Amber teething necklace review

Jordan is a hard teether. A few weeks back, he was having a really rough time with molars. Someone on Twitter suggested amber teething necklaces, so I looked into it.

I browsed on etsy and sent some questions to one of the sellers, Emma from the Amberforsale shop, and she agreed to send me, free of charge, one of her Baltic amber necklaces to try out on Jordan and review here.

There are many different, lovely colors of amber offered in Emma's shop, and I had a difficult time choosing. Finally, I settled on this green amber nugget necklace. (Photo courtesy of the amberforsale etsy shop).



I received the necklace in the mail and put it on Jordan. I was fully expecting him to go crazy trying to pull it off himself or get it in his mouth, but shockingly, he has left it alone. That is totally uncharacteristic for Jordan, but it speaks volumes of the comfort of the necklace on him. He might reach up and touch it as I put it on him, but that's it.

At first, I thought the necklaces were for the baby to actually TEETHE on, as in chew. Not the case. Rather, it's the oils from the amber that are supposed to soothe the baby through the skin.

Here is some information about amber from Emma:

"Amber is the ancient resin of trees. The resin has gone through a number of changes over millions of years. The result of this metamorphosis is an exceptional gem with extraordinary properties. It is exploited and used by both craftsmen and scientist. Amber, which is in fact a fossil, is often held in the same class as semi-precious stones such as turquoise and jade because of its ornamental uses. Unlike these stones, amber is not mineralized. Rather, it is simply the fossil of resin, or tree sap. We use Baltic amber which is mined in the Baltic sea. This small Baltic region holds 90% of all world deposits of high quality amber."

More about the actual teething necklaces:

"Firstly it’s important to remember that they are NOT for the child to chew on, they work by being worn against the skin, the heat of which releases microscopic amounts of oil, which is then absorbed into the skin. These amber teething necklaces are made of Baltic amber which is distinct from other types of amber as it contains succinic acid and it is this compound which gives amber teething necklaces their therapeutic quality. Succinic acid is naturally occurring in every cell of the human body and has many functions; analgesic (for pain relief), expectorant (to decrease mucous in the nose and chest), anti pyrectic (anti fever), antispasmodic (reduces the diarrhoea from an over active bowel) and anti inflammatory (reduces the red cheeks and dribbling).

Some parents of children with amber teething necklaces report that they don’t even know when new teeth break through as the child is no different to their normal contented self. Obviously safety is paramount and there are a few things to consider; Baltic sea amber teething necklaces should be worn only under supervision, and should be worn under the clothing against the skin. They are short to reduce the risk of getting caught on anything and the child will become desensitised to its presence around their neck. Amber teething necklaces should be removed during naps or night time. Each bead is rounded to prevent sharp edges damaging the child’s skin, and is individually knotted onto cotton so that if a breakage were to occur only one bead would come off the necklace, and their small size makes them much less likely to cause choking should they then be swallowed.

The screw-on clasp is made of plastic and not silver, and if a great strain is put on the necklace, this clasp will give way and allow the necklace to break open."

Here's a photo of the clasp on Jordan



Soooo.... Did it work? Well, the short answer is I'm not sure. The reason I don't know is that as soon as I got the necklace and he started wearing it, he got sick. We've been through two back-to-back bouts of croup as well as a diaper rash situation caused by the doses of antibiotics. Yuck. That means I've had a crabby baby!

He did pop another molar through a few days after wearing the necklace, and I don't know if it was just me, but there WERE a couple days in there before he got sick that he would become calmer shortly after I put the necklace on him.

I just wish I'd had more opportunity to observe him in teething action, but not sick and cranky, to have a better idea if it was the necklace or not.

BUT, I have absolutely not discounted the amber teething necklace, and I will continue to put it on him. If it can give him some comfort, even unseen or unnoticed by me, then I want that for him.

PLUS, it looks incredibly adorable on him. I have had many, many comments on it. Neither Hubby nor I have ever been "jewelry on guys" kind of people, but even Hubby thinks it looks cute on Jordan.



If you have a hard teether, I would recommend trying a teething necklace. There are a lot of people out there that swear by them. The Amberforsale etsy shop has a fantastic selection. Emma also has a website for her amber products. Check it out!

Thanks, Emma, for allowing Jordan to try the amber teething necklace!