When your child starts teething, typically around 4 to 6 months of age, your baby will probably be pretty miserable until their teeth emerge from their gums. In fact, it can make your baby pretty grumpy and irritable. I remember going through this phase with all three of my own children and I found the frozen teething rings to be one of their favorite thing to chew on to soothe their swollen gums. As a mom, I always strive to do my best to to make my baby feel better and make their pain go away. Over the last few years, I have seen other parents buying their baby the amber teething necklaces in hopes of making their baby more comfortable. I wanted to research and share my opinion about Amber Teething Necklaces. I haven’t personally used the teething amber necklace on any of my kids, so I can’t tell you how well it works or if it works at all. Of course, as a chronic pain suffer it has me curious if it really helps with pain.
Disclosure: This post is for information purposes only. If you have any question about the safety of using an baltic amber teething necklace or if you baby seems unconscionable, please contact your child’s doctor or health care professional. This post contains affiliate links.
What is an Baltic Amber Teething Necklace?
It is a comfortable beaded necklace that is made from Amber. It is thought to have healing powers when it is worn while you are feeling pain or discomfort. According to Wikipedia, amber is known as a healing agent in folk medicine. The necklaces are made of Baltic Amber. Baltic amber is known for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. If you don’t want to give your child an excessive amount of medications or teething gels or tablets, this seems like a logical option to try on your baby. The necklace supposedly works by using your child’s body heat to warm up the necklace and it emits small amounts of essentials oils. The oils are absorbed into the skin. I have heard some mom’s comments on my Baby Center forum that swear that it helped remedy their child’s teething symptoms.
Is it Safe to Use a Baltic Amber Teething Necklace to Reduce Teething Symptoms?
The answer to this question is NO. As a mom, I never would have allowed my child to wear one simply because your child could accidentally choke or could get the necklace caught on something causing them to strangle themselves.
In fact, if your baby puts the necklace in their mouth and chews on it then you are putting your baby at risk. It is possible that the necklace could break or even a bead could crack in half from chewing on it and your child could accidentally swallow it. I don’t even recommend that you use this product even if you plan on constantly supervise your child. It only takes a few moments for something to happen to your baby.
Once your child is mobile and can easily move around, if they are wearing the necklace they could accidentally catch it on something. If the necklace doesn’t break, it could pose a strangulation hazard for your child especially if you aren’t monitoring your child closely.
Even if you decide to play it safe and put the necklace around your child’s ankle, it is still possible that your baby can remove it off of their ankle. After all a teething baby, will go after anything that they can gnaw on especially when their teeth are bothering them. If you do plan on using the necklace despite the warnings, you should never allow your child to sleep unattended with the necklace on.
Overall, there is no real scientific proof that these necklaces actually work. In fact, most pediatricians don’t recommend them to their patients because they pose a high risk of chocking or strangulation to your child.
I wouldn’t even allow my toddler who is currently exhibiting signs and symptoms of his two year molars to use it either.
Alternative Teething Remedies
- Chewable Toys – Find several different types of chewable toys for your baby to chew on. These toys can be hard plastic, soft plastic, and have several different types of textures. Just make sure that they are safe for your baby and don’t pose a chocking hazard. Baby toys are a great option because they are made of safe materials that aren’t harmful to your baby.
- Cold Stuff- This was one of my personal favorites to use on my children. Find toys that you can put in the refrigerator or freezer. Cold products can safely numb your child’s gums and give them temporary relief. If you put things in the freezer for you baby, make sure that it isn’t froze solid it is possible for your child to accidentally bruise their tender gums. If you don’t have any cold toys, you can use a small wash cloth and put it in some ice cold water. If possible, you can even tie it in a knot so that your baby has something to chew on. You can also offer your baby cold water in their sippy cup or bottle.
- Mesh Teethers – You can offer your baby bite sized cold fruit in a mesh teether. The mesh keeps your child from accidentally chocking or swallowing on the fruit. The cold fruit feels good on their gums and the taste of the food can easily distract them from the pain temporarily.
- Pain Medication – Contact your child’s pediatrician to get the proper dosing information for pain relievers. The dosage requirements are based upon your child’s current weight and giving too much medication can be harmful to your baby.
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