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As a parent, there’s nothing worse than seeing your little one in pain while you stand by, powerless to stop it. And while cutting teeth is just a painful rite of passage, the popularity of “teething jewelry” at least gave parents the illusion they were doing something to help.
But After the strangulation death of an 18-month-old, the Food and Drug Administration is officially cautioning against it.
“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. 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 if you’re sitting there thinking you’d never put your baby to bed wearing a necklace, well, you’re not in the clear – a 7-month-old baby died after choking on a teething bracelet while his parents were in the room with him.
“Choking can happen if the jewelry breaks and a small bead enters the child’s throat or airway,” the report continued. “Strangulation can occur if a necklace is wrapped too tightly around the child’s neck or if the necklace catches on an object such as a crib.”
The FDA also reminds parents that they don’t recommend the use of “teething creams, benzocaine gels, sprays, ointments, solutions, or lozenges for mouth and gum pain” either, and suggests following American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidelines for soothing teething pain.
Those include rubber teething rings (cold is best!) or rubbing the irritated gums with a clean finger.
It’s hard to watch, parents, and even harder to have patience with a constantly irritated infant, but according to the FDA, the risks of using the jewelry to mitigate everyone’s pain is too much.
My advice? Try a large, peeled carrot right out of the fridge. Works like a charm!
