When I had my first child, I was blissfully unaware of the “crunchy mom” lifestyle. I used car seat strap covers, Johnson’s baby wash, and Tylenol whenever she started running the slightest fever. I also used Orajel. Well, I used it until my pediatrician told me to stop. Then I used Tylenol for that too. One day, a friend at church asked if I’d heard of teething tablets. I had not, but decided to try them out. I really felt like they helped. Unfortunately, there was a recall on those as well. Around the time I had my second baby (15 months after my Gerber-fed, weaned at a year, don’t-let-her-fall!! firstborn), I was introduced to the world of Crunchy Parenting. I learned about Baby Led Weaning, car seat safety, baby wearing, and natural products for babies. We began using cloth diapers and wipes with a natural, homemade cleaning solution. It was at that time that I was introduced to Amber Teething Necklaces. I got one for my second child when she was around 8 months old and have used them ever since.
What is an Amber Teething Necklace?
An amber teething necklace is a small (baby sized) necklace made of amber beads. Most of the amber used to make amber teething necklaces is made from Baltic amber, which originates from the Baltic region and is made from the fossilized resin of the sap of conifer trees. Baltic amber comes in a wide variety of colors, but the colors most often used for teething necklaces are light brown, milky yellow, and orange. Alternative colors are more rare and thus more valuable and too costly for teething necklaces.
How do Amber Teething Necklaces Work?
The “secret ingredient” in the amber is succinic acid. Succinic acid makes up 8% of Baltic amber and is often used in natural medicine as an anti-inflammatory, immune booster, antioxidant-source, and a calming agent. It is believed that when a baby’s skin warms up, some of the succinic acid is released and absorbed into the blood stream and the baby reaps the benefits.
Are Amber Teething Necklaces Safe?
- Is succinic acid safe?
- Succinic acid is commonly used in human food and is considered safe by the FDA.
- Are the beads on the necklace a choking hazard?
- On amber teething necklaces from reputable manufacturers, the beads are each tied on individually. If the necklace were to break, no more than one bead would fall off. The beads are quite small, so even if the baby were to break the necklace and get a bead in his/her mouth, the chances of choking are extremely minimal. However, it is recommended to remove the necklace for sleeping times and give it a little test tug and look it over before placing it back on your baby.
- Are the necklaces a strangulation hazard?
- It is recommended that the necklace be large enough to fit comfortably around baby’s neck, but not loose enough to reach baby’s mouth or get tangled in anything as the baby plays. As you can see in the photos, I have tied knots in my babys’ necklaces to get them to the right length. If you use the “not too tight, not too loose” rule, the necklaces are safe for the baby to wear.
- Can my baby wear his/her necklace at night?
- No. For your baby’s safety, it is recommended that you remove the necklace whenever he/she is sleeping.
What kind of necklace should I get?
There is a huge variety of amber teething necklaces on the market, so as you search here are some things to look for.
- Raw, unpolished amber. It is believed that polishing the amber can make it more difficult for the succinic acid to be released, so you want it raw and unpolished.
- Lighter colors. The darker colors are more than likely heated to enhance the color, so they may not be as effective.
There are so many choices! Which one should I get?
There really are a LOT of choices out there, but using the list above should help. There are a couple I can recommend.
This is the one that I bought for Isaac after the one I had for David wore out to the point where I wasn’t sure it wouldn’t break. I know it contains some darker beads, but there’s a good mix and it seems to work well. After doing research for this blog post, however, I would be interested to see if a necklace with all light colored beads would work better.
The other necklace I can recommend is this one. After researching for this post, I learned that almost all Baltic amber is put through an autoclave which heats it to sanitize. This is the only one I could find that hadn’t been put through the autoclave, therefore leaving it truly “raw”.
The Big Question: Do Amber Teething Necklace Really Work?
I can only tell you my story. There are countless success stories on the internet, but I’ll just share mine. When I was struggling with Miriam’s teething and trying to use more natural remedies, I bought my first amber teething necklace from a friend whose child had outgrown it. I noticed almost an immediate difference. Miriam was happier, her drooling was less, she was sleeping better at night, and one day, I noticed a tooth had popped through and I had seen NO symptoms! Since that experience, I’ve had my babies wear their necklaces daily from the moment they start showing teething symptoms. I figure, if it worked for Miriam SO well, why not for them? I can’t say I’ve noticed a difference, but that’s because they are always wearing them, so I don’t know how bad it would be without them.
Leave a Reply