Both of us had a rough night.
On Christmas morning, I posted a picture of Goldie wearing one of those amber teething necklaces, and a couple of readers and I started chatting on Instagram about whether they “work.” I ordered one as a Christmas present for her not really understanding what it was supposed to do (I actually thought the babies were supposed to chew on it, like they chew on that teething jewelry sold for mothers to wear), but upon Googling realized that their purpose is to emit some kind of acid that acts as a natural anti-inflammatory and pain reliever.
Hmmm.
To me, this sounds like a whole lot of placebo effect happening, because I can’t imagine a necklace emitting anything in sufficient quantities to be absorbed through the skin and have any actual effect. And if it did, it would probably be FDA-regulated. ..No? So it seems more likely to me that the necklaces (which are an old-school kinda hippie product but have recently experienced a resurgence in popularity) function to make parents desperate to alleviate their children’s pain feel like they’re doing something beyond the usual topical numbing creams and baby tylenol and what have you.
Which is totally fine. Whatever works. Also, they’re super cute. And for those of you wondering about the safety factor, apparently they are made to snap when pulled, and the beads are individually knotted so they can’t all fall off and create a choking hazard. (Also, just because I can’t post about baby necklaces without saying this: obviously please never let your baby wear one when she’s out of your sight or asleep.)
Anyway, in a weird little twist of fate, the arrival of the teething necklace coincided to the day with the appearance of Goldie’s first tooth. And I put it on her, and thought hey, maybe there is something to this, because she seems happy as a clam. Drooling, sure, but no apparent pain.
Ooooooh but then.
See, we’re visiting Kendrick’s family in Ohio right now, and traveling throws everybody (and especially tiny kids) a little off. So the first night that we were here, when Goldie woke up every twenty minutes crying (which is extremely weird for her; she’s a great sleeper) I attributed it to her being a little out of sorts on account of being away from home.
And then it happened again a second night: the fussing and the crying and the constant awakening with sad little pain-yelps; I couldn’t even sit down for a second without her crying, so the hours between 11PM and 7AM were spent pacing back and forth in a dark room, trying not to wake Kendrick or Indy (I managed to catch an hour or so of sleep in a sort of propped-up seated position on the bed, which seemed to be okay with her for a minute, until it wasn’t: back to pacing.)
And then she threw up (while sitting in her car seat, which always makes for a super fun and not at all dramatic event).
I’m 99.9% certain all this is teething-related, and have given her baby Tylenol and Orajel, but I figured this was as good a time as any to ask: when it comes to teething, what works for you? Indy didn’t really seem bothered by the teething process, so all this is new to me. I’ve heard giving them cold washcloths to chew on helps, but would love to hear any other suggestions, because oh my goodness, poor girl.
Also: thoughts on that teething necklace?
