Amber Teething Necklaces...voodoo? or do you?

At about 4 months old LK and I joined a new playgroup. As we are getting to know everyone (you know the awkward…oh how old is your baby…awww he/she is soooo cute…etc. etc.) I began to notice all of the babies were wearing what appeared to be necklaces. Oh God…was this something that you had to wear to be a part of the group? Why didn’t LK have one? Would the other babies think she wasn’t cool?! Panic. Ha. Kidding. Well sort of. I finally mustered up the courage to ask what in the hell the necklaces were about and was quickly filled in. They were teething necklaces? HUH? Like the babies chewed on them? That surely didn’t seem safe. So I zipped my mouth acted like it was the coolest thing since sliced bread and immediately googled when I got home. What I found was intriguing to say the least. No, the babies didn’t chew on them…what happens is that the succinic acid (found in amber) is one of the oldest pain relievers on record. As the amber warms from being next to the skin, the succinic acid is released, absorbed through the skin and has a calming effect on the nervous system…all with no side effects. Okay, I know full well that this sounds like some Hippie BS, but ladies…it works. I swear. I notice LK to be much more calm, not nearly as fussy and the drool….oh the drool….it decreases dramatically. The reason that I even remembered to blog about this is because she is currently getting new teeth and this afternoon/evening….S*&t really hit the fan. Refused to eat, running her tongue along her gums, low grade temp, and, well, screaming bloody murder. I scurried for the dang necklace (which I realized had been off all day) and I now have a soundly sleeping baby girl. Let’s be clear, I am not opposed to Tylenol (in my humble opinion a baby should not be in pain when there’s something that can be done to help) but I don’t prefer it. After almost 8 months we are not even half-way through our first bottle of infant pain reliever and I like that. I do think a large part has to do with the necklace. If you have a teething baby or one on the verge this may be a good investment. And although the reviews online are surely mixed (see some here and here), I can tell you that my “mommy” friends swearrrr by them (as do I). The only drawback is that people think that it’s a necklace. “Oh and she’s wearing jewelry…how cute” ughhhhh this annoys me. Listen, if my 7mo old was really wearing a necklace to make a fashion statement, Lord knows I could find something cuter.

In case you are wondering…of course I was worried about choking and strangling. My fears were calmed when the sales associate demonstrated for me that if the necklaces are pulled with any force they easily come off. The beads are also triple knotted between each to prevent choking. LK literally doesn’t pay it ANY attention. She’s never tried to pull on it or chew it….it does not phase her at all and she wears it 24/7.