New Teething Gadgets

When Jadon turned two months old, he started drooling a lot, and chewing on his hands. My only thought was, Can he possibly be teething already? I heard that kids didn't start teething until they're about six months old. Then, a friend told me that it's possible, though rare, for a baby to be born with teeth. Two months didn't sound too early after that!


"Smile, Jadon! No, get your hands out of your mouth..."

Jadon is now over three months old, and I still don't feel any nubs at this point. He continues to drool and chew like it's going out of style, so something must be shifting somewhere in there.

With teething on the horizon, I bought a few new teething gadgets that I've admired other moms using. First, I got Jadon an amber teething necklace. You might think that the necklace is for chewing, but these beads are not designed for Jadon's mouth. Apparently, amber can be used as a natural pain reliever when worn against skin.



Jadon, with his new necklace

I was a little skeptical at first, but I had several moms tell me how well they worked for their children. A quick google search will tell you how they are supposed to help. As the baby's body warms the resin (amber is technically not a stone), oils containing succinic acid are released and absorbed into the skin and bloodstream. Succinic acid is known to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Amber jewelry can be worn to help with many ailments, from teething to arthritis. I'm not sure how well this will work for Jadon, but I figure that it doesn't hurt to try.

I know that some people would never put a necklace of tiny beads on a baby because it sounds like a choking hazard. After seeing the necklace myself, I'm not nervous about Jadon wearing it. The necklace is "baby sized;" the strong, knotted cord does not stretch, and cannot fit over Jadon's chin. He's been wearing it for two weeks now, and hasn't even noticed it's there. I can't imagine the tough cord breaking, but if it did, only one bead would fall off. There is a knot separating each bead on the necklace to keep them all from falling off at once. And the beads are so small that they could be swallowed, but not close off the airway.

I also got some teething jewelry for me to wear. These pieces are meant to be chewed on. Another mom at my church showed me this necklace for her son to play with while sitting on her lap, or hanging out in the carrier. It's actually kind of soft and rubbery, though it looks like a hard piece of stone or metal from a distance. The materials are safe for babies and won't crumble in their tiny jaws of death. I liked that it could be worn with any outfit and actually look nice.

I did a little online shopping and found a Black Friday deal where a black necklace and black bracelet were each half off. So far, Jadon has enjoyed grasping the bracelet with both clumsy hands and shoving it into his mouth. The necklace is a little too hard for him to grasp at this time.

I don't know when these teeth will actually surface, but in the meantime, I'm preparing to let my drooling boy chew to his heart's content.