Why You Shouldn’t Use Teething Necklaces for Your Baby
If you rely on teething necklaces to contain your child’s pain, the FDA wants you to stop. But they weren’t just big bullies – the kids choked and choked on teething necklaces, and the amber ones made statements that were always too good to be true.
A recent FDA warning applies to most types of teething or chewing jewelry. These include amber necklaces or bracelets with tiny beads, and necklaces or bracelets with larger beads (wood, marble, amber, or silicone) that are designed to be chewed. Some of these products are used by infants and others by older children with autism or ADHD for sensory stimulation. Their recommendation: just don’t use them.
Why not a choker with large beads?
These types are meant to be chewed on by children. The beads can come off if a child chews on the cord, and then the beads pose a serious choking hazard. In addition, the necklaces can snag on something and suffocate the child. (The FDA received reports of an 18-month-old teen who strangled to death while sleeping.)
Why not amber necklaces?
They are usually not meant to be chewed, but presumably they release a natural chemical, succinic acid, which is absorbed into the baby’s skin and relieves pain.
There are two problems with this statement. First, it is likely that nothing is absorbed from the necklaces, in which case you could save your money as well. Another is that there may be a chemical leached through your baby’s skin, in which case you have to ask: how much? Is this a safe dose? What are the side effects? Will there be less shipments over time? Is this chemical known to be safe and effective in itself?
You probably wouldn’t give your child a pill containing a mysterious drug in a mysterious dose, so be careful here too. The FDA says they have not evaluated the safety and efficacy of succinic acid as a pain reliever.
And they pose the same suffocation risk as other types of necklaces.
What are the safe ways to manage teething pain?
The American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics agree that the best ways to manage teething pain include:
- Have the kid chew your finger
- Have a child chew on a rubber teething toy
- Have the frozen washcloth chew on (tie it in a knot and soak in water before freezing).
Teeth rings with liquid fillings are not recommended (the liquid inside can be dirty and microbial if the child manages to bite their teeth), and local anesthetics are not recommended: benzocaine, the most common ingredient, can sometimes cause a fatal condition called methemoglobinemia. … And they are usually washed off with a wave of saliva within minutes of application. Meanwhile, homeopathic teething medications can contain too high doses of poisonous belladonna , which means it’s also potentially deadly.
It’s hard to see your child suffer, but teething jewelry and medications don’t really help (if they help at all) and pose a serious risk. And yes, we all have stories of how the child was in pain until we brought a certain medicine or toy, but remember that we do know how to tell ourselves stories that turn out to be untrue . For example, teething pain comes and goes, so whatever you do when the pain is at its peak, it will get better. It is best to allow your child to chew something safe.