Amber Teething Necklaces

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My 4 month old princess has become a slobber puss! For the past few weeks she's had her hands, fingers, & our fingers in her mouth. At first I wrote it off as a stage of development - learning by putting everything in her mouth. The only catch is that she doesn't put everything in her mouth - just her fingers/hands & ours (she literally grabs them & pulls them into her mouth!). I noticed a couple of weeks ago that she wasn't just sucking, but chewing, & chewing H-A-R-D! There was a lot of fuss in my due date group about amber teething necklaces, so decided to check it out for myself.

What is Baltic Amber?
Amber is not a stone, but petrified resin. Baltic amber originates from the resin of pine trees which  formed  40 to 50 million years ago during the Tertiary period. Genuine Baltic amber is the best-known and most appreciated variety of amber worldwide.

How does it work?

Wearing Amber necklaces is a traditional European remedy for teething babies. Amber is very popular as a natural pain reliever and can help calm a baby without pills or other drugs. The knowledge of the healing properties of amber has been known in the Baltic area for several thousands of years. The necklaces aren't for chewing on like some other remedies! Babies wear it on their skin, to diminish the pain and discomfort caused by teething. Warm amber releases healing oils that helps babies and young children to stay calm and more relaxed throughout teething. By having the baby wear the necklace everyday it helps reduce the common symptoms associated with teething such as; redness in the cheeks, swollen gums, diaper rashes and fevers. Historically they were worn by Mom while holding her baby next to her. These days they're made to be worn by baby, so care must be taken that it's short enough not to reach baby's mouth. Supervision is required to prevent choking. For instance, I don't allow my daughter to sleep in hers.

How do we know it works?

European biochemists discovered in the 1930's and 40's that succinic acid is an amino acid created naturally in every cell of the body capable of aerobic respiration, participating in the Krebs cycle . This is how the body metabolizes food into energy. Worn close to the skin, the body's heat helps release very small amounts of oil from the amber, which is then absorbed into the blood stream. Baltic amber reduces acidity in the human body in a natural way, reduces inflammation, & reduces fever.

How amber was used historically:

Amazingly, amber's chemical properties (resin) act as a natural embalming agent, with both drying and anti-microbial properties. Ancient Egyptians used pine resin as an embalming agent, and doctors in the Civil War, lacking anything else, would sometimes slap tree resin on a wound as a disinfectant and saved lives that way.

My experience:

Enough of the history! I purchased my baby's necklace from an eBay seller in Lithuania (user id is lunaleona) who had excellent reviews. I wanted to make sure that I was getting authentic Lithuanian Amber rather than glass or plastic fakes due to a recent bad experience I had with a different seller. More on that later....

lunaleona had great reviews on previous teething necklaces & also great prices! I'm a bargain hunter who also looks for quality. I selected what I thought was the prettiest necklace, & it only cost me $5.99 plus $5 shipping! In 3 short weeks it was here, & I have to say that I'm very happy with my purchase. I didn't notice an immediate change, but within the first couple of days of use I did see a change. My baby girl seemed much calmer & less fussy when wearing her necklace. She chewed on her fingers less, & when her hands were in her mouth it was to suck on them. On the 3rd day I forgot to put the necklace on her & was reminded immediately by her grabbing my index finger, shoving it in her mouth, & chomping down H-A-R-D on it! I put the necklace on & within about half an hour the painful chewing stopped, & she was just gently gumming me & herself.

I'm so impressed with this necklace that I'm thinking of purchasing an authentic necklace for my 13 year old, who suffers from migraines. I'm also considering getting one for my husband & I for various aches & pains. I would highly recommend trying one out if you haven't already! If nothing else, they're a cute piece of jewelry for any sex baby.

Warning about fake amber:

There are less than scrupulous sellers out there. Usually if you see a piece of jewelry with insects trapped inside or etchings on the "amber", they aren't authentic. Instead you're likely getting glass or plastic fakes. It can look very real to the naked eye, but you won't receive the same healing benefits. That's not to say that there aren't amber pieces with insects inside, but you'll pay much more for these amber pieces than your typical online sales/auctions are selling them for.

I recently had a bad experience with an eBay seller when my 13 year old daughter wanted an amber necklace & earring set prior to buying my baby's necklace. The auction stated that it was genuine amber, so I purchased it under the assumption that their claim was true. We learned the hard way that it was nothing but glass, when our Border Collie grabbed an earring off my desk & chewed it up. All that was left was a piece of glass on the floor & a mangled wire. It was obviously nothing more than colored glass with clear glass in the very center. So much for authentic...

Here is another pic of my happy little girl enjoying her necklace!