I’d like to know what other moms think. I’m doing research on whether or not to get [name_u]Desi[/name_u] one. I know they’re trendy, but do they really do anything? And if they do have an effect, does the lighter amber have more succinic acid than the darker colored resin? Unpolished, raw seems to be the way to go no matter what the color.
[name_m]Even[/name_m] if they’re mildly effective, I’m happy to drop the $15-$20 for one.
There seems to be a pretty substantial Latvian and Lithuanian supply online. Are they just marketing to a trend or do moms notice an effect?
In other words, no. There is no scientific basis for amber teething necklaces relieving teething pain. It is dangerous for a baby to wear a beaded necklace, which could lead to either choking or strangulation. What I have noticed is that while my friends who use these rave about them, the babies don’t seem to do any differently wearing the necklaces as opposed to not wearing them. As an example: one of my friends is very concerned about the choking, etc, so she doesn’t leave the necklace on her daughter all of the time. She puts it on her when she gets fussy. So the baby starts crying, my friend picks her up and puts the necklace on. Then she soothes her, cuddles her and nurses her. The baby eventually stops crying. My friend says, “See? It’s like magic! These necklaces really work!”
They are pretty necklaces, and I think they look cute on babies. But the only effect they have is a placebo for the parents. If you decide to buy one, please please don’t leave the baby alone or sleeping with it ever. I know some people wrap it around the babies ankle under the sock, but even then I think that most babies would be able to get to it and if they get to it, they will likely put it in their mouth.
Meh, [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] wore one for a while. I bought it out of desperation when she first started teething with her 2 year molars (months ago - they still aren’t in!). She was miserable enough that I was willing to try anything that we hadn’t tried. The main effect I saw was that her drooling decreased within about 12 hours of putting it on her for the first time, and increased when left off for longer periods of time. She was only 20 months or so when we got it, so it’s not like she could tell me whether or not she felt better. After about 2 months of wear, I stopped noticing any difference between the times when she was wearing it and when she wasn’t. I stopped putting it on her for the most part.
There is little strangulation or choking hazard, really. The beads are too small to choke on, and the necklace is knotted between each bead, so if it breaks, only one or two beads would fall off. ETA: We cosleep, and this probably informs my idea of choking a hazard. My daughter doesn’t spend any unsupervised time in a crib, so there would be little time for her to break her necklace and then swallow the strand of beads
This post caught my attention, as I wasn’t really sure what an amber teething necklace was. As I read, i realized, the kids I used to nanny for were wearing them once when I babysat them recently! It’s funny now that I think about it, because the baby kept sucking on it and I kept taking it out of her mouth- never would have guessed it was for that purpose! I was really worried about them wearing it when I put them down for naps, and just the fact that they were in their mouths at all, so I took them off. The next time I saw them, neither child had them on. Guessing it didnt do much good lol. But who knows!
I agree with TK. We were given one from a midwife friend so I figured if she used them they probably work but I took it off for bed and bath and when I forgot to put them back on I didn’t notice a difference. They do look cute on though!
Yikes - they should never be long enough for baby to chew on. They make several different lengths, and the parent should always choose one that will be short enough to prevent it from reaching baby’s mouth. I would have taken them off, too!
Yes, the necklace should be pretty snug against the baby, but not tight. I’m surprised those parents didn’t recognize the strangulation risk?
I was at a children’s birthday party yesterday. One toddler was wearing one. Her parents said that they only used the necklace on her, their 3rd child. They never have had to give her Motrin or Tylenol for teething pain. However, they constantly had to medicate their two older kids. Now, who knows if it’s just a difference in temperament of the 3rd child?
It seems like most of the “evidence” I find is anecdotal.
With that said, I’ll probably still buy one just to check it out, because like you all say, they are rather cute
I have one for my daughter. I was pretty skeptical of it, but it seemed like it might have some mild effect, plus they are cute.
She has never worn it while sleeping, so I don’t know if it helps with that. I’ve used it on and off in the past few weeks, and TBH, I think she definitely drools less when wearing it, and maybe is a little less whiny (the whining is mild enough that it very well could be a coincidence).
She has been drooling excessively (soaking through multiple bibs a day) for a few weeks, and she’s worn the necklace a few consecutive days, and I hadn’t even put a bib on her the past few days. Today, I didn’t put the necklace on her, and she was soaked in drool very quickly.
I have NO idea if it helps with the teething pain…she’s still chomping on everything, but isn’t much of a crier and doesn’t seem TOO bothered by teething, necklace or not.
I don’t think it’s too much of a hazard, as long as you’re cautious (only when supervised, make sure it’s the right size, etc.)
I’ve never used them. A friend of mine got one for her fourth because the teething was just beyond a nightmare with that child. The little one always seems to have it on, so I assume she thinks it works.
The complete lack of any good evidence that amber necklaces relieve teething pain means that there is absolutely no benefit to offset the risk of wearing them. [name_f]Remember[/name_f] that in risk assessment, the size of the risk depends on two factors – the likelihood of the event happening, and the severity of the consequences. In this case, one consequence could be death by choking, and in my book, that rules them out completely.
Agreed! I don’t think there is any risk assuming you’re taking some safety precautions. I was a really big believer in them then my daughter’s broke once when I tossed to my husband and it fell on the floor and a fastener cracked in half. No danger though since it just turned into a straight line of beads none of them came off. We never got around to replacing it and she seems fine. I think she’s just not a difficult teether especially compared to my son. But they are super cute and I’ll possibly get one if we have a third.
Our baby wears one, and has since she started teething at 3 1/2 months. We used to take it off while she slept, but she’d wake up an hour later crying in pain. Eventually we just left it on.
They are pretty damn safe. The screw clasp is designed to release under pressure so your kids doesn’t choke itself, and it works well. I’ve found her necklace on the floor or inside her onesie a few times. Also the beads have a little knot in between each stone, so if the cord does break, there’s only one little rock to swallow/choke on. I know one is enough to do the job, but I’ve seen [name_f]Isis[/name_f] swallow much larger things whole and be fine. Also, like I assume most babies are, she’s watched more or less constantly. She sleeps in our room, and isn’t left unattended for any period of time.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] they work? It certainly seems like it. Overall we’ve had very little trouble with her teeth coming in, and noticeably less drool when she’s wearing it. I also know some adults who wear amber for other ailments, like thyroid, and they swear by it. I’ll be buying one for the next baby too, because if it’s not doing any harm and has the potential to help even a little, that’s good enough for me.
I’d like to mention that it needs to be Baltic amber, and there are people who do sell fakes. Also, as it takes the earth a long time to make amber, if you could please pass yours on to another mum or send it in to a shop to be recycled once you’re done with it rather than sending it to landfill, you’d be making a small but worthwhile difference
My husband and his family are from Lithuania and have family & friends in Latvia, they never heard of this use for amber. They chalk it up to a Western fashion trend. If you think they will help why not get them, if only for the placebo effect & identifier as a “crunchy” or “hip” family at the playground
We’ve been using the necklace now for about 3 weeks. I don’t know if I notice a difference when it’s off vs. when he’s wearing it, but I do seem to think he drools less when wearing it. I don’t know? Maybe it’s just my perception? I am still willing to let him keep wearing it. We’re not deep into teething yet, and I feel like I’ll have more information to go on in the next couple of months.
My babe has worn one continuously since he was about 6 months old. Now note, he is generally a well tempered little boy, but he did get 6 teeth within one week, and exhibited [name_m]ZERO[/name_m] symptoms of teething.
To the naysayers who say they can choke the child - they are designed to be worn by babies. They are cut quite close around the neck, so it would be very difficult for something to get caught up under it and choke them. That being said, we also watch him closely to make sure he’s ok, and we have an [name_u]Angel[/name_u] Care monitor that would let us know if he ever stopped breathing.
Are they an absolute cure-all? Likely not. But we are happy with our purchase.
I’ve never personally known anyone that’s used one but a few of my online mommy friends swear by them. I know there’s no evidence to prove that they’re effective but there’s also not really any to prove they’re ineffective.
I don’t see the harm if the proper precautions are taken (the necklace is short enough, etc.).
