Why do mums put those large beaded necklaces...

[TheFancyPants]

..around their babies necks? Surely its not safe? Why are they fashionable?

I know a women who sells amber on Facebook and is now claiming they also help with allergies as well as how they are 'proven' to help teething. I had to block her!

www.rospa.com/home-safety/advice/product/baltic-amber-beads

www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-warns-about-safety-risks-teething-necklaces-bracelets-relieve-teething-pain-or-provide-sensory

www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/amber-jewellery.html

productsafety.tradingstandards.govt.nz/for-consumers/keeping-kids-safe/amber-teething-necklace/

Media and even local gov websites have issued recalls and warnings of dangers

You can see who has been fined.

Trading standards link also on page includes link where can report anyone selling these which don’t comply with safety regulations.

Crikey I thought these were a gimmick years ago and would go same way the cover everything in glitter fade.

I only bothered to check myself other day but if you have a baby how have you missed the memo?

Don’t know if trading standards be able to do anything about one I reported as they selling them as adult bracelets, necklaces but sizes are for babies.

Putting your baby at risk of harm which these are is negligence

One of them @LookingForSalt said that the idea of choking was ridiculous yet when shown direct evidence (factual, scientific and not just anecdotal) chose not to engage further in the conversation.

No, I said the notion of suffocation by a bead was ridiculous. Which it is.

It is interesting to me how important it is for some posters to twist words of others. I guess discussion is just too difficult for some.

Choking was never a concern as I am not a parent who leaves a baby unattended. I appreciate that perhaps you are and therefore have all these unnecessary anxieties. In my children's nursery the babies are watched when they sleep.

I am very comfortable with my parenting choices and I'm genuinely sad for posters who resort to name calling when they disagree with others. Maybe look inwards for what you can change rather than try to control those around you.

And despite what some posters seem to believe, no-one is obligated to engage further. Personally I don't bother with posters who are rude or abusive.

There are many things that annoy me that set out to target new mums: sleepyhead, cot bumpers, etc etc. But none of them get me as rage filled as amber necklaces. Obviously the rage isn't directed at parents. Just at the general existence of the necklaces and claims. I bloody hate them.
Fortunately I'm in a position where I work in perinatal care. So I can attempt to do some (gentle but insistent) debunking before the babies arrive.

I can remember there seemed to be almost this game of chicken in my nct group over giving their babies calpol, trying to avoid it at all costs. I didn't participate. If I'm in pain or feel crap I take medicine-why would I deny that to my tiny baby who can't do it for themselves?

@LookingForSalt

My 1st born bottles been bpa weren’t a thing, I’ve lost count the number of recalls of baby products from cot bumps to bottle teats to cots, high chairs you name it.

Never until now have I come across anyone who has turned round and said basically fuck it and continue to use items.

Anxiety? I’ve just listed official sites, I didn’t read whole thread at the time but countless of people have posted evidence. - expert - official!

No two ways about it ignoring it is negligent. You intentionally putting baby at risk all for sake of few magic beads.

Never thought I’d miss mothercare they would be all over this crap.

@B33Fr33

Because they are woo and believe that a chemical contained in Amber (ridiculously high melting point) will magically transmit itself into their child's blood stream.

They will also tell you that since wearing it their child has potty trained at 6 months, never talks back and is already reading.

But hey. I've got magic cream to sell them.

Ermmm are you under the impression you absorb things by melting them?

I mean sugar melts at 186c....

And yes sucking and chewing on things is Great way to absorb random chap in them like delicious sweet lead in old painted toys (I'm not being sarcastic there lead paint is sweet and tastey to children)

And yes sucking and chewing on things is Great way to absorb random chap

those necklaces are not for chewing though - they are worn quite tight and allegedly the active ingredients leach through skin.

Choking was never a concern as I am not a parent who leaves a baby unattended.

You said in a previous post your child wore them to bed, so yes they were left wearing the whilst unattended. Also, previous posters have linked to heartbreaking stories where babies have died despite being supervised by their parents.

They are an unnecessary risk with no benefits. I am thankful your child was ok, despite your negligence. However, I find it abhorrent that even when shown the evidence you continue to defend their use, and call posters pointing out the potentially deadly consequences hysterical.

Choking was never a concern as I am not a parent who leaves a baby unattended

You said your children wore them to bed. So you sat up the whole night staring at your sleeping children?

@LookingForSalt

And despite what some posters seem to believe, no-one is obligated to engage further. Personally I don't bother with posters who are rude or abusive.

I literally said it's anyone's own prerogative whether to come back or not...

@LookingForSalt

One of them @LookingForSalt said that the idea of choking was ridiculous yet when shown direct evidence (factual, scientific and not just anecdotal) chose not to engage further in the conversation.

No, I said the notion of suffocation by a bead was ridiculous. Which it is.

It is interesting to me how important it is for some posters to twist words of others. I guess discussion is just too difficult for some.

Choking was never a concern as I am not a parent who leaves a baby unattended. I appreciate that perhaps you are and therefore have all these unnecessary anxieties. In my children's nursery the babies are watched when they sleep.

I am very comfortable with my parenting choices and I'm genuinely sad for posters who resort to name calling when they disagree with others. Maybe look inwards for what you can change rather than try to control those around you.

Did you have any thoughts on the FDA warnings and recalls saying they are dangerous? I don't know why people who use them can't acknowledge they are dangerous when scientific studies show that they are. You may have been lucky nothing bad happened, many people may be lucky that nothing bad happened, but that doesn't make them safe to use.

Lots of people don't wear seatbelts. Many will never be in a car crash so wearing a seatbelt or not won't prove or disprove anything about the efficacy of seatbelts. I'm sure many of those who don't wear seatbelts and are in crashes haven't had catastrophic injuries. It's still an unnecessary risk because not wearing a seatbelt could cause much worse injuries or death. So we are all quite rightly advised to minimise possible risk and wear a seatbelt at all times.

I'm impressed you stayed up all night the entire time they wore them as you said they slept in them but now that they never did so unsupervised. Presumably they sleep at home as well as at nursery.

You're very angry about people sharing scientific evidence of them being dangerous. Again, that isn't hysteria, it's common sense and duty of care.

People claim to use them for teething pain.....but funnily enough they don't use them for their own headaches or toothache.

Choking was never a concern as I am not a parent who leaves a baby unattended

It’s a concern if a parent thinks something their baby will wear can be be made safe by never leaving the baby unattended, because constant vigilance is not a standard that it’s possible to meet for long periods of time. 20 minutes in a bath yes. Hours and hours during the day or while they sleep, no.

This thread would be irresponsible and dangerous were it not for the many posters giving correct safety advice.

Choking was never a concern for me either, despite not spending every night standing over my baby’s cot (negligent parents) because I didn’t put a pointless choking hazard around her neck

Oh and for the avoidance of doubt, the choking risk is absolutely real according to the FDA warning (see below) inspired by some poor children in the US dying and being injured as a result of wearing the necklaces, along with medical advice from numerous doctors in peer reviewed studies and in comments to FDA and the press. All freely available to google. It's baffling to have access to so much scientifically sound data and still argue it's worth the risk of children being injured or dying.

"The risks of using jewelry for relieving teething pain include choking, strangulation, injury to the mouth and infection. Choking can happen if the jewelry breaks and a small bead enters the child’s throat or airway. Strangulation can occur if a necklace is wrapped too tightly around the child’s neck or if the necklace catches an object such as a crib. Other concerns include injury to the mouth or infection if a piece of the jewelry irritates or pierces the child’s gums."

Choking was never a concern as I am not a parent who leaves a baby unattended

Well I don't either, I even co sleep ... but I'm asleep. So I don't have my eyes on them constantly then. Anything could happen so i minimise any risk I can. Mainly by making sure there is nothing nearby or on them that could possible restrict breathing.

I can remember there seemed to be almost this game of chicken in my nct group over giving their babies calpol, trying to avoid it at all costs. I didn't participate. If I'm in pain or feel crap I take medicine-why would I deny that to my tiny baby who can't do it for themselves?

Over the course of 3 kids, I've met so many parents who do this. They just will not give pain relief medication.

I don't understand it at all. The quantities are very controlled (if you've ever had a child admitted to hospital have you ever been shocked when they have weighted them to gauge quantities of paracetamol and how much more they give them!)

Unless the child has serious allergies, just help them out with pain relief.

I don't understand it at all. The quantities are very controlled

Exactly, it's bonkers. They won't give medication that can be controlled and administered in the correct dosages. But will put a necklace, bracelet or anklet on, which they claim provides pain relief due to the amber being absorbed through the skin. Which if true, it's not, but let's pretend for a second, would be doing so in quantities and amounts they can't actually measure...

How an earth does that make any sense.

To be fair with the calpol chicken - I used to feel this way about pain relief for myself. I wouldn't take it unless I really really needed it, because "nasty chemicals".

Then one day I realised that it's a hell of a lot more effective if you take paracetamol at the beginning of a headache, toothache, whatever, because it helps stop the pain getting any worse, rather than waiting until it's unbearable and then it only takes it down a notch

My DS2 gets loads more calpol than my DS1 ever did Although to be fair, DS2 is a redhead and seems to suffer incredibly with teething whereas DS1 barely noticed.

I sell silicone teething necklaces but they are meant to be worn by mums while your baby chews them, so are not a choking risk like the amber ones.

Last year Etsy actually banned the sale of teething necklaces/beaded teethers as a child very sadly died in the US, strangled by an amber teething necklace in his sleep They are not a safe product at all.

Exactly, it's bonkers. They won't give medication that can be controlled and administered in the correct dosages. But will put a necklace, bracelet or anklet on, which they claim provides pain relief due to the amber being absorbed through the skin. Which if true, it's not, but let's pretend for a second, would be doing so in quantities and amounts they can't actually measure...

How an earth does that make any sense?

Yeah but, chemicals innit?

@AaronPurr

I don't understand it at all. The quantities are very controlled

Exactly, it's bonkers. They won't give medication that can be controlled and administered in the correct dosages. But will put a necklace, bracelet or anklet on, which they claim provides pain relief due to the amber being absorbed through the skin. Which if true, it's not, but let's pretend for a second, would be doing so in quantities and amounts they can't actually measure...

How an earth does that make any sense.

Constant low level pain killer all the way... I'm just gonna put a small dose of paracetamol in every drink now 👍

@LookingForSalt

And despite what some posters seem to believe, no-one is obligated to engage further. Personally I don't bother with posters who are rude or abusive.

The act of somebody disagreeing with you or saying something that makes you uncomfortable is not 'abusive'.

I think it is particularly contemptible when people falsely and maliciously cry 'abuse' in the way you just have to try and silence another, simply because you do not like what they are saying. Kindly stop.

@BertieBotts

To be fair with the calpol chicken - I used to feel this way about pain relief for myself. I wouldn't take it unless I really really needed it, because "nasty chemicals".

Then one day I realised that it's a hell of a lot more effective if you take paracetamol at the beginning of a headache, toothache, whatever, because it helps stop the pain getting any worse, rather than waiting until it's unbearable and then it only takes it down a notch

My DS2 gets loads more calpol than my DS1 ever did Although to be fair, DS2 is a redhead and seems to suffer incredibly with teething whereas DS1 barely noticed.

As a pain nurse once explained to me, if you stay ahead of pain it can be quite easily managed in most cases.

Once you get behind the pain and allow it to reach the point of being unbearable, it is very hard to get it under control again (even when you are in hospital with access to the heavy duty medications).

It is sad that this is not better understood, especially amongst people controlling the pain relief (or lack thereof) of minors.