Amber necklace

[NamastePlatypus]

I REALLY want to get one for my 24 month old approching 2 year molars and dh is REAL skeptical. Wanting to hear stories, good or bad:

[Meiri]

Amber can chip. While I would be willing to allow a baby to gum it as the first teeth are coming in, I'm not so sure I'd feel the same about a baby who's already got the teeth.

There's also the matter of the front teeth potentially breaking what the beads are strung on, and the beads then becoming a choking hazard or needed to searched for through the poo. Gums being cut if the "cordage" is Tiger Tail (a very strong plastic coated wire) is another possibility.

The only amber I can think of that I'd've considered is the really large beads of "African" amber, larger than choke hazards, which is really composite ambers melted together and reformed. I don't think swallowed amber would be too dangerous in the poisonous sense, but it can come off sharp.

I'm not remembering mine doing a whole lot of chewing for molars anyway, but that could be a function of time and seive of a memory.

I did use necklaces as nursing necklaces, but that was for keeping a hand occupied, not for teething as such.

[SageR]

I have a nursing necklace for my 18 month old and I very highly recommend them. In case you were thinking this was something to chew on, that is not how they work. Amber is fossilized tree sap - resin - and when worn it's natural oils enter the skin and act as a pain reliever. Some people also think there is some kind of energy associated with it. Anyway, amber has been used for a long long time in this way to relieve some of the discomfort of teething.

I bought our first one when ds was 4 months old. From about 6 months on he was teething. He never really drooled, had runny poop, or the fussiness associated with teething.

A few weeks ago my dh took him swimming and lost his necklace. I figured we could do without it as he has most of his teeth now. Wrong! We lasted about 4 days of ds being as cranky and whiney as I have ever seen him before I ordered another one from Little Sunflowers on Ebay (I wanted a very specific color and bead shape, and only they had it. There are US business where you can get them for less,I am very pleased with Little Sunflowers though ). Thankfully it came very quickly so we were only without for about a week. As soon as he had that necklace on he calmed down!

If nothing else amber is truly beautiful, and a little necklace on a toddler is so sweet. People comment on and compliment ds all the time. It isn't long enough for him to get into his mouth. Of course he has been wearing his for most of his life, but I don't think he even notices it.

You want to make sure that you get genuine Baltic amber.

[Lovenest]

Originally Posted by SageR

I have a nursing necklace for my 18 month old and I very highly recommend them. In case you were thinking this was something to chew on, that is not how they work. Amber is fossilized tree sap - resin - and when worn it's natural oils enter the skin and act as a pain reliever. Some people also think there is some kind of energy associated with it. Anyway, amber has been used for a long long time in this way to relieve some of the discomfort of teething.

I bought our first one when ds was 4 months old. From about 6 months on he was teething. He never really drooled, had runny poop, or the fussiness associated with teething.

A few weeks ago my dh took him swimming and lost his necklace. I figured we could do without it as he has most of his teeth now. Wrong! We lasted about 4 days of ds being as cranky and whiney as I have ever seen him before I ordered another one from Little Sunflowers on Ebay (I wanted a very specific color and bead shape, and only they had it. There are US business where you can get them for less,I am very pleased with Little Sunflowers though ). Thankfully it came very quickly so we were only without for about a week. As soon as he had that necklace on he calmed down!

If nothing else amber is truly beautiful, and a little necklace on a toddler is so sweet. People comment on and compliment ds all the time. It isn't long enough for him to get into his mouth. Of course he has been wearing his for most of his life, but I don't think he even notices it.

You want to make sure that you get genuine Baltic amber.

That is so neat. What kind of energy is said to come from it?
I wonder if it could be worn by my 4.5 year old boy for the energy reasons.
Any links to info about them or where to get them?
Thanks!

[Meiri]

The only type of "nursing necklace" I've ever heard of or seen is worn by the mother as something for her nursling to play with. It prevents twiddling.

Unless it's got a breakaway feature of some sort, magnetic clasp or a deliberately weak point, I wouldn't be having a child of mine wearing a necklace. Too much of a strangling risk.

Others' mileage may vary I suppose.

[NamastePlatypus]

Originally Posted by Meiri

Amber can chip. While I would be willing to allow a baby to gum it as the first teeth are coming in, I'm not so sure I'd feel the same about a baby who's already got the teeth.

There's also the matter of the front teeth potentially breaking what the beads are strung on, and the beads then becoming a choking hazard or needed to searched for through the poo. Gums being cut if the "cordage" is Tiger Tail (a very strong plastic coated wire) is another possibility.

The only amber I can think of that I'd've considered is the really large beads of "African" amber, larger than choke hazards, which is really composite ambers melted together and reformed. I don't think swallowed amber would be too dangerous in the poisonous sense, but it can come off sharp.

I'm not remembering mine doing a whole lot of chewing for molars anyway, but that could be a function of time and seive of a memory.

I did use necklaces as nursing necklaces, but that was for keeping a hand occupied, not for teething as such.

WHY would I let him chew on it? DO you even know what I am talking about?

[NamastePlatypus]

Originally Posted by doriansmummy

That is so neat. What kind of energy is said to come from it?
I wonder if it could be worn by my 4.5 year old boy for the energy reasons.
Any links to info about them or where to get them?
Thanks!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5617405

[jbpoetmom]

There's always a lot of confusion and disbelief about the amber necklace for teething, like others said, they're not for chewing!

As a mainstream comparison, think about all those golfers with magnetic bracelets. The magnetic field ("energy") supposedly helps treat pain. The energy/properties of the amber against the baby/toddler's skin helps (according to many - especially used in Europe?) with the pain and symptoms of teething. The necklaces are too short to put in the mouth and they are knotted between each bead in case they break, but if you buy one specifically for teething breaking probably won't happen. I've heard of putting it on an ankle too . . .

Anyway, I think it's worth a try to invest in an amber necklace, especially if it could save me from buying all those natural teething gels and tablets I had to buy for my daughter!

[Meiri]

WHY would I let him chew on it? DO you even know what I am talking about?

First I've heard of some physical object for TEETHING ("second molars coming in") not being something for gumming and chewing on. Excuse me for having a practical viewpoint after 16 years in the mothering trenches.

Regardless of the parental intent, children that age DO chew on things, and Amber DOES chip.

There is also a reason that strings and such are not supposed to be on children's clothing and that necklaces aren't generally recommended, as I mentioned in my second post.

From the etsy site:

As with any jewelry, children should always be supervised when wearing a teething necklace as the small beads can present a choking hazard and the cord can be a strangulation hazard. If you are unable to supervise your child, please remove the teething necklace. Never let a child (even one without teeth) put the beads in his or her mouth as these beads are natural stones, not plastic, and could break under pressure.

And you did ask for both positive and negative. Did you not?

[mamarabolli]

I bought one for my 2 1/2 yr old to calm her, andone for my 4 month old. Love them! They are cute I think they really worked for my dds. There's info on http://www.wondrousgems.com/acatalog...necklaces.html.

[RubyWild]

Originally Posted by NamastePlatypus

WHY would I let him chew on it? DO you even know what I am talking about?

I don't.

[messy mama]

Originally Posted by NamastePlatypus

WHY would I let him chew on it? DO you even know what I am talking about?

I was also confused by your very vague post. You mentioned teething and necklaces. So I thought of a teething necklace. How silly. :

Yeah, I probably wouldn't put a necklace on my infant/toddler. If I felt it would do some good I might try an alternative method. But so far none of my kids have had problems w/ teething.

[essnce629]

I had no idea what the OP was talking about either, but I clicked on the above link. Here's a little snippet from the website about the safety of the necklaces. And no, they are not meant to be chewed on or put into the mouth.

ARE THEY SAFE?

These beautiful amber necklaces are great for babies and toddlers to soothe the pain and discomfort of teething. They have amber clasps, are all one size (approx. 34cm) and will fit babies and children. As an additional safety feature, there is a knot before and after each bead, so that even in the extremely unlikely event of the string being torn, not a single bead is lost and there is no risk of choking.

These necklaces are made for wearing, not for chewing. Amber exhibits pain relieving qualities when worn on the skin.

[Merilin]

I know of at least 3 kids who died because they strangled themselves with their amber necklaces. There are some, which are supposed to rip, when you pull, I have not found a single one, that was convincing to me. Especially the ones, with all those knots don't rip and are thus a great danger for strangulation. For me this risk overshadows any potential benefits of such a necklace.

[Meiri]

There's a way around that Merilin, though I didn't see it on that website.

What I did when I started letting DD wear the occasional necklace (at well over 24moa) was to make them with a magnetic clasp. For a baby necklace, I'd go with the smallest, and thus weakest, one available.

The other thing I did, bearing in mind that DD was older, was to close the necklace with a bow tied such that the part around the neck is what pulls the bow out. That way, any pulling that could harm the child will remove the necklace.

[aprilibarra]

hard to find

I had a hard time finding strangulation cases or choking for that matter. I did find this store owner on a forum that did thorough investigating on the product.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...html?p=2552569
as for what they say about strangulation, this product breaks easier than some bibs.

[Merilin]

The cases I referred to happened in Germany and France. The child strangulated himself on a branch while playing at daycare, fell into a koma for about a week, and died. The necklace he was wearing was one of those, that was supposed to rip. There were 2 more cases.

Maybe the magnetic thing could work, but I would be too scared, because the most impossible things do happen, maybe my fear is not rational, but I don't really see the advantage compared to the potential danger.

[Meiri]

Merilin, FWIW, I used magnetic clasps on most of my necklaces when DD was little and grabby. They let go at a toddler's strength. I'm pretty sure they'd let go with the child's weight pulling on them before strangulation happened.

[aprilibarra]

Do they carry those at most craft stores?

[Meiri]

I've seen them at JoAnn's. Pat Catan's might carry them too.

Also, Fire Mountain Gems, which is a mail order (or online) company has them.