The debate and mystery surrounding the truth about amber necklaces has being going on for decades now and by the looks of things, doesn’t have any plans to stop any time soon. In my mind there are 2 main areas for debate:
- Does amber actually have any affect on a baby’s teething.
- The health & safety aspects of a baby wearing a necklace or anklet.
Some of you may have noticed that Ted wears a necklace made from Baltic amber. It’s pretty popular with celebs; Alanis Morissette and Rachel Zoe have both used them with their children but I’m pretty sure that they both copied Ted!
Let’s address the 2 key points in turn:
1. So the story goes that, amber has special properties that help reduce a baby’s symptoms of teething. The question is; how can merely wearing amber possibly affect your symptoms? And it’s a good question.
Is this just an old wives tale? Is it Harry Potter style magic? Is it just a pile of crap? Or is there some truth in it?
To start off with, I’ll tell you about Ted. I bought him an amber necklace that he wore for eight of his first nine months. At 9 months, we decided to change his necklace and updated it with a black amber one. In theory, it does exactly the same, but it’s made using much darker stones.
So far, Ted has grown almost a full mouth teeth. People say that, early on, the front two at the top are the worst in terms of hurting the baby and the baby will show many teething symptoms as a result. We didn’t even know that Ted had grown them until we saw them in his mouth! He showed no signs whatsoever.
He has never had red cheeks, slimey poo, worse nights, been under the weather or been whiney when his teeth were coming through. If you ever needed a case of amber working, this is it. “That’s not really proof” I hear you say! And you’re right. We have no way of telling whether this would have been the same without the amber. Maybe we just got lucky with a baby who dealt well with teething symptoms? And that’s the crux of the problem.
Ok, time for the ‘science.’ Basically, this is homeopathic medicine for children. There are currently two thoughts on why amber has healing and pain relieving properties:
- When amber is worn on the skin, the skin’s warmth releases miniscule amounts of healing oils, which are then absorbed by the skin and into the bloodstream.
- Apparently, scientific findings show that amber is electromagnetically alive and therefore produces organic natural energy, that has healing properties.
They also say that wearing amber can protect us from electronic devices like televisions, microwaves and mobile phones. So those parents who give their babies iPhones to keep them quiet (and, yes, I have seen this), should wrap them up in amber! Baltic amber also contains succinic acid which is a substance used in contemporary medicine. So, I guess there are some scientific theories, facts or studies that support the wearing of amber necklaces.
2. The health & safety side of this debate is an odd one for me. It seems as though parents decide to pick and choose which health & safety ideas they want to follow and which they don’t. Obviously there are some safety guidelines that must be followed, in particular the length of the necklace needs to be measured carefully to ensure it fits the baby wearing it perfectly. A necklace that is the wrong size could be very dangerous. It is also vital that you research the company you purchase the amber from and check that they are following all of the health and safety guidelines.
So, there you have it! Is there evidence to suggest it does work? I’ll let you decide but I, for one, will not be taking Ted’s necklace off. Whether it’s because of the amber or not, Ted’s teething has gone remarkably well, and I think he looks pretty damn cool too!
If you want to find out more about amber necklaces, check out Love Amber X. They can advise you on all the health & safety guidelines plus talk to you in more depth about the benefits.
They’re also offering all Dad Network readers 15% off on amber necklaces! Just use this code at checkout: DAD
We love our amber necklaces in this house! Both of my kids have worn them from about 4 months old – my daughter took hers off through her own choice when she was 5 (I think she was sick of the attention it attracted as an early adopter!) and my 2 year old is still going strong with his. I didn’t realise how well it worked until we took my daughters off for swimming one day and couldn’t find it to put it back on…. we rushed out to get a new one after 2 days without it!
Thanks for sharing your experience with amber. Its great to hear the opinions of others too :)
Having never heard the science behind it I was always on the fence as to whether this was for realz or a dumbo like talisman. I have heard so many positive reviews though I don’t think it matters!
I felt the same until we tried it :)
So glad you’ve blogged about this!! We had literally no teething problems and T wore an amber necklace from 3m. Reading this has really enlightened me on all the health properties of Amber. Thanks for writing x
Thanks for your comment. So glad to hear you’ve had no teething problems :)
We got one at 5 months and I was sceptical. Before I got one my boy would wake up screaming like he was in pain and ever since he’s been wearing it, to this day, 14 months later he hasn’t woken up screaming like he had been before. Can’t guarantee it’s because of the necklace but the other 14 teeth he’s grown since haven’t seemed to bother him too much!
That’s how we feel. We can’t prove its the amber but it certainly seems to have worked for Ted
Interesting reading. My 15 month old is having bad teething troubles recently (only 2 teeth have come through so far). I bought her an amber anklet months ago for teething and had since forgotten about it until reading this. I will dig it out tomorrow and see if it helps. Thanks for reminding me!
Would love to hear your thoughts on it once you’ve started using it.
I was hoping for more science from an article titled as the definitive Truth. “Apparently, scientific findings show…” needs a link to said findings, as with your other suggestions of scientific benefits. As it is we have your (perfectly valid) opinion & experience, and a link to a seller with a discount code.
That’s why we added the question mark. Still, it got you to read it ;) Thanks for your comment buddy
I have to agree with this, just because a substance is used in other types of medicine to then make the leap that there is science backing up the use of amber is misleading. Also stating that is homeopathic is an instant turn off considering homeopathy has been proven to have no effect whatsoever time and time again!
I would really appreciate any opinions or advice on this subject. I gave my 11 month old son his Baltic Amber necklace yesterday. Today he has not been able to sleep at all (usually has two naps a day), then this evening he has a high temperature and hasn’t stopped crying and very hard to settle. He is normally a very happy baby. Gave in and gave him Calpol, he is now asleep and temperature has dropped. Could this be anything to do with the necklace? Has anyone else experienced this in the beginning? Or do you think it is completely unrelated. I told my husband that the necklace will make his teething unnoticeable and now he thinks I’m talking shit!
I would personally check with a medical professional, especially with a sudden increase in temperature
Thank you Matthew, I ended up taking him to the walk in clinic. It turned out to be a viral infection so he is fine now and back to his cheeky wee self
Glad to here is is better now :)
Hi there,
I have always used amber beads for my little ones and it has definitely helped! I have 3 kids and have used amber necklaces with every one of them to help aid the soreness of tender gums from teething.
What works for some may not work for everyone but I do think its worth a try! I get my amber necklaces from It’s Handmade and could not recommend them enough! they also have a beautiful range of handmade childrens toys.
Good luck with your amber beads guys im sure you will find them as useful as I have!
Becky
There is so much fake amber out there is would only trust love amber x. I have used it for my LG since she was a few weeks old. Over the year of her life it has helped with colic, reflux, teething, night terrors, sleeping. My son also wears it who has numerous issues. I wear it for numerous issues….I’ve not had a chest infection for over a year and I normally get 3-4 a year. I’m definitely a believer #amberliber
We have used amber for teething and moods sonce my litrle girl was born i am absolutely in no doubt that it definitely works with all types of pain and helpingbwoth calming and sleep.
We didn’t find out about amber until our son was over a yr old but we tried it and have never looked back. Our son went from a red cheeked drooling grouchy boy within 24hrs he was fine no red cheeks no drooling and the happy wee guy that we adore! After that we didn’t know when he was cutting a tooth unless we had a look. We’re 3 yrs on from that and our son still wears amber as we’ve found that it keeps him a lot more on an even keel than without it especially as he was diagnosed with asd last yr.
If i had known about Amber with my eldest I would have used it then! I got Amber for number 2 and wow the difference! From 4 dribble bibs per day to none…no symptoms of teething better sleep…was totally sceptical until I used it on our daughter! We use love Amber x we get loads of comments and I always say try it I’ve not looked back…it rocks!! Lol!!!
These Amber items are amazing. I admit I was skeptical at first and adults wearing them did not sway me to try them. I imagined them to be a bit of a placebo effect. If you’re wearing one for a specific reason then your brain is tricked into thinking it’s working ect BUT my two year (who had colic and reflux in the first 8 months of his life resulting in two hour sleep shifts constantly and also resulted in my nervous breakdown) has been wearing them for 14 months. I bought one when to help with his teething. Up all night, crying, in pain, gnawing, red cheeked, drooling, bad nappies, irritable and cranky. I had nothing to lose. Within a week of wearing his amber necklace he was like a different child and has now cut all his teeth, including the dreaded back ones, and I had no clue! I then went on to buy one to help with his tantrums. They have more than halved. He doesn’t know why he’s wearing them so that threw my placebo theory way out the window :D He hasn’t had any Calpol in 14 months and hasn’t had an illness.
In fact they are so good I’ve recently bought a couple to help with my panic attacks and anxiety. I’ve dropped from having 3/4 panic attacks daily to having none. I’ve had mine on a week. I would absolutely be lost without them especially my sons! I buy mine from Love Amber X and can’t fault the lovely people at all. Delivery is quick and helpful advice is always there. Nothing seems to be too much trouble.
These small beads are a God send. I just need them to make one that tells me the lottery numbers now :)
We love our amber and gemstone anklets/necklaces from Love Amber X. You don’t realise how much they help until they get lost!! I prefer anklets for my little ones just because I feel they’re safer but I have two necklaces for myself :)