As a mum, I know how overwhelming the baby market can feel sometimes. One minute you’re looking for something simple to help soothe your teething baby, and the next you’re knee-deep in product listings, safety claims, scary articles, conflicting advice and thousands of reviews from strangers online.

I completely understand why so many parents end up asking:

“How do I know which teething toy is actually safe for my baby?”

I realise this may come across biased, because I do have teething products to sell. But the reason I created Gummee in the first place was because the products I needed for my own baby simply didn’t exist yet.

When my son started teething very young, he couldn’t hold traditional teethers properly. He would get frustrated, drop them constantly and chew on his own hands instead. I searched everywhere for a solution and couldn’t find one. So I invented one.

That invention became Gummee glove, and consequently, my brand, Gummee.

Because Gummee products were innovative and new, I had the opportunity to create them from scratch to the standards I wanted as a parent. And for me, safety was never something to cut corners on, because it wasn’t just Gummee’s reputation on the line, it was mine.

More importantly than that, once I became a mum, nothing mattered more to me than my babies. I think most parents understand that feeling instantly. Your whole world changes. Suddenly safety becomes everything.

That’s why making sure Gummee products met the highest standards possible became one of the biggest priorities of my life.

So what should parents look for in a safe teething toy?

1. Safety testing matters more than marketing

Beautiful packaging and viral videos don’t automatically mean a product is safe.

A reputable teething product should be tested to recognised toy safety standards relevant to the country it’s being sold in. In the UK and Europe, that usually means EN71 testing. In the US, ASTM standards. In Canada, SOR standards.

Good brands should know exactly what testing their products have undergone.

If a company avoids answering safety questions clearly, that would personally make me uncomfortable as a parent.

2. Be cautious of very cheap unknown products

I know budgets are tight right now for many families, and there’s absolutely no judgement in trying to save money. But with baby products — especially products designed to go directly into a baby’s mouth — ultra-cheap unknown imports can sometimes be risky.

I would always encourage parents to ask:

• Who designed this?
• Is this an established brand?
• Do they openly discuss safety?
• Can I find genuine information about the company?

A teether isn’t just a toy. It’s something your baby may chew on for hours.

3. Materials matter

Parents are becoming much more aware of materials now, which I think is brilliant.

Food-grade silicone, BPA-free materials and properly tested plastics are all things worth looking for. But again, claims alone aren’t enough — responsible brands should be able to back those claims up.

4. Think about design safety, not just material safety

This is something people don’t always consider.

A teething toy might technically use safe materials, but is it designed well? Could parts break? Is it the right size and shape for the age of baby using it? Could it trap moisture? Is it easy to clean properly?

When I designed the original Gummee Glove, I spent an enormous amount of time thinking about things most people would never even notice:

• airflow
• comfort
• chew resistance
• stitching placement
• secure fastening
• safe textures
• sensory comfort
• hygiene

Because good safety design is often invisible when it’s done properly.

5. Trust your instincts

Honestly, parents are often more intuitive than they give themselves credit for.

If something feels flimsy, poorly made, strangely packaged or “too good to be true,” it’s okay to walk away from it.

The safest products are usually created by people who genuinely care deeply about the people using them.

And in the baby industry, that care really matters.

The truth about being a parent in modern times

I think parents today are under huge pressure. Social media makes it feel like we have to buy the perfect products, make perfect choices and somehow become safety experts overnight.

But the reality is, most parents are simply doing their best while exhausted and trying to soothe a tiny human who suddenly wants to chew absolutely everything in sight.

You don’t need perfection.

You just need thoughtful, well-made products from brands you trust.

And for me personally, trust is built through honesty, transparency, safety standards and genuinely caring about the families using your products.

That has always been the heart behind Gummee.