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The Material in Your Baby’s Mouth Deserves More Scrutiny Than Most Parents Give It
Babies spend a significant chunk of their waking hours with something in their mouths. During the teething phase—which can begin as early as three to four months and run well past the first birthday—that object is almost always a teether. So the question of what it’s made from isn’t a minor detail. It’s one of the more consequential material choices a parent makes.
For most of the 20th century, teethers were made from hard plastic. The problem: many of those plastics were manufactured with bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical used to harden polycarbonate and line epoxy resins. BPA is now widely classified as an endocrine disruptor. Research published in peer-reviewed journals has linked BPA exposure to a broad range of adverse health outcomes, including reproductive toxicity, metabolic disorders, and neurodevelopmental disruption—and critically, these effects can emerge even at low doses during sensitive developmental windows like infancy. A 2025 review in Frontiers in Endocrinology specifically examined the link between BPA exposure and neurodevelopmental risk in children, reinforcing the concern that has driven regulatory change across many countries.
Canada has been ahead of the curve here. In December 2010, the Government of Canada restricted the use of six phthalate chemicals in the soft vinyl of children’s toys and child care articles—including teethers. Under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA), all toys and child care articles sold in Canada must meet safety requirements that address toxicological hazards. Health Canada enforces these rules and can require test reports to verify compliance. That regulatory floor matters, but it’s also a minimum—not a guarantee that every product on the shelf is as safe as it could be.
This is exactly where material choice becomes the deciding factor.
What Food-Grade Silicone Actually Is (and Why It’s Different)
Silicone is sometimes lumped in with plastic in casual conversation, but the two materials behave very differently at a chemical level. Silicone is derived from silica—essentially processed sand—and its backbone structure of silicon, oxygen, and hydrocarbons gives it a stability that most plastics can’t match. It doesn’t contain the carbon-carbon chains that make traditional plastics prone to leaching when exposed to heat, saliva, or mechanical stress.
Food-grade silicone is a specific classification. When a product meets FDA or LFGB food-contact standards, it has been tested to confirm it won’t release unwanted substances during normal mouthing or chewing. That matters because not all silicone is equal—lower-grade versions may include fillers that reduce purity and compromise safety. The “food-grade” label, backed by independent lab testing, is the meaningful signal to look for.
The practical safety profile of food-grade silicone for teething toys is well-established. It contains no BPA, PVC, phthalates, or lead. It’s non-porous, so it doesn’t harbor bacteria the way porous materials like untreated wood or fabric can. It’s flexible enough to be gentle on emerging gum tissue, but durable enough to withstand aggressive chewing without cracking or crumbling—which matters because fragments pose a choking hazard. It can be sterilized in boiling water, chilled in the refrigerator for added gum relief, and run through a dishwasher without degrading. For a product that will be gnawed on daily for months, that combination of properties is hard to replicate with any other material.
By comparison, natural rubber is a reasonable alternative—it’s biodegradable and free from synthetic chemicals—but it tends to lose shape and elasticity over time with heavy use, and it’s not suitable for families with latex sensitivities. Beechwood teethers offer a natural texture some babies respond well to, but wood is porous, can splinter with prolonged exposure to saliva, and cannot be sterilized by boiling. Neither alternative covers the full range of what food-grade silicone does.
Why “BPA-Free” Labelling Alone Isn’t Enough
A word of caution worth flagging: “BPA-free” printed on packaging is not the same as independently verified. Some products labeled BPA-free have been found in studies to still contain bisphenol compounds or other endocrine-disrupting chemicals used as BPA replacements. The label tells you one chemical was removed—it doesn’t confirm what replaced it, or whether the product was tested by a third-party lab.
For Canadian parents, this means the most reliable approach is to look for products that combine three things: food-grade silicone as the stated material, third-party independent lab testing (not just manufacturer self-declaration), and compliance with recognized safety standards. Health Canada’s Toys Regulations under the CCPSA set the legal baseline, but brands that go further—testing against CPSC, CPSIA, or LFGB food-contact standards—are demonstrating a higher level of due diligence.
It’s also worth checking that any dyes or colorants used in the teether are food-safe. Some brightly colored silicone products use surface-applied pigments that can wear off with chewing. Products where color is injected into the silicone rather than applied on top tend to be more durable and safer from a chemical exposure standpoint.
What to Look For When Buying a Silicone Teether in Canada
Shopping for a teether in 2026 involves more options than ever, and not all of them are equally transparent about materials or testing. A few practical filters help narrow the field:
Certification and testing documentation. Look for brands that publish or explicitly state their safety certifications—LFGB, FDA food-contact compliance, or CPSIA testing. Third-party lab reports are the gold standard. A brand that references independent testing is more credible than one that only makes general “non-toxic” claims.
Material specificity. “Silicone” alone isn’t sufficient. The product should specify 100% food-grade silicone. If the listing is vague about grade or composition, that’s a reason to look elsewhere.
Design considerations. The teether should be sized appropriately to prevent choking—generally larger than a toilet paper roll in its smallest dimension. Avoid teethers with liquid or gel fillings, which can leak if the silicone punctures. Teethers with bristles or fine textural elements may pose a risk for aggressive chewers if pieces detach. One-piece construction is generally safer than multi-component designs.
Inspect before each use. Even high-quality silicone teethers should be checked regularly for cracks, tears, or discoloration. Replace any teether showing signs of wear—this applies regardless of brand or price point.
For Canadian families specifically, it’s worth noting that products sold through Canadian retailers are subject to Health Canada’s CCPSA framework, which includes recall authority and mandatory safety standards. Checking Health Canada’s searchable recall database before purchasing—especially for second-hand teethers—is a sensible precaution, since older products may not meet current standards.
A Canadian Brand Built Around This Standard
Loulou Lollipop was founded in 2015 by twin sisters in Richmond, British Columbia, and has built its product line around the same safety and material priorities this article describes. Their silicone teething sets are made from 100% food-grade silicone and are free of BPA, PVC, phthalates, lead, and cadmium—independently tested, not just labeled. The brand holds B Corp certification alongside ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards, and uses water-based, food-safe inks that are injected into the silicone rather than applied on the surface, which addresses the colorant concern directly.
For parents who want the teether to do double duty, Loulou Lollipop’s pacifier clip and teether sets combine a food-grade silicone teether with a clip that attaches to clothing—practical for the phase when babies drop everything repeatedly. The brand is available across Canada and ships directly through louloulollipop.ca.
The broader point isn’t brand-specific: Canadian parents have good options in 2026, and food-grade silicone has become the material category with the strongest safety track record for teething toys. The work is in verifying that the specific product in your hands actually meets that standard—not just claims it does.