Amber Teething Necklaces

Sprout often gets compliments on his "cute little necklace." Or someone will comment on how sweet it is that he and I have matching necklaces. What they usually don't realize is that we are wearing pieces of jewelry that have had health benefits for both of us. Call me crazy, but I swear these things works!

I had often seen the mention of amber teething necklaces on a parenting board I once frequented. At first it just sounded like a choking hazard. Plus, why couldn't my baby just chew on a teething toy like babies have done for generations? Then my friend Ashley at Miss Monkey's Boutique gave me the low-down. She told me about the benefits of amber and that people in Europe have been using amber for a variety of ailments for centuries, including infant teething.

Sprout had a horrible time with teething starting at 2 months old. Restless nights, constant drooling, fussiness, etc. I decided I'd give the amber necklace a try. What could it hurt? It made a difference immediately. He still had some discomfort and restless nights, but he was a lot less fussy. I was able to cut down on the amount of pain reliever he needed during the day because he just seemed so much more comfortable!

There are certain precautions you need to take in order to keep your little one safe while wearing an amber teething necklace:

• Do not allow your child to chew on the necklace. They are made to wear, not to chew.
• Children should be supervised while wearing jewelry.
• Remove jewelry if child is going to be sleeping.
  

Ashley suggested I also get a necklace for myself. I have had migraines since my early twenties and she said that wearing amber has helped some people with migraines. Once my necklace arrived I started wearing it daily. I was able to avoid my monthly migraines almost completely. At worst, I'd take an Advil at the onset...but other than that, I barely notice them. There have even been a few times when I forget to wear my necklace, feel a migraine coming on and can still avoid a full-on attack if I put on my necklace.

After Sprout and I had success with our necklaces, I bought my mom an amber anklet. She has bad arthritis in her feet and one ankle tends to swell very badly. After wearing the anklet for a week or so, her ankle had a significant decrease in swelling.

Besides teething discomfort, migraine pain and swelling from arthritis, amber is said to help other issues as well. Among them are diaper rash, growing pains, eczema, fatigue, pain and inflammation. If you are looking for a non-invasive way to treat what is ailing you, you might want to look into amber jewelry. I know it has cut down on the crabby-teething-baby-syndrome in our house.

Toothbrushes that turn, vibrate, whatever...

Did you know my kids have cavities? Peanut will be 4 in October and Sprout will be 2 in November. To me it seems awfully young to have cavities. I am riddled with guilt about this even though, apparently, it is due to a mixture of things. One of these things is genetics. But another problem is that we have sucked at brushing their teeth more than once a day. Plus, Sprout still breastfeeds and will often nurse throughout the night. So I guess you add all those things up and you get 7 cavities and a really really really expensive dentist bill.

But at this point, all I can do is learn from the situation and try to do better. As Oprah would say, "when you know better, you do better." When I asked the dentist what I could do to prevent decay in the future he suggested:

• Brushing after every meal (darn.)
• Flossing (oh, that will be fun)
• Starting Peanut on fluoride toothpaste even if he still swallows a little bit.
• Trying to wipe down Sprout's teeth with a wet washcloth after he nurses (oh, you mean after he's just fallen asleep?!)

Realizing that two out of these four things might actually happen on a regular basis, I looked to my friends for advice. Surprisingly, the consensus was electric toothbrushes. You know, like a Sonicare for kids. So I took the boys shopping thinking, "I'm going to waste a ton of money on crazy kids' tooth care crap and they still will fight me when it's time to brush their teeth." I was wrong.

Each of the boys picked out a Crest Spinbrush. Peanut, a soccer ball and Sprout, a fire truck. They were about $6 each. I knew things were going well when they started playing with them in the car on the way home, but I was surprised by how willing they were to have their teeth brushed when we got home. Peanut now calls it his "super toothbrush." They are a bit bulky...and ugly...but if my kids are willingly brushing their teeth 2 to 3 times a day, who cares?!


I also bought them kid's flossers and Tom's of Maine natural anticavity toothpaste for Peanut. So far, no swallowing the new toothpaste! I guess it took the dentist telling him not to swallow his toothpaste for it to finally sink in. The kid flossers interested them because of their dinosaur shapes & they weren't afraid of us using them. It's seems like a bit of waste to me, using these plastic dinos once and throwing them away. But hopefully we'll smoothly transition to actual floss soon.



We'll see 6 months from now if any of these new habits and new products make a difference, but I'm crossing my fingers and brushing tiny teeth like crazy.

I Love My Beco Baby Carrier!

Recently I told you about my love for my fleece Hotslings pouch (even typing that I feel a little sad that I can't use it anymore). When our days with the pouch were numbered, I started doing some research on what might be a good replacement. I wasn't a fan of ring slings. Some people love them, but I just never got the hang of them. Plus, Sprout was getting a little heavy for a one-shoulder carry. I also considered woven wraps. There are beautiful wraps out there that can be very comfortable and can hold a lot more weight than the Moby wrap. But I never took to the Moby & was afraid I wouldn't like the woven wraps either. But since I did like the Ergo (the few times I tried with Peanut) I decided to look into some other soft structured carriers.

I still had my Babyhawk, but really wanted something that I could put on even faster than a mei tai. I anticipated trying to get Sprout in and out of a carrier while also needing to tend to Peanut. The Ergo was nice, but I wanted something a little more girly. I narrowed my search and eventually decided on the Beco Baby Carrier. I found a barely used "4th generation" on TheBabywearer.com.

My beautiful Sky Temple Beco was even prettier in person than it was in photos. It was easy to put on, easy to adjust and I could actually get it more snug than the Ergo. Being able to tighten the straps just a little bit more made a world of difference. I was able to get Sprout closer to my body, thus putting less strain on my back and neck. It was so cozy and comfortable!

Sprout is now 19 months old and I still wear him in the Beco almost daily. It lives in my car and I can pop him on my back in a matter of seconds. My only complaint about the Beco (at least with the 4th generation version) is the hood. The hood is detachable and is stored in a pocket when not being used. The trouble is, I never seem to know when Sprout will fall asleep. Then when I need the hood to hold up his sleepy little head, I need someone to help me put it on. So in that respect, I like the Ergo hood more since it's attached and easy to grab whenever you need it.

But overall, I think it has been the best carrier for us and I have recommended it to several people. I know Beco continues to make improvements on their carriers, so check out their website for the newest products and features.

Happy Baby Wearing!

Look...No Hands!

Do you remember when I said there are a few mommy items I have spent money on and never regretted it? Well I think this one might take the cake. I've always tried to follow the ideals of attachment parenting, but am a firm believer in the benefits of babywearing. With Peanut I struggled with finding the perfect carrier for us and eventually settled on a Babyhawk mei tai carrier. It was cute, comfy & even Hubby could use it if he wanted. When I became pregnant with Sprout, carrying Peanut became difficult. I found a gently used Ergo baby carrier for Hubby so he could take over babywearing duties for awhile...well, okay...toddler-wearing duties. I think he used it until Peanut was about 2 years old.

When Sprout was born I had a little stash of different carriers to try. I was convinced that this time around I'd be able to comfortably wear my newborn. Plus, I now had a toddler to chase after and needed a way to handle both kids without losing my mind. We still had the Ergo, plus my Babyhawk mei tai and a Moby wrap. But the 1st place winner coming out of the gate was my sweet, soft & cozy Hotslings fleece pouch. It fit like a glove, was nice and warm and Sprout would fall asleep in the pouch no matter where we were or what I was doing. Sometimes just seeing me come toward him with the pouch in my hand would calm him down. I was on maternity leave for just over three months, and I think I wore Peanut in the Hotslings pouch every single day during that time.

This is how much I loved that pouch sling...I had to borrow a stock photo because I couldn't take a photo of mine. Why? Well, my dear friend Donna made an adorable stuffed animal out of it as a 1st birthday for Sprout. I was so attached to it I couldn't bare to sell it or give the pouch away. So now we have Karter Kangaroo to remind me (and maybe Sprout) of those early babywearing days.

I haven't seen the fleece pouches on the Hotslings site for a long time, but I know you can find them on ebay. But, in my opinion, the best place to look for your perfect baby carrier is TheBabyWearer.com. There are wonderful forums there where you can ask questions and read some FAQs. You can also purchase gently used carriers from moms who are moving on from babywearing or want to get rid of something that just isn't working for them.

Next time I'll share my favorite toddler carrier!

Update from Hotslings via Twitter: "We do have the fleece slings back up on the site for now... They're under the sale category."

As Seen on TV!

I was probably introduced to the Swivel Sweeper while watching TV at 3AM nursing a newborn Peanut. What is it about early morning infomercials mixed with sleep deprivation that can make you believe you need something so badly?! For just two low payments of $19.99 I could get not only one Swivel Sweeper...but two! I decided to avoid temptation and put my Swivel Sweeper dreams out of my mind.

I was again introduced to the Swivel Sweeper by my best friend's mom about 9 months later. She swore by it. I think she even said "It's so easy, a toddler could use it!" I fell in love all over again, but decided that my regular broom was all I needed (as if I actually swept on a regular basis).

Last month I could no longer suppress the lust I had in my heart. I dragged the boys to Bed Bath & Beyond and purchased my dear Swivel Sweeper. As soon as we got home, and the battery was charged, I gave the sweeper a try. It sucked up snack crumbs, dog hair, cat hair, raisins...you name it! It even worked on the carpet. It reached under the crib, the beds and the couch. And the very best part...the boys fought over who got to try it first!

I admit it. I love my Swivel Sweeper. I use it daily and sometimes I even let the boys help...if they are really really good.

This Digital Mom is Back to Paper

There are a lot of items out there that are supposed to make your life easier as a mom. But I usually find that they are overpriced, well-marketed pieces of useless junk wrapped in trendy fabric. But there are a couple of so-called mommy helpers that I have dropped some serious coin on...and am glad I did.

Momagenda

At first glance this is your usual everyday calendar organizer. Besides the multiple cover choices like lime, fuschia, chocolate or leopard, I couldn't really figure out what justified its $40 price tag. Plus, I'd worked for a major software company for years and was really happy with keeping track of my entire life in Microsoft Outlook. Why would I pay $40 to go to paper? Well, my friends, I'm a paper convert. I LOVE my Momagenda! Yes, my cute lime cover makes me happy. But my favoritest part is the section on each page for four more family members and meal planning! I can keep track of my boys' schedules, my husband's schedule AND what we are having for dinner on any given day. I swear to you that the only reason my family gets a meal (almost) everday is because of that simple little "Dinner" grid. It looks like the 2009-2010 Momagendas are available already too! Should I get lime again? Or maybe tangerine, true-purple or pink faux crocodile!