FAQ: Amber Teething Necklace

We get a lot of comments and questions about Rooney's teething necklace. Usually people who meet her say "Oh, she is adorable!" quickly followed by "Is she wearing a necklace?" I know some of you have asked about it as well, so I thought I'd answer the most common questions here in a separate post. Feel free to ask others in the comment section if you have them!

Does she chew on it?

No. I have actually never seen her touch the necklace. I don't think she knows it is there.

Where did you get it?

It was an early Christmas gift from Eric's mom. She purchased it online at Amber Artisans. Rooney's necklace is 13" long and can be purchased here for $18.95.

How does it work?

I honestly don't know much about it, but from what I've read, there is amber resin in/on the stones that releases healing oils when it is warmed by the skin. The website says it provides "natural pain relief and soothing analgesic support during teething." Amber is also known to have immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory and therapeutic properties. If you're curious, there is a lot more info on that here.

Does she sleep with it on?

She does, yes. We used to take it off (which is recommended by the company), but then we kept forgetting to put it back on. She got really sick around Christmas (terrible cough, runny nose), and our chiropractor thought she might be teething. She didn't have her necklace on and I was like Is this what teething looks like? We vowed right then and there to never take the necklace off again.

I've heard it can take 2-3 weeks for the amber to soak into the blood stream, which is why we keep it on her all the time and not just when we think she is teething. If it would worry you for your child to sleep with the necklace on, I've heard of people wrapping it around their child's ankle while they sleep.

The only time we take it off is to "recharge" it, which you can do by soaking it in lukewarm water and then laying it in the sunlight to dry for 30 minutes. However, I did just Google this and it sounds like it will only help bring the amber to the surface if the sun will get the necklace warmer than our skin. So, maybe we will forget about that until a hot summer day.

Is it stretchy?

No, it is not stretchy. Each bead is tied on individually, so all the beads won't fall off if it happens to break.

Does it really work?

I think it does! But I'm not sure I could ever know for sure. Rooney got her first two teeth (on the bottom) before we owned the necklace, but she has since gotten her top two teeth. I've heard the top teeth are usually harder on the baby, but Roo didn't seem bothered at all. In fact, she slept 14 hours the night they came in. If she doesn't fuss when she gets her molars, I will scream it from the rooftop that this necklace is a miracle :)

I personally know three other kids who wear them (even one boy), and the response I get from those parents when I ask if they think it works is: It really does seem to! But I figure it can't hurt either way! That's how we feel, too.

What else do you do for teething?

We also use Hyland's Teething Tablets, which are 100% natural, when we suspect she is teething. The pacifier seems to help, too. Sometimes we give her celery (a natural pain reliever) to chew on. I've also heard of chamomilla and clove oil, but have never used either. However, there is chamomilla in the teething tablets.

Does your child wear a teething necklace? I'd love to hear your experience!