When Can You Give an Infant a Teething Biscuit?

It is hard to imagine how so few teeth can maneuver all the things your baby wants to eat.

Choking fears can make letting your baby eat solid foods nervewracking at first. Teething biscuits can be an appropriate and safe first solid, and they can keep your baby entertained.

Developmental Milestones

Make sure your baby is ready to eat solid foods. There are several indicators she is ready. She should have doubled her weight, be able to control her neck and head, be able to sit up with help, show you when she is full by refusing to eat and show interest in food when the rest of the family is eating. Begin by feeding her rice cereal or other soft solids, gradually increasing the thickness of the food.

Once your baby has adapted to soft solids, you can begin giving finger foods like teething biscuits. Babies are generally ready for finger foods when they are 8 to 9 months old.

Soothing for Teething

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Teething biscuits can offer your baby relief when he is teething. Teething biscuits do not crack or crumble -- instead, they dissolve as your baby gums them. These biscuits are a safe and effective way to help your baby deal with the pain of teething. Your baby's sore gums are stimulated and soothed as he gums the biscuit and gnaws at it with his teeth. The biscuit also helps strengthen his jaw, training him for other solid foods. Choose low-sugar teething biscuits that are healthy for your baby's new teeth.

Suitable Teething Snacks

Test out a new teething biscuit yourself before feeding it to your baby.

Try biting it and make sure it dissolves instead of cracking or breaking into pieces. If you do not have a teething biscuit with you and baby needs a snack, you can also offer small pieces of dry bread or crackers or small pieces of a soft tortilla.

Safety When Eating

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Make sure your baby is properly seated when eating a teething biscuit or other food. She should be closely supervised and not distracted. Allow your baby to practice picking up and holding her food.

She should be interested in self-feeding and hold the biscuit herself.

Avoid forcing her to try a teething biscuit. If she is not interested the first time you give her one, try again another time or try a different brand of biscuit.