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.

Library Picks: School & Dentist

Two big topics of conversation in our house right now are preschool and the dentist. Peanut starts preschool in exactly four weeks. We've been reading all kinds of books about school and I think it's really helped him to feel less nervous.



Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney
We have really enjoyed all of Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama books. Peanut can really relate to the sweet little Llama Llama...and I can relate to the Mama, who is always needed and or missed. In this latest book, Mama takes Llama Llama to his new preschool. He is quite apprehensive and shy at first and only wants his Mama. But soon he realizes how much fun there is to be had at school and forgets all about his Mama not being there...but he is very happy to see her when she comes to pick him up.

Little Cliff's First Day of School by Clifton L. Taulbert
This book is set in the South in the 1950s. Hubby had a blast reading this book to the boys in his best southern accent (ha!). Little Cliff is terribly scared of going to school on his first day. But his great-grandparents are there to encourage him every step of the way. Once he arrives at the little school house and sees his friends playing, he realizes that school is going to be fun after all! The illustrations in this book are beautiful and add so much to this cute story.

ABC Dentist: Healthy Teeth from A to Z by Harriet Ziefert
We discovered last month that both boys have cavities. They have been to the dentist for cleanings, but this week they both go in for fillings. I am probably more anxious than they are. But, reading about the dentist has really made the experience of going to the dentist feel a little more normal. Apparently you can attach anything to the ABCs...even visiting the dentist! C is for cavity. See...it can't be scary if it's part of the alphabet!

Raising Healthy Kids: Tooth Decay in Toddlers

In case you haven't read enough about my kids' cavities, I'm over at Everyday Health today!

Everyday Health: Raising Healthy Kids

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.

Well My Mama Told Me, "There'll Be Days Like This"

This was one of those days when I should have checked my horoscope upon rising. I believe today's number would have been a 2 and advice would have been to stay in bed (as if that were possible).

The boys both had dentist appointments today, which I was dreading. I knew Sprout had cavities, so I figured Peanut would too. Plus, it was Sprout's first time at the dentist and a new dentist for Peanut. But we found a pediatric dentist with a dinosaur themed office and great recommendations. I woke up tired, but hopeful and positive about our day. We left the house on time. The boys were happy. I had my coffee. Everything was looking good.

About 5 minutes into our drive I see a couple of crows in the middle of the road, enjoying a nice snack. I start to say out loud, "Move crow. Move crow. MOVE CROW!" But taking my own advice (which I often give Hubby), I decided not to swerve, risking the crow's life rather than our three. Well, the crow didn't move. Apparently that snack was just too good...or he couldn't hear me yelling at him. So I passed over him, heard a "thud-thunk," and sat in bug-eyed silence as I continued down the road. I immediately assumed that Peanut, Mr. Sensitive, would be horrified. Instead, after a few thoughtful minutes, he said, "Mommy, that crow shouldn't eat his food in the street. He should eat it on the grass where it's safe." So true.

The dentist appointment went well. Peanut was a star patient and made me very proud. Sprout was pretty nervous, but did well for his first dentist visit. Then we got the bad news:

Sprout: 4 cavities, $1784.00, general anesthesia
Peanut: 3 cavities, $858, light sedation w/ the posibility of general anesthesia.

I don't know if you know this...but our kids are only 1 and 3. How on earth do they have cavities?!

We came home, ate lunch, got ready for nap...the usual. I was feeling more tired than usual, but assumed it was due to lack of sleep and the stress of the day. A little coffee would help, right? Nope. Apparently I am fighting my (as Peanut would say) forty-twenty-ten-five-fifth case of mastitis. My friends, if you know what mastitis is and/or have experienced it...I will say nothing more. I will just take my Tylenol, drink my liquids and hopefully feel better tomorrow.

"What is the good news?", you say?

I honestly don't think tomorrow could be as crazy, stressful or tiring. But then, I haven't checked my calendar yet.

Mommy Confessions: Guilt

#32 I'm having an issue with Mommy Guilt lately. It all started with a recent "conversation" I had with an extended family member about the behavior of my children at a family event. As much as I want to say it didn't bug me, it did. I feel guilty that my kids weren't on their best behavior. I feel guilty that I let someone else's opinion of my parenting bother me. I feel guilty that, even just for a moment, I let someone else's view of my children affect my own view of them.

#33 My 19 month old son has cavities. Cavities! Actually, I think they call them dental caries. Last week I was looking in Sprout's mouth to see if a new tooth had appeared. It hadn't...but some yellow-brown lines and indentations has suddenly appeared on his four front teeth. I was horrified. How have I let my baby's teeth basically rot in his mouth without even noticing?! We are very careful to limit juice, sweets, etc. We brush his teeth well every night. I just feel terrible. He is still nursing and some things I have read suggest breastfeeding could be a culprit (late night feedings), but other things I've read say that breastfed babies are no more likely to get cavities than other babies. We an appointment with a pediatric dentist next week and I'm just dreading what they'll say. Apparently if a child his age needs fillings they have to go under general anesthesia. Seriously? What have I done?

If you think that's bad...