Does it Actually Work? Baltic Amber Necklaces for Teething or Pain

Sigh. Cocoa Puff is teething hard right now (AGAIN) and seems to be in constant pain. I don't like giving him ibuprofen four times a day and the teething gels don't seem to last very long. Chilled teethers are doing squat at the moment too and his favorite chew toy is my thumb knuckle. 

The homeopathic stuff has never worked for him either. Plus, honestly, I'm wary about some of it. I thought I would try this since my sister-in-law recommended them. The amber has succinic acid which is supposed to relieve inflammation and pain when worn against the skin. Skin supposedly absorbs the acid, which apparently has an analgesic effect, which relieves pain.  I couldn't find any scientific studies proving this, but I also couldn't find any disproving it either. 

Okay, fine... what do I have to lose? I'm desperate for teething pain relief for Cocoa Puff. Froot Loop even tried one too, especially through his last growth spurt. I swear that kid grows overnight… He also wore one as a bracelet when he had those stitches in his eyebrow just to see if it made any difference with that kind of pain. 

So? Does it help? I don't really think so. I'm also nervous about them wearing beaded jewelry at such a young age. I took them off after only a few minutes because I got too anxious about my young boys wearing them. I think they're more of a choking hazard than anything else and it's not worth Mama having an anxiety attack over, and it's DEFINITELY not worth my kids choking, strangling, or DYING because of them... so, yeah, I'm gonna go with NOPE on these. 

I DO like that the necklace is knotted between every stone so that if the necklace would accidentally break, there wouldn't be little tiny choking hazard stones everywhere. (Although the entire necklace itself is one big, freaking choking hazard.) 

Please note that these necklaces are not for your baby to actually chew on like the silicone beads (like these.) This necklace has stones that are much smaller and harder and definitely can't be chewed on. PLEASE DO NOT LET YOUR BABY CHEW ON THESE NECKLACES. I don't even think they should be WEARING them at all, but that's just my opinion after this trial. 

A big complaint about this necklace is that it is really, really long. It even fits MY neck comfortably, and I am not a small person. It's very big on my preschooler and my baby. While yes, I don't want it tight on my children's necks, why does it have to be so long when it's marketed toward babies and toddlers?

There's others by another brand that are shorter length that would fit smaller necks better. Please be EXTREMELY CAREFUL. I really don't like the idea of these. 

It can also be doubled or triple wrapped (not too tightly!) around your baby's ankle and covered with a sock since all that apparently matters is that the succinic acid from the Amber stones comes in contact with the skin, not WHERE it does so. If you try this, I would definitely put socks on over it since baby could potentially take it off and try to put it in their mouth, which would be a major choking hazard. NEVER let your baby sleep with this on (feet, wrist, or neck) and don't let him or her wear it unless you're going to be watching and supervising. Don't turn your back for a SECOND if you decide to try them. That's all it takes. It's not worth it. 

Overall, I'm against these, especially for BABIES! 1) it's a MAJOR CHOKING HAZARD! There's warnings from the AAP and the CPSC about things with small parts around babies. Babies and Toddlers up to at least age 3 shouldn't be around anything smaller than the diameter of a toilet paper tube. 2) Um, you're putting something on a string around a baby's NECK! I'd think that's a strangulation hazard! Can we not? 3) I doubt the amber and the acids actually work. I'd think the amber has to be much hotter and over a much larger surface area to even start to have any sort of significant effect...  

So, I think personally, I'm better off spending my money on other teething tools... there's gotta be ONE out there that works for him! Wooden rings? silicone? argh! He can't keep chewing on my thumb forever!

Have you ever tried amber necklaces? Do you even think they're a good idea?