Amber Teething Necklaces

So, these have become really popular among natural circles. I didn't hear about them until my second daughter, really and she was six months old before I decided to give it a try. I was quite skeptical, but I figured if it didn't work, it was pretty enough.

I didn't really notice any difference. She was clearly just as drooly as before and still displayed teething behaviors (gnawing on everything, drooling away, etc.). I just kept moving it from her leg at night back to her neck in the day and then one day, I realized that she had finally broken through a tooth. Her behavior had not changed. She had not become any more fussy than usual (she was a very fussy baby in general) and in fact, had not even been all that fussy that week.

The real test came when she got in two molars at once--and I had no idea she was teething until they were in. Now, maybe she was an easy teether, but with her personality and sensitivity level, I find that notion utterly preposterous.

Surprisingly, she's still somehow benefiting from it and she's over two and a half years old. Within twenty-four hours of the necklace not being on, her ability to deal with stress and unpleasant situations plummets. I have no clue why. It was why we bought another necklace to replace the first one that she broke.

That's right, she broke her necklace. Did she choke on it? Nope! She was pulling on it and, as it was designed, it broke rather than choke her. Only one bead came off--the bead at the place of breakage. See, when I got a necklace, I made sure it was designed so that every bead was individually knotted and small enough to easily pass through if swallowed. No choking hazards.

I know that's a big concern for parents--it's a necklace on a baby. Honestly, seeing how they were designed, I didn't worry about that.  I could tell it was made very safely and since I cosleep, I could see how it fell on her in her sleep after I stopped moving it from her ankle to her neck (yes, I don't take it off at night, but you certainly can if you like).

I don't know how scientifically supported they are. There are very mixed answers on that. But I don't believe in homeopathy for the most part. I'm a "I'll believe it when I see it" kind of person (I even tested Hyland's teething tablets on myself when I had a broken tooth: totally worked--the Hyland's teething gel did not, at all). Well, I've seen it and I believe it works. And sorry, but babies cannot react to placebos--how can the power of suggestion work on an infant? I'm not the only one that I know who had a baby show an obvious change when the necklace was no longer on and then a reversion to a happier baby once it was back (took about 24-48 hours for the positive change to come back, around 24 hours or less for the negative reaction to set in).

So I do recommend these. Like I said for my own daughter, if nothing else: they're pretty. They work by excreting succinic acid (amber is not a stone, but a resin) when warm, through the oils that come out when in contact with skin. Baby does not chew on them for relief. I mostly kept it under her clothes so that she didn't have much access to it, but honestly, since she'd been wearing it so long, she didn't really try to get to it that much. It was just a part of her.

Despite talking about my daughter, these are just as popular for boys! They are gender neutral and quite attractive on little boys, too.

Source

Get a necklace that has knots before and after each bead with a screw clasp (this will come apart in the event of the necklace being pulled on hard enough and can be repaired). If baby doesn't wear it at night, it might help if you do--around your ankle or wrist, to keep the amber 'warm.' Do not leave a baby alone in a crib with a necklace on! My children do not sleep alone, so she was able to wear it at all times. Take it off for baths to protect the necklace thread. Check your sources to the best of your abilities before purchasing, to be certain you get Baltic Amber and not an imitation. The lighter the stone: the higher the concentration of succinic acid, supposedly (some people say this is not true, so choose as you like!).

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