A California mom warned against using an Amber teething necklace after the death of her toddler in 2016. The amber teething necklace strangled the 18-month-old Deacon while taking a nap at the nursery in Fontana, California.
The Sun reported that the toddler was found unresponsive and was taken to the hospital, but after the doctors were unable to save the baby, the mom had to decide to turn off the life support.
Danielle Morin, the bereaved mom, has been using her @dani.morin13 TikTok account to warn viewers against amber necklaces as a matter of duty years after years of grieving.
@danimorin13 TW Child Loss- 5 and Raw #childloss #infantlossawareness #griefjourney #grief #infantloss #babyproductsafety #etsybusiness #amberteethingnecklace ♬ Sad Scene BGM Piano Instrument(313618) - HomeMadeGarbage
Amber Teething Necklaces
Danielle was given the Baltic amber teething necklace by a close friend who purchased it on the Etsy website. In 2019, Danielle sued Etsy and the Lithuanian company that provided the chain, saying that no parent should have to bury their child.
As per Today's Parent, these teething necklaces are made of amber, wood, marble, or silicone and are marketed to relieve teething pain and provide sensory stimulation to people with autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Amber is a natural substance that forms when tree resin becomes fossilized. Various kinds of amber are most often named from the region they are found in. The most common is Baltic amber. It contains succinic acid, which is believed to have anti-inflammatory and painkilling properties. The product claims that when the bead contacts the skin, succinic acid is released into the body, relieving the pain and tenderness of teething.
Not safe for toddlers
The Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warn parents and caregivers not to use amber teething necklaces on babies and toddlers. A study in 2019 reported that the succinic acid found in Baltic amber is not released when worn next to the skin. The study also revealed that succinic acid is not an anti-inflammatory. Farah Abdulsatar, a pediatrician in London, Ontario, said there is insufficient evidence that the necklaces work. However, there is a lot of evidence that it poses dangers to toddlers.
Some amber teething necklaces are advertised with "breakaway clasps" that are supposed to give way with a small amount of force. However, a 2018 study of 15 different teething necklaces purchased from retailers in Canada found that all did not open with 15 pounds of force, and eight chains did not open with 1.6-pound-force. Fifteen-pound weight is the industry standard to test children's jewelry, while a 1.6-pound weight is the amount of force required to block a child's airway.
The results conclude that the necklaces pose a strangulation risk to young children.
The teething necklaces can also house harmful bacteria picked from the baby's environment. A separate study found that all chains of toddlers brought into a French hospital had various bacteria. Three necklaces had methicillin-susceptive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteria, which causes skin infections.
Alternative to teething necklaces
Very Well Family recommends that alternatives could be chewing toys designed for teething babies instead of amber necklaces. It also suggested damp washcloths that are twisted and frozen or lightly massaging sore areas with a clean finger or knuckle.
