H
ave you found yourself walking at BuyBuyBaby, Babies R Us, Target or Walmart in the baby aisle, looking at all the colourful, bright, objects, wondering “How can such a tiny baby need so many things!? Clearly, these are just inventions and gadgets you don’t need”.
I did. I wanted to be somewhat of a minimalist when it came to our stuff for S. We don’t have a lot of space in our town home, and I do think kids have too many toys and that this doesn’t help foster their creativity. So when I heard about Teething necklaces, I thought “Here’s another thing we don’t need”. Then, Sam hit 8 months, and all hell broke loose.
My son is now 10 months, and has 8 teeth. He is like a little shark, with rows of pointy teeth ready to piece just about anything (read: fingers. scarves. shirts. tops. cheeks. nipples. books. the couch). At around 8 months, his fourth incisor was coming through and he was just so miserable. Cuddles were a dangerous affair, as he would try to bite anything he could get his teeth on. So, after trying the usual teething relief strategies, I sucked it up and ordered a teething necklace off Amazon. I picked the Avery Necklace, made by Fox and Finn in Australia.
The necklace is made of FDA approved food grade silicone beads that are 100% BPA free. I picked it mostly because it was safe, but also because it’s pretty cute. Not I’m-going-to-purposely-wear-it-out-to-drinks cute, but cute enough that if I forget it’s hanging around my neck before leaving the house, it’s really not terrible.
The necklace is sturdy and well made – the beads are attached with safety knots on either side, and the rope is made of silk, so it’s soft for baby’s gums. Because of how it’s made, it doesn’t pull at your hair when you wear it around your neck, which is a huge bonus (especially if you have very thick hair like mine)!
The biggest pro, though, is as follows: you get so many sweet, quiet cuddles. It’s SO nice to be able to sit quietly, with your baby on your lap, looking into your eyes, and for once not have him pulling at everything that’s attached to you. It gives you good quality time, and occupies baby’s hands and mouth while you talk to him. I liked to give Sam the necklace while reading books before his naps, because it calmed him down.
The teething necklace was especially handy when I flew from Ottawa to Florida to visit my family down there. Flying with an older baby can be challenging, and I knew my back was going to get sore from trying to keep my son on my lap and interested during the almost 3 hour flight. Whenever he started getting antsy, I put on the necklace, and Sam would sit quietly on my lap and be still for a while, all the while being perfectly content.
If you are planning on travelling with a teething baby, or are just looking for another option to help your baby teeth, I recommend finding a teething necklace you like, and keep it in your diaper bag. It’s a handy, easy solution that takes up little room and can soothe even the sorest of gums.
Have you tried using a teething necklace with your babies? What did you think?
