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The Problem Hiding in Plain Sight
Most parents assume a teething toy sold in a mainstream store has already been screened for dangerous chemicals. That assumption tends to be wrong — or at least incomplete. A 2021 study by the Technical University of Denmark found over 100 chemicals in plastic toys that pose possible health risks to children, and teethers are among the most concerning category because babies spend extended time chewing directly on them.
The regulatory picture is patchier than you’d expect. In 2012, the FDA banned BPA from baby bottles and children’s drinking cups — but teethers were not included in that ban. That gap meant that while many companies voluntarily claimed to remove BPA from their teethers, there was no mandate requiring them to actually test for it. A 2013 study published in the National Library of Medicine found that a high percentage of teethers labeled as
The Specific Chemicals That Concern Researchers
Phthalates are the most widely documented risk in soft plastic teethers. These are chemical softeners — plasticizers — used to make plastics pliable and flexible. They leach more readily when chewed, sucked, or exposed to heat, which is exactly what happens every time a baby uses a teether. Phthalates are known hormone disruptors, linked to developmental and reproductive issues, and children are exposed to them at roughly twice the rate of adults — partly because of hand-to-mouth contact, partly because of proximity to PVC flooring and play mats.
Under current U.S. law, phthalates are banned above 0.1% concentration in children’s products. But that limit applies to finished products as tested — and enforcement depends on whether a manufacturer has actually submitted to third-party testing. Many budget-priced imports have not.
BPA (Bisphenol A) is a chemical used in the manufacturing of rigid, hard plastics. It functions as an endocrine disruptor, meaning it can interfere with hormonal signaling even at low levels. While many companies now advertise “BPA-free,” replacements like BPS and BPF may carry similar risks — so the label alone doesn’t guarantee safety.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is the material that ties many of these risks together. Polyvinyl chloride can leach both phthalates and lead, and environmental health organizations have flagged it not just for the chemicals it contains, but for the toxic threats it creates during manufacturing and disposal. Recycling code #3 on the bottom of a plastic product is the marker for PVC — worth checking before handing anything to a baby.
Lead has no safe level of exposure in children. It affects the nervous system and has been linked to hearing loss, decreased IQ, ADHD, and slowed growth. Children absorb and retain lead in their systems more easily than adults do. Lead is primarily found in paint on imported toys and in toys made of PVC. It’s banned in many markets, but imported products still occasionally test positive, and California’s Proposition 65 program issued hundreds of notices for lead violations in children’s products as recently as early 2026.
Cadmium is a heavy metal that often appears alongside lead in low-grade toy manufacturing. It’s a known carcinogen, affects normal brain development, and can cause kidney damage. Like lead, it has no established safe exposure threshold for infants.
Why “BPA-Free” and “Non-Toxic” Labels Can Mislead
Vague marketing claims like “natural,” “non-toxic,” and “hypoallergenic” are not legally defined or regulated by the FDA, so they carry no guaranteed safety standard. A product can carry all three of those phrases on its packaging and still contain phthalates or cadmium.
The more meaningful labels are specific: “Phthalate-free,” “BPA-free,” “PVC-free,” and “Lead-free” — ideally backed by a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) confirming the product was tested at a CPSC-accepted laboratory. Under U.S. law, all children’s products for kids 12 and under must undergo third-party testing by a CPSC-accepted lab. Compliance with 16 CFR Part 1510 (the specific federal regulation for teethers and teething toys) is the baseline requirement — but some manufacturers, particularly those selling through online marketplaces, sidestep it.
California has moved to tighten the rules further. Bill SB-1266, effective January 1, 2026, prohibits BPA in juvenile feeding and teething products for children under 12 — a stricter standard than the current federal baseline. That’s a useful signal for parents shopping nationwide: if a brand meets California’s 2026 standard, it’s meeting one of the toughest benchmarks available in the U.S.
What Safe Materials Actually Look Like
The clearest safer alternatives are food-grade silicone, natural rubber, and solid hardwood like beech or maple — each with different tradeoffs.
Food-grade silicone is derived from silica, a natural substance found in sand. It doesn’t contain BPA, phthalates, or the other chemicals associated with conventional plastics. It’s also non-porous, which means it resists bacterial growth and is easy to clean. The key qualifier is “food-grade” — not all silicone products carry that designation, and lower-grade silicone may include fillers that compromise both safety and durability. When a teether is made from a single molded piece of food-grade silicone with no joins or seams, there are fewer places for bacteria to collect and fewer structural points that could fail under sustained chewing.
Natural rubber (from the Hevea tree) is another legitimate option, though parents with latex sensitivities should take note. Solid hardwood teethers — typically beech or maple — are durable and chemical-free when finished with food-safe oils, though they do require some maintenance to prevent drying and cracking.
Gel-filled teethers and liquid-filled teethers are worth avoiding. The filling can burst under the bite pressure of a determined infant, and the contents are rarely disclosed in full on the label.
Loulou Lollipop’s silicone teethers are made from 100% food-grade silicone and are independently tested before every production run — free of BPA, PVC, phthalates, lead, and cadmium, and exceeding CPSC and CPSIA safety requirements for the U.S. market. Their teething sets also include silicone and beech wood combinations, with the wood tested by a third-party laboratory as well.
A Practical Checklist for Parents
When evaluating a teether, these are the questions worth asking before it goes anywhere near a baby’s mouth:
- What is it made of? Food-grade silicone, natural rubber, or solid hardwood are the materials with the clearest safety record. Avoid soft plastics without explicit third-party certification.
- Is there a Children’s Product Certificate? This document confirms the product was tested at a CPSC-accepted lab. Reputable brands make this information accessible.
- Does it explicitly state freedom from BPA, PVC, phthalates, lead, and cadmium? Generic “non-toxic” claims aren’t enough. Specific chemical exclusions backed by testing carry real weight.
- Is it a single-piece design? Multi-part teethers with liquid or gel fills carry additional risks. One-piece molded silicone or solid wood eliminates those variables.
- Where was it made, and by whom? This doesn’t automatically determine safety, but brands that manufacture to CPSC and CPSIA standards and publish their test results give parents more to work with than those that don’t.
The CPSC’s recall database is also worth bookmarking. In 2026 alone, teething toys have already appeared in recall notices for choking hazards — a reminder that material safety and structural safety are both worth checking, and that even products sold through major platforms aren’t automatically screened before they reach consumers.
Teething is a months-long stage. The teether a baby uses dozens of times a day deserves the same scrutiny as the food they eat.