Made popular in recent decades by alternative medicine and other alternative methods, the baby tooth necklaces have taken center stage. Necklace of amber, hazelnut or silicone are used to relieve baby and teethingThese can sometimes be very painful.
However, there are certain precautions to be aware of before turning to such objects.
The mysterious origins of baby tooth necklaces
Baby tooth necklaces have been used since ancient times. Our ancestors attributed to them many virtues such as the power to soothe teething, but also to facilitate the sleep of children, to strengthen their natural immunity, etc.
Being able to be assimilated to certain esoteric practices even religious, the use of a necklace of amber to relieve the pain of baby made faith at a time when the scientific and medical knowledge was very limited. Remember that in the nineteenth century, the care administered was particularly summary, not to mention that mortality in children was very high.
The virtues of baby teeth necklaces have therefore been passed down through the ages by folk wisdom and have no real scientific basis.
No scientific proof, but well known risks
Nowadays, the benefits of teething necklaces are unfounded. On the other hand, the risks incurred when the child uses such objects are no longer to be proven.
For example, there have been many reports of deaths in infants wearing teething necklaces, which can get caught on a bed rail or furniture and pose a strangulation hazard to children.
In the early 2000s, strangulation by teething collars was the leading cause of traumatic death in babies under one year of age in the United States. In 2003, the Necker Hospital in Paris reported 30 strangulation deaths of children due to teething collars.
At the time, nine out of ten collars did not meet safety standards and did not yield to a pull force of less than 2.5 kilograms. In addition, these collars contained many components that could be swallowed or inhaled by the child.
Silicone teething collars: a possible exception to the rule
Since 2010, baby teething necklaces have evolved a lot. Some teething necklaces for babies have been specially designed to relieve baby during teething. Made of food-grade silicone, they can be put in baby's mouth without danger (although it is advisable that a parent is always with the child when this happens).
These necklaces offer a soft, pleasant and hygienic texture to the child, and the beads cannot be deformed. In addition, these necklaces are not worn by the baby but by one of the parents (especially nursing mothers) during cuddles shared with the child. These necklaces allow to join the useful to the pleasant: on the one hand, they relieve the child by rubbing the gums, on the other hand, they are intended to be used during the moments of tenderness between parent and child.
Remember that there are several tips for to relieve the baby who suffers from teething. For example, the parent can use a refrigerated chewing ring, a soft rubber toothbrush that massages the child's gums, or resort to eternal cuddling!
To learn more about teething, check out our following articles:
