Necklace c/o Amber for Babies
Aaahhhh, toddlerhood. With my daughter turning two years old very soon, so many people have mentioned I am leaving the baby phase of family life for a short while. Really? We still have diapers, and the pre-bedtime bottle of milk, (I know, I KNOW,) the tears, the lack of verbal communication, and the teething. Life sure seem to still have a whole lot of baby going on! Those second year molars can be brutal. She doesn’t understand why her head hurts and there is not much we can do about it. We don’t really do teething drops or biscuits, and really, she is a little old for that. So I look to the old standby of an amber teething necklace.
How Does Amber work?
Baltic amber contains succinic acid which acts as a very mild pain reliever. When you wear amber against your skin, small amounts of this acid absorb into the skin and has the ability to offer a bit of relief. Amber has been used as a pain remedy in other countries for many years, but it has only gained some attention in the U.S. in recent years. It used to be used for rheumatic pain quite often. There are a lot of skeptics of course. Just as there are when it comes to most alternative therapies. My take is if it doesn’t hurt anything, go ahead and try it.
We used an amber teething necklace on our son for nearly two years because he had a wicked teething rash and blood blisters from eight weeks old until well over the age of two. He didn’t even notice the necklace while wearing it and it never caused a problem. My daughter is more of a complainer with teething pain, so I went with a light colored raw amber for her. The lighter the color, the stronger the succinic acid content. Also, raw amber is stronger than polished amber.
Safety
Safety certified amber teething necklaces like those at Amber For Babies are individually knotted between each bead so should the necklace break, it will remain in one piece, so baby won’t be popping beads in her mouth like skittles. Also, the thread is designed to break under less pressure than could cause damage to the child. The screw clasp is sturdy and well knotted for safety.
Are they safe? Will they really break as claimed?
I will tell you, I had a necklace identical to this one pictured on my daughter a few months ago. My son had grabbed it and yanked. It broke just as it should have and remained in one piece. No harm, no foul. I just need to figure out how to fix it. So, I have faith in their relative safety. Although, due to the older toddler’s propensity for yanking on necklaces, they no longer get to wear them while alone together.
Please use safety precautions with your teething jewelry. Child should be supervised while wearing a necklace. Please check your jewelry for defects or weaknesses. Make sure your child’s necklace fits close to the neck to avoid it getting caught on anything, including child’s own jaw.
Some parents choose to remove the jewelry during sleep time if it is unsupervised. Another alternative is to wrap the necklace around an ankle under some footie pajamas where the baby cannot access it. This lessens the effect of the amber for teething since it is not near the pain source. I keep my kids sleeping in our room next to our bed for the first full year, so I tend to not worry much about wearing it during sleep. It is a personal choice.
I like utilizing amber since it is natural, contains no odd ingredients like many teething remedies, and can continue as a nice piece of jewelry beyond the teething phase. If you have multiple necklaces, you can even screw them together and make an adult sized necklace. Necklaces from Amber for Babies are 12-13 inches in length, making them suitable for toddlers and older infants. They also have amber bracelets if you are uncomfortable with the idea of a necklace. Remember: amber teething jewelry is meant to just wear, not chew!
Amber for Babies has a large selection of color and styles of amber to choose from ranging in price from $22-$34. Right now they are having a big sale!
*Necklace c/o Amber for Babies for reviewing purposes.