Teething can be a hellish time.
Which is why, obviously, the industry has caught on and parents living through the hell that teething is, can lay their hands on a vast selection of products designed to ease the pain for little ones.
There are creams and granules and teethers (I am sure we all have gone through more than a few Sophie la Giraffe's), and many of us have even opted to use so-called teething necklaces or teething bracelets, all said to help relieve teething pain.
However, in the US, the FDA is now asking parents to stop using teething necklaces and bracelets, issuing a fresh warning after an 18-month old died after being strangled by his amber teething necklace during a nap. In another case, a 7-month-old, who was under parental supervision at the time, choked on the beads of a wooden teething bracelet. Thankfully, this baby was taken to hospital and survived.
"We know that teething necklaces and jewelry products have become increasingly popular among parents and caregivers who want to provide relief for children's teething pain and sensory stimulation for children with special needs, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. said in a statement.
"We're concerned about the risks we've observed with these products and want parents to be aware that teething jewelry puts children, including those with special needs, at risk of serious injury and death," he explains.
And the FDA are not the only ones to warn about these products:
The FDA's warning echoes previous calls from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The AAP doesn't recommend jewelry of any kind of babies. According to the AAP, claims that amber teething necklaces reduce pain, stimulate the thyroid glans or reduce inflammation are not backed up by scientific research, and the risks outweigh the benefits.
Scott Gottlieb of the FDA says "consumers should consider following the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations of alternative ways for treating teething pain, such as rubbing inflamed gums with a clean finger or using a teething ring made of firm rubber."
