ok...tell Me the Truth

Hylands has worked well for us. With my 3 older kids I always used Humphrey's teething tablets, but with #4 we were in Ohio and I could not find it anywhere! The pharmacist recommended Hylands and after comparing the ingredients with Humphreys (I had a friend send me some from NM) I realized they are almost exactly the same.
I would not worry about the necklace and people thinking he is a girl-where we are from it is customary to put a string of rattlesnake vertebra around baby's neck starting at around 2 months, the moms say it works better than anything else for teething pain-no drugs needed! I agree with the other mom-tell them it's medicinal :)

Good luck
~J.

I just started hearing about the necklaces and I know of one online company, Inspired by Finn, that makes them. The mom who makes them individually ties each bead so that if the necklace breaks for some strange reason, there is less risk of it being a choking hazard. I have heard from one of my online groups that the moms put the necklace on under the shirt. That way it touches the skin, which is what you want and maybe won't be as noticeable?? I have heard such good things about them that I will try them with my next one. Good luck!

S.:
Never tried the Amber, but my ds had 4 teeth by 4 months and was miserable. His mouth was so small, none of the freezer teethers would even fit in his mouth. My sister made a suggestion, and it worked out great - I bought a pkg of new baby washcloths and washed them, and then wet them a little, rolled them up and put them in the freezer. When his teeth seemed to bother him, I gave him one, and he chewed on it, getting relief from the icy cold water, as he sucked off small bits of water. I did not want to use drugs, and it was the only thing I found that gave him any relief - best of luck.

First of all kudos to you for everything you stand for! I'm still nursing my almost 3 year old and getting (negative)comments from everyone under the sun! I also have a 5 month old baby girl who is nursing as well...I love it!

To your question...I have a friend who used and swears by the amber necklace for her little boy! She just tucked it in his shirt and he pulled it out when he wanted it (he was a little older than yours.) But honestly, the necklace was brown so it didn't look too feminine...with the right summer outfit, he looked like a little surfer baby!!! GOOD LUCK!

I gave all my kids motrin when they were teething and the pain got so bad. I don't think it's a great painkiller, but it does reduce swelling -- which is just what you need when teething. We usually just gave it at night... after a couple sleepless nights it worked good enough to let them sleep through without waking up in pain. We never gave more than 1 or 2 doses a day, though.

As for the boy/girl comments... why do you care? Honestly, I never understood the need to correct strangers about this. So what if sometimes my son was called an adorable girl or my daughters told they were cute boys. I just smiled, maybe thank them for the compliment and move on. It's not like I'll be seeing them again. If the bracelet and/or necklace work for your son then have him wear them. One question about the bracelet, though... is it OK to eat the stuff? Because if he's like any of my kids, that bracelet will be spending alot of time in his mouth! Just based on that I would think the necklace would be better.

I haven't used the amber necklaces, but I've heard that they work and help control the drool too! I've heard a lot about them on a major cloth-diapering forum, a lot of the mothers on the site use them for their little ones, both male and female. I plan on purchasing one for my little one (6 weeks old) when the time comes and she's teething. I've also heard they work for arthritis!

**ADDED** child does not chew on the necklace/bracelet. That is not what it is used for! The minerals in the necklace help control pain, it's a GREAT way to not medicate your child. People are so quick to medicate their children these days for anything. I prefer to try something more natural first.

I liked amber. Yes, my son wore a necklace as did the 10 yr old I am currently raising.
Since I stuck mainly to what is considered "Boy" colors in clothing even when I grew the youngest ones hair out because he wanted to look more like great-grandpa and have braids I did not have anyone asking about the sex of the child.
I would try the amber!

Hooray! A kindred spirit in the realm of baby-raising! I think that long-term nursing and attachment parenting really helped set the stage for my boys' good health, and for our strong relationships now, as well as for being the good young men they are becoming. (sorry, I'm a bit sappy this morning - I just dropped the younger one off at high-school orientation, and it's one of those "my babies are growing up!" moments).

The only thing that ever worked consistently for my guys were the Highland teething tablets, but it sounds like your little fellow is spitting them out. Have you tried dissolving them in a bit of water and dripping it in? (no idea if it would work, but it might be worth a try)

I haven't heard anything about amber as a teething object, but it makes sense that it would be soothing. You would probably want to get beads that are a good size, not "chips." Make sure that they don't have fracture lines, because amber is not a very hard stone and kids do have sturdy jaws. I would hate for a bead to break and choke your child. (but I wouldn't recommend any harder stone because then you're putting little teeth as risk)

I'm thinking that you will want to knot the strand between each bead. This will prevent you losing all the beads if the strand breaks. Not sure what sort of closure you would want to use. I would avoid a necklace because of the possibility of strangulation. If you're in Indianapolis, I suggest visiting Bead Angels in Broad Ripple (65th & Ferguson)for some good assistance. Be sure that whatever you string the beads on is non-toxic, and won't become brittle from being wet frequently. Also that it won't become a germ-magnet from being wet all the time.

You might also want to consider just using one or two beads, I'm thinking here about the cost vs. the risk of losing the teether. It's one thing to lose something you spent $2.98 on, and quite another to keep replacing $15 or $20 worth of amber each time it gets lost.

I know that my guys had the old-fashioned teething rings/bracelets with hard rubber beads (you can still get them), but I don't really recall that either of them really chewed on them. They are too big for a bracelet, and too small for a necklace, so they have to be held in the hand or attached to something (like a car seat? sling? Mommy?) so that they don't get lost.

Good luck!
D.

I love your description of yourself! We have a lot in common. :)

We have also used Hylands teething tabs, which helped take the edge off (the whole Hylands Kids Kit is really helpful so far--esp. the chamomilla--but the teething tabs are sold separately.) I had thought about trying amber, but haven't. We did get this maple teether from Nova Naturals, and it seems to help a lot, you might try it when he's ready for one:
http://www.novanatural.com/s.nl/it.A/id.876/.f

They also have a teething doll that's cute, you can chill it in the fridge and that coolness helps.

I'm definitely for not medicating unless it's absolutely necessary--and so far, our 7 1/2 month old has not had to have tylenol, just the homeopathic stuff. She was pretty colicky and we used Colic Calm as well as the Chamomilla from the Hylands Kids Kit--both helped take the edge off.

As for the "boy wearing a necklace" thing...of course that's up to you, but I think if I had a boy, I would just go for the necklace and when people ask, say it's medicinal. He's your babe, you get to decide what he wears, and who says boys/men can't accessorize? ;)

Also, you might try a massage therapist or chiropractor who works on babies--I know our doula, Amy Chavez, does cranial work--I wonder if something like that would help with his teething pain. Another great resource for babies is chiropractor April Dunnington, in Centerville.

Good luck!

I got Hurricane Gel for both of my children. I got it at CVS. You have to ask the pharmacist for it. A lot of time they have to order it. It was recommended to me by a dentist friend. It is what they use to topically numb the mouth prior to novacaine shots. It is VERY strong and you only need the smallest amount. The cost is about $11.00 for a small bottle but it will last for years.
Best of luck to you.
L.

HAHAHA I love how you are getting responses to use Hylands tablets when you said you have tried and thats why you want to know more about the Amber. Of course you already know I swear by it and it looks like most moms who have used them on here do as well. One mom even mentioned Inspired By Finn which is where I got mine and after searching for others I think they are the only ones that I fourd that are double knotted individually. Who cares if he is wearing a necklace and I agree kepe it under his shirt like Avie's is all the time anyway and no one will ever know.

I never used anything for my teething babies except the occasional Tylenol. Orajel and those other products numb the gums and cause the teething process to be drawn out. Takes longer for the teeth to come threw and ends up causing more pain according to my Dentist. Our best teether was a little hand with the fingers spread out so that my baby could but just one 'finger' in her mouth and she loved it. I would keep trying different types of teethers until you found one he likes. Good luck!

We used Hyland's teething tablets and had great luck with them. They are homeopathic and both our dentist & pediatrician said they were ok for our baby. I am happy to hear you want to avoid Tylenol & Motrin, teething is too frequent a pain to be using those IMO. Here is the teething tablet link if you want to check it out. We couldn't have survived teething without these:

http://www.hylands.com/news/TeethingTabletsNewsletter.pdf

S.,
My sister-in-law has started to use clove oil for teething pain. My niece just got her first tooth at 3 months and it seemed to help with the pain. If you choose to use it, just keep in mind that it has a horrible taste, but seems to work after the initial "yuck" expression. :) I have never heard of the amber method before, but anything that works without using unnatural substances is best. Good luck!

I've never tried amber before. Hadn't really heard of it that I can remember. Does the baby chew on it? If not, the ankle idea is a pretty good one, though I'm wondering if it is too far from the top of his body (circulation thing)? I don't know, lol.

As for mistaking him for a girl... In my experience, it doesn't matter. It will happen at some point anyway. I had my daughter in pink and someone asked how old 'he' was. And, my son has been in blue and I get the same thing with a 'she' instead.

I'm guessing you've tried homeopathic teething tablets from Hyland's? I have used those with both of my kids. If I was having trouble getting my baby to take them, I would use a medicine pacifier and dissolve them in water. The package says to put them in a teaspoon (I think) of water. It's not quite as effective, but it works. Most of the time when I give them tablets, I will put it on my finger and hold it in their cheek until it begins to dissolve. That keeps them from spitting it out as much.

God bless,
A.

Oh, I just noticed this posting has been up for a week and it looks like you got lots of advice. 1) I love your description of your parenting - us too and 2) knowing that, several experienced parents have told us about Teething Tablets. They're homeopatic and REALLY seem (placebo or not) to ease our daughter's discomfort. Now that she's older (she didn't start teething till 13 months anyway) she even ASKS for them sometimes. Not a specialty item - just ask in the grocery. And good luck!!

I don't know about the amber, but my sister has a great way for getting the Orajel into the mouth. She would put a little on her kids pacifier and let them chew on it. They can get the medicine right where they need it. I know your guy's a little young for that, but maybe the general concept would work,.

I don't know know anything about baltic amber but I am wondering about the studies that you have heard about with the tylenol and motrin. My 4 yr. old has been getting a lot of ear infections and the last one started in the middle of the night. I gave him some motrin and within a half hour he was calm and not screaming anymore and went back to sleep. Motrin does work for pain on kids under 8. Tylenol though I agree doesn't work to well. I would give my kids tylenol for pain and it wouldn't help them nor would it help them for fever. I switched to motrin and any time my kids would have an ear infection during the night I would give them motrin and it would help with the pain. If one of them gets a headache I give them motrin and it helps them because I ask them how they are feeling a short time later and they say that the headache is gone. I don't agree with the studies as far as motrin goes but with tylenol yes I agree that it doesn't work.
D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4. It is my 4 yr. old that has been getting the ear infections.

Hyland's Teething Tablets are great!

Hi S.! One thing that I loved for my kids when they were teething are those teething rings you can buy with liquid in them. I would put them in the refrigerator, and even in the freezer when they were a little bigger. They were always very soothing to them, and as they grew, they LOVED the coldness of them. I had 4 or 5 of them at all times so that when one thawed out, I could just grab a fresh frozen or cold one!

Never tried it but thought i would suggest putting it around his ankle...maybe not as "girly" and it could be hidden with pants.

I'm not familiar with the amber bracelets and necklaces, but I can say I would be more worried about the safety issues with putting something around an infants neck (strangulation), than I would about the boy/girl thing. But like I said, I don't know a lot about them.

Would it work the same on his ankle? It may be a little less noticeable there. Otherwise I'd go with the braclet...

Hello, I'm not sure about the product you were wanting to know about. I did want to write to you about the oragel you mentioned. I'm not sure if this is true or not but it's worth looking into. I just quit using it when I heard it. I'm told that the oragel can numb the throat area of a baby and cause them to basically drown in their own saliva. The only thing we used was Tylenol and teething rings and only the Tylenol if he seemed uncomfortable. I didn't keep him on it all the time. He chewed on everything! Good luck and I'm sorry that I wasn't more help to ya. I just wanted to drop off this little bit of a warning for you to look into before you use anymore oragel! Shannon G.

i think the necklace is more gender neutral than a bracelet. and less noticible-- it can hide under a collar or in a chubby neck......

my daughter's teething right now... maybe i should try it! she LOVES necklaces and bracelets, problem is they don't stay on for long...

Hyland's comes in both a liquid-like substance in a tube or small dissolving tablets. I use the ointment for my baby who (at 3.5 months) appears to be starting to teeth. I was referred to the "medicine" by a nurse at my doctor's office. She swore by the stuff.

If you're going to make the necklace/bracelet yourself or have it personalized - could you get other beads to spell out his name? And when people say, "how old is your little girl?" or anything implying he's female, you can point to the name on the necklace and say, "Nicholas is 5 months old."