A charming handmade necklace for your stylish baby!

I have made this baby teething necklace using amber beads hand picked in the Lithuanian shores of the Baltic sea. Please let me know if you would be interested in it. I am asking for 10chf (shipping included).

Tradition says that amber smooths the discomfort caused by teething - being originally from Lithuania I use amber since childhood and can certainly recommend it, even though I don't claim to have scientific evidence on its benefits. I put lots of love in the making of this necklace, using the techniques taught by my parents and grandparents by the fireplace in cold winter nights, and I sure hope it will help your special little one feel good and look very stylish!

So how does this work exactly?

The baby wears a necklace made of amber around his neck and his teething pain dissapears?

Amber is such a wonderful material - but yes I'd like to understand how it could possibly help with teething unless it is long enough for a baby to chew it. My concern then would be about strangulation and the necklace breaking and the baby swallowing a bead and chocking. Sorry, I realise that is not the answer you are looking for - but I'd like to know.

I can not see the pictures either.
The theory behind Amber necklaces is that the amber contains Succinic acid which is slowly release into the body when worn against warm skin. Succinic acid is a natural analgesic and is suppose to soothe inflammation of the gums. The amber is a resin, not a stone and if made into a necklace for teething should be knotted between each bead for safety.

I bought one here in Switzerland for my 4mth old baby when I had tried everything else for her teething. I dont really know if it worked or not but her teething definitely seemed to lesson whilst she was wearing it. Maybe it was my imagination or maybe by the time I put it on the teething was getting better but I thought it worked. Sometimes anything is worth a go.
I also let her sleep with hers on as this seem to be the worst time for teething but i believe its recommend to remove them at night time. At around 7 mths she started to want to put it in her mouth and chew on the beads so I removed it and she has not worn it again.

Anyway no harm in trying the necklace and I think they look quite cute too. Once I heard about the Amber necklaces I noticed SO many kids here wearing them, is a real European thing. (like drinking Fennel tea).

And apparently the Amber is not just for teething but can be worn by people of all ages for a number of ailments.

The other day in my local Sunstore I saw they were selling amber bracelets for the ankle, in order to avoid the chocking risk. I thought it was a good idea, this way the amber is close to the skin, but not in a potentially risky place.

Amber is just fossilised resin. I don't see how it can have any medicinal value.

I have been looking in google, but I cannot find anything on its medicinal value other than its use being folkloric.

Any links would be much appreciated.

Many thanks for bringing the topic up and giving me the chance to talk a bit more about it.

I grew up listening to people saying how amber reduces the discomfort caused by teething. It has long been used in folk medicine for its healing properties. It does not eliminate the pain completely, but smoothes it a bit. When I came to Switzerland I realized it's not just in my country that people say that: here, and in Germany too, parents buy amber necklaces for their babies, pharmacies sell them.

I read a bit about scientific investigation on amber. Even though the research is still going on I found references to succinic acid and its positive effects and on how amber is electromagnetically charged. In any case, even if not for the traditionally claimed healing properties, I find the teething necklaces a nice accessory for babies.

While I put all care in making this a safe necklace, it is still a piece of jewelry and should be treated just like a string of beads. It should not be worn by any infant or child unsupervised, and should not be gummed or mouthed by the wearer. Parents should inspect the necklace often. If the thread starts to degrade it may be time to restring. The thread has knots after each bead, to avoid loosing them all in case it is broken.
The amber beads are small enough to be swallowed but do not pose a choking hazard. The necklace should be removed when the baby is sleeping or unattended - you can, for example put the necklace around the ankle at night.

About the pic: I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this! I can't seem to post them, the best I can do is to give you a link to my album:

http://www.englishforum.ch/album.php?albumid=550

Thanks ingacU. I also just read an artivle about amber and the Succinic acid.

I would like to add more information: I have for sale not only baby teething necklaces but also real baltic amber beads and baby necklaces with matching mother's bracelets.

I know that there is no proven scientific explanation for the "amber necklace helps with teething" theory. So It is quite possible that it has a placebo effect. But it's helped our son (with a little help from a Dentinox tube on really bad nights), or at least so we imagine.

The choking risk can be minimised if you use a magnetic lock, such as these:

I doubt that there are any substances in amber that can diffuse through the human skin in sufficient concentration to have any medicinal effect. Especially seeing those amber chippings have probably been washing around in the sea for thousands of years, or exposed to the acidic peat in the strata from which it originates. Both are chemically aggressive environemnts that would leach away any volatile substances at least from the surface of the amber chipping. If resin has a beneficial effect, then why don't people use fresh resin, which can easily be harvested from pinewood?

Having said that, I do like the look and feel of amber and amber jewellery does look cute on babies (and looks good on adults as well). I collected quite a few pieces from various vacations by the Baltic. I find it's always difficult to find a first piece, but once you find one you sort of develop the feel and find loads pretty quickly.

The OP's albums are here:

http://www.englishforum.ch/album.php?albumid=550

http://www.englishforum.ch/album.php?albumid=535

I didnt know that you can use magnetic lock in baby teething necklace, I thought metal makes baby skin iritated or he could have some alergies to metal, I always use plastic screw.
Anyway, to escape chocking its a great idea!

Tom it's not magnetic lock that is important, but the knots tied at each bead! It's very important in the case if necklace broke! So the bead won't scatter! I bought one from this company :Amber Teething Necklace Shop.
Not sure if the sell to Switzerland though...