How to Safely Use Ice Cubes With Teething Babies

Ice cubes are a significant choking hazard to children under the age of four--the ice can get lodged in their throats and its edges can cut along teething gums. The cold temperature and ease of use makes them good to use with teething babies, however, provided they can be used safely. You can do so if you adhere to a few simple steps.

Things You'll Need

• Ice cubes
• Sealable plastic bag
• Washcloth
• Hammer
• Mesh feeder
• Popsicle sticks
• Ice cube tray

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Instructions

• 1

  Place the ice cubes in a sealable plastic bag and wrap the bag in a damp washcloth. Hold one end of the washcloth while the baby chews on the other end. Teething babies can then safely suck on the ice and get the soothing effects of the cold without risking swallowing anything dangerous.

• 2

  Seal the ice in a plastic bag and pound it with a hammer until it is completely crushed. Slushy ice doesn't run the same risks of choking that solid cubes do, and you can use it to feed the babies as safely as baby food or applesauce.

• 3

  Give the baby the ice in a mesh feeder--a device like a bottle which is designed to let babies eat food safely without risk of choking. It contains a firm handle and the mesh is dense enough to keep ice cubes of any dangerous size from slipping through. You can buy them online at outlets like One Step Ahead, which specializes in baby products (see Resources below).

• 4

  Soak a teething ring or washcloth in water and then freeze it. Babies can suck on the ice which forms around the cloth or metal and reduce their teething pains without worrying about the sharp edges of bigger cubes.

• 5

  Create teething pops by placing wooden craft sticks in ice cube trays and filling them with water. The ice cubes will freeze to the sticks, which allows you to hold onto them firmly while the baby safely works at the cubes.

• 6

  Watch the baby closely while he works at anything with ice. The best preventative measure is simply vigilance: keeping a sharp eye on the baby and not being distracted by anything else. If trouble arises, you can then act quickly to prevent anything untoward from happening.