26T06:10:14Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > Stay away from soft plastic things, The Establishment says that pthalates don’t do any damage when they leech out of the PVC toys. I’m making sure that all of his toys are PVC-free, because I fear the pthaltes too. The Establishment says many things, I rarely listen. I may get some sort of teething biscuit tomorrow. Tonight we have frozen waffles and frozen washcloths. What’s good for a teething puppy is good for my kid. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/15 "2005-02-26T06:12:48Z")
> [@DWToml815](#): > > He’s not going to chew them up and swallow them…Just cold and soothing, and when they thaw they get soft and gooey, not crunchy. But, as with anything your teething baby has, keep an eye on him. He hasn’t yet mastered the art of putting things he is holding into his mouth. He can get his hands there, no problem. He did that day 1. He also can manuver things in his mouth once they are there (he used to like to put his pacifiers to one side and gnaw). But the idea of picking up something and putting it in just hasn’t clicked yet. So we hold the waffles to his mouth right now. This makes him happy. He likes to lick and gnaw and grab 'em. It’s really pretty gross, once the drool and the waffle mix. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youd-think-teething-rings-could-go-in-the-sterilizer/291946/16 "2005-02-26T06:13:49Z")
> [@Flutterby](#): > > My son loved to gum on a frozen facecloth. (Get it wet, wring it out so it’s damp and stick it in the freezer until it gets stiff) Oh, kinda like what we used to do with our puppy when it was teething. Same thing, I suppose.