Heads Up, Infant Parents: The FDA Just Warned Against a Product You Might Have in Your Home
It all begins with a string of drool. Then, before you know it, your previously sleep trained baby is waking up in the middle of the night and gnawing on anything he can get his hands on.
Teething is the worst, right?
But before you resort to shelling out for silicone teething necklaces, amber bracelets and more, heed this new advice from the FDA: They're not safe. In fact, they can cause strangulation and choking when worn by the infant, a terrifying result of jewelry meant to soothe your baby's pain.
“They are really quite dangerous,” says Jennifer Hoekstra, an injury prevention specialist at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in an interview with Today. “The American Association of Pediatrics does not recommend any teething jewelry.”
And for parents touting homeopathic benefits of the jewelry, like amber chokers meant to act as an analgesic for infants with sore gums? This is also misinformation, according to experts. (There is no evidence that the succinic acid found in the amber—and thought to relieve pain—can even be absorbed through the skin.)
So, what's a sleep-deprived (and worried) mom or dad to do? Invest in a chew toy. Massage your baby's gums with clean fingers. Or, if they're really in pain, consult your pediatrician about giving them a dose of baby Tylenol. Like all things with parenting, we promise: This too(th) shall pass.
