amber teething necklaces: i’m a believer

Amber teething necklaces: I was a skeptic, a total skeptic.

But I was also at my wit’s end.

I needed to try something else… so I jumped at the opportunity to test and review an amber teething necklace from Hazelaid.

And let me tell you, I’m no longer a skeptic… I’m an adamant believer.

Wow.

As trying as the latest bout with teething had been, Murphy’s Law kicked in and when our necklace actually arrived (compliments of Hazelaid) Levi had ceased to be showing any signs of teething. All was well and quiet on the home front for a couple of weeks.

And then all of a sudden things got tricky. He got the flu (fever, coughing, sneezing, etc.), while at the same time he began to show some of his “normal” signs of teething. For Levi this is usually runny nose, mild diaper rash, more drool than normal, chewing on his finger (or anything he can get his hands on), and our most obvious teething indicator: the monster breath. He always gets really foul breath when he’s cutting a tooth.

And of course thrown into that mix is incredible crankiness, lots of fussing, and meltdowns at the drop of a hat. It generally looks something like this:

 

In any case, we decided it was time to try the necklace. It certainly was worth a shot!

It took some time for him to get over his sickness. We really weren’t sure which of his symptoms were due to being sick and which were due to teething, but we kept the necklace on anyway.

By last week it was clear that his sickness was gone (except for this nagging cough that is still lingering through the night after five weeks now!).

But it also seemed that he was teething… at least judging by the return of the finger chewing and monster breath.

The strange thing was, Levi’s mood had not changed. He was his normal, happy, bouncy self. Not irritable or cranky at all like he usually is when teething.

And wouldn’t you know it, last week two teeth popped through – a top canine and a bottom canine, both on the left – and this week the two right canines are coming through. Aside from the bad breath and finger chewing we would have never known he was teething by his mood and attitude and behavior… and that’s with all four canines coming through at once!

Ryan and I are both convinced that the necklace is the reason for him having little pain, and I am genuinely adding amber teething necklaces to my “must have” recommendation for moms of babies and toddlers. I only wish we would have had one of these when Levi began cutting his first tooth at four months old!!!

 

Here’s an expert from the Hazelaid website explaining how it works:

Commonly known as “teething jewelry” in Europe, Baltic amber has been a natural remedy for pain relief for hundreds of years. It is not a “stone” but a natural resin. As it warms with the body’s temperature, amber releases oils containing succinic acid, a natural pain reliever, which are then readily absorbed into the skin and the bloodstream.

Baltic amber has some of the highest concentrations of succinic acid found in nature, and this is what makes it so special. Succinic acid is a natural component of plant and animal tissues, and its presence in the human body is beneficial in many ways. Amber is known to relieve headaches, teething pain, reduce inflammation of the throat, ear and stomach, and to fight infections and respiratory diseases as it improves the body’s immunity.

Natural amber beaded necklaces are a completely non-invasive remedy for rashes, upset tummies, earaches, fevers and colds. It is a natural analgesic that will help calm your child and is recognized by allopathic medicine specialists as antispasmodic and anti-fever. Many adults report improvement of arthritis discomfort and carpal tunnel pain in their hands when wearing amber jewelry.

Hazelaid also makes hazelwood necklaces (and amber/hazelwood combo necklaces) that help with things like acid reflux, heartburn, migraines, acne, and eczema, but since we have only tried the amber necklace, I’ll stick with that one for this review.

The necklaces (and bracelets) come in child and adult sizes. The child sizes retail for about $20.00. Apparently the lighter the color and the cloudier the bead the stronger the effect. We have the “milk and butter” 12” necklace and I will absolutely be order more, both for the new baby and to give as baby shower gifts to my friends.

Like I said, I’m a total believer now.

Some things I like:

• Um, they work. I could probably end the review there… because that’s just good enough reason to try it.
• It’s a natural pain remedy and I love knowing that I don’t need to be dosing my little ones up with meds all the time just to give them some relief.
• The child necklaces are knotted between each bead, so if the necklace breaks you don’t have a million beads flying everywhere and becoming a choking hazard.
• They are small and don’t bother the child (Levi, at least).
• If you look after the necklace (take it off before baths/swimming and don’t get lotions on it) it should not wear out. A natural pain remedy that’s a one-off purchase really does seem too good to be true… but this is what I’m told by Hazelaid. Wow!
• They are a good conversation-starter – I can’t tell you how many people make comments on Levi’s necklace… though most initially think it’s a fashion statement. (Which for us it’s definitely not!)
• Hazelaid is a family-owned business that got started while on their own quest to help their children overcome health issues. I like that.
• The customer service is fantastic. Being the skeptic (but wanna-be-believer) that I was, I had lots of questions regarding what to order and what would work best. My emails were all responded to quickly and warmly and I felt very well looked-after.

What I don’t like:

• I’m not a big fan of putting a necklace on my little boy. Although I don’t mind him traipsing around the house accessorizing with my necklaces and scarves, to me one in his size for constant wear just looks a bit “hippy-ish”. It’s not my style (or what I’d chose for him), but certainly something I can easily overlook when comparing that to the benefit of wearing it! No big deal really.
• Even though I do think it’s a miracle necklace and I’m totally in love with it, it’s hard to overlook the fact that it doesn’t fold laundry, cook dinners, or do the dishes. As you can see it definitely has its flaws.

One lucky commenter on this post will win a $25 gift certificate from Hazelaid for the product of your choice. You may leave up to one comment per day until this giveaway closes on September 23. For extra entries, follow the Memos on facebook, link to the giveaway on facebook, tweet the giveaway via @mommyhoodmemos, or mention it in one of your own blog posts. (Please leave a separate comment here for any of the above that you do – it’s your comments here that will be counted in the random draw.)

Readers of the Memos will also receive a 10% discount by using the code Memos10 on all orders from now until October 7.

Dear friends, have you tried one of these wonder necklaces from Hazelaid yet? If not, you sooooo need to. I hope you end up loving it as much as we do. And by the way, the opinions in this post are genuine and my own. Thanks again (a million thanks actually!) to Hazelaid for providing the necklace for review.

i’m a believer,