Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Baltic Amber Teething Necklaces

I often have people comment on William's necklace asking why in the world my son is wearing that and I just laugh it off and tell them that he is a very fashionable baby.   I don't tend to share about the amazing benefits of baltic amber very often because the response tends to be confusion and skepticism.  I must admit though, before I researched the topic and started using the necklaces on my baby, I had the same reaction!  I was desperately searching for something natural and truly safe to give my baby though.  When Wesley was a baby, he consumed so much Tylenol and Motrin, it's sickening to think about.  There were two times that Tylenol was recalled and I checked the numbers on our half empty bottles to find that we had the recalled medicine.  After researching baltic amber teething necklaces, I still wasn't too convinced, but what could it hurt?  Either it works and I would be amazed or it wouldn't work and at least I would have a fashionable baby! :)

1 month old William with his first teething fever (he broke his first teeth at 4 months)



The first time I used the baltic amber teething necklace on William was when he was a month old and had his first teething fever.  We got the necklace out and put it on halfheartedly not really expecting any results.  The fever appeared that afternoon and was gone by that evening!  Considering that fevers always go up at night, we were completely convinced that the necklace worked.  It was amazing to see our poor son go from absolutely miserable back to his normal, calm self.  The necklace has proved itself time and time again.  William has had a fever due to a cold twice and the necklace reduced the fever to a manageable temperature of just above 100 degrees that would still fight off his cold.  William is 10 months old now and has never had any man-made medicine.  Just breast milk and his baltic amber teething necklace!


2 month old William with his first vaccine reaction.  The water and baltic amber necklace calmed his symptoms.

Information about why baltic amber is effective - "Baltic amber contains 3-8% of succinic acid, a scientifically examined medical substance used in contemporary medicine. The highest content of the acid is found in the amber cortex--the external layer of the stone. Baltic amber is an organic substance, a “fossil resin” produced by pine trees which grew in Northern Europe - from southern regions of the present day Scandinavia and nearby regions of the bed of the Baltic Sea. The climate became warmer and trees started to exude big amounts of resin. Scientists say that amber is a fossil pine resin from this region that has achieved a stable state through oxidation. The active ingredient in Baltic amber is succinic acid, which it has been discovered that there is no risk of the accumulation of surplus amounts of succinic acid in the human organism." - Information taken from http://www.amberartisans.com/


4 month old William learning to sit up

Here's some information about baltic amber teething necklaces that will hopefully clear up some of the common questions.  First, the necklaces are meant to be worn under clothing so the natural oils from the baltic amber are applied topically to the skin.  These necklaces are not meant to be chewed on!  I recommend getting a light-colored and "raw" necklace that hasn't been polished because the highest content of the acid is found in the external layer of the stone.  In regards to the common worry about the necklaces being a chocking hazard, in between each bead is a knot so that in case the necklace breaks, only one bead will fall off.  The necklace is also meant to be tight enough that it shouldn't catch on anything, but if it does, it is made to break easily.  The necklace should not be soaked in water and be taken off before bath time.  Also, babies should never be left alone wearing the necklace, although let's be honest, when are our babies ever without us? :)

I recommend purchasing from Amber Artisans or Inspired By Finn - http://www.amberartisans.com/ or http://hyenacart.com/stores/inspiredbyfinn/index.php?viewall=1 - These two sources seem to be the most reputable.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

The Rumble with Grumble


“The Rumble with Grumble: The Epic Adventures of a Turtle…and Some Bees” – Written by Kelsey Wagner - “And so it came that a turtle and some bees set out on a mission to find, if a monster was asked politely a question, would he, could he be kind?”


I have the pleasure of being dear friends with the author of this adorable and unique children’s book.  I took the boys to her book signing and was so excited to read it, but I honestly didn’t have a chance to do so for a couple of days, due to our constantly busy schedule.  When we finally did get a quiet moment to sit on the couch and crack it open, I was absolutely blown away by the book. 

“The Rumble with Grumble: The Epic Adventures of a Turtle…and Some Bees” is so unique! It certainly is not your average children’s book.  Engaging and challenging words with more than two syllables are used to beautifully tell the story. – “Then the turtle looked up with grout and conviction…” The illustrations are soft and delicate and the animals of the Forest of Sweven are so adorable.  I must admit, I’m quite partial to the “deer who came forth with a decent idea”.

Author, Kelsey Wagner, stated, “What I want to address… plays only a small part in the book, and yet such a major part in the lives of so many. I want to talk about allergies.” She donated all of “The Rumble with Grumble” autographing proceeds to The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.  If you are interested in having her read her book at your school or event please contact her at kelseymariewagner@yahoo.com. She would be happy to talk about allergy awareness with staff, students or just have a fun reading with your little kids.

William with author, Kelsey Wagner

You can purchase “The Rumble with Grumble: The Epic Adventures of a Turtle…and Some Bees”directly on the blog (You can get an autographed hardback here!) - http://aturtleandsomebees.blogspot.com/ on Amazon here – http://www.amazon.com/Rumble-Grumble-Kelsey-Wagner/dp/1613464975/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326821357&sr=8-1 or at Barnes and Noble here -  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rumble-with-grumble-kelsey-wagner/1107150088?ean=9781613464977&itm=1&usri=kelsey+wagner 

With every purchase of a book, you also get a free audio book download, with the book read by the author! - http://www.tatepublishing.com/downloads/elive.php

Make sure to “like” the book on Facebook! - https://www.facebook.com/aturtleandsomebees