Still, I do enjoy the odd rant (!!) and I'm never one not to voice an opinion. And frankly, I just hate those stupid amber necklaces that parents put on their babies to help "teething". There, I've said it. I hate them. They are ugly and they are dangerous and I don't believe they work.
So, you can imagine my sense of smug validation when I read on Essential Baby last week that the risks of amber necklaces can outweigh the benefits (of which there are none). Experts have told the CHOICE Baby and Kids Forum that the necklaces present a serious choking hazard, warning that "teething won't kill a baby but an amber teething necklace could". Damn straight! A Dr James Best went further to say that the efficacy of such necklaces is "biologically implausible," and thus there's no real reason for children to be wearing them anyway.
Okay, this is my gripe with amber necklaces. WHYYY do intelligent, logical women think that "oils" released from an amber necklace will in any way stop your baby from feeling any discomfort associated with teething? And WHYYYYYY is every problem with a baby from about four months of age blamed on teething?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those people who don't believe in teething. When my child is slobbering litres of drool and her gums are swollen and she is acting a little less cute and cuddly than I would like, I can see that it is probably her teeth that are bothering her. I will give her something cool to chew and take her outside and pick her up and maybe in extreme cases a dose of Panadol could be needed. But I find it difficult to believe that some teeth breaking through the gum would have her screaming all night and refusing to sleep, or being a total brat, when otherwise her behaviour is fairly consistent with a normal day.
It also really annoys me when people go on and on about how much amber necklaces have helped with their child's teething: "Oh little Johnny wore an amber necklace and we had hardly any problems with teething." Well, guess what? My child doesn't wear an amber necklace and we've had hardly any problems with teething either. In fact, this has been the case for plenty of people I know. Some babies, like some people, are better at dealing with pain than others. Some babies will scream for an hour if you look at them the wrong way - they're also likely to be a little difficult when their teeth are causing them pain.
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| Miranda, a fan of all things au naturale |
At the end of the day I'm not going to judge you on something as trivial as an amber necklace, but I am going to try to talk you out of giving even more money to these companies that are exploiting gullible women by jumping on the natural therapies bandwagon. There is absolutely NO scientific evidence to support the use of amber and, so sue me, I'm a child of science. I will buy my expensive sunscreen without nano particles and my expensive food without preservatives but I'm not so far gone that I'll buy a hazardous stone necklace to prevent what can only be minimal pain associated with teething.
If you do choose to buy an amber necklace, which of course you're free to do, you may want to heed these safety warnings from the ACCC:
• always supervise the infant when wearing the necklace or bracelet
• remove the necklace or bracelet when the infant is unattended, even if it is only for a short period of time
• remove the necklace or bracelet while the infant sleeps at day or night
• not allow the infant to mouth or chew the necklace or bracelet
• consider using alternate forms of pain relief
• seek medical advice if you have concerns about your child’s health and wellbeing.
Z xx
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