Skeptic Turned Believer

If you've talked to me for longer than five seconds, you know teething and Tory do not mix. For the last year, she's dealt with the near constant irritation of teething.

I know everyone has their own beliefs about teething. (Does it rear its ugly head with physical symptoms? What medicinal / homeopathic remedies work best, if any, in dealing with the pain?) I'm not about to stir up a heated discussion on the matter but I do know, based on my sole parenting experience, Tory's teething goes on for weeks. Her symptoms include drooling, rosy cheeks, diarrhea, severe diaper rash and poor sleep. Mostly, I feel horrible watching her go through it all. I've tried everything from cold washcloths to chew on, doses of Tylenol and natural teething tablets with little relief. Ultimately, we both learned to soldier through the pain (her: the symptoms above; me: the sleepless nights, dealing with an extremely fussy, demanding, clinging toddler) and hope the end was soon in sight.

But! We've found something that seems to help. Months ago, Andi purchased Tory an amber teething necklace for teething pain. I was too apprehensive to put it on her, worried it might choke her at 7 or 8 months old, and threw it in the back of my nightstand drawer. A few months ago, I found it and decided to give it a try.

Tory has been wearing the necklace since January and has gained three canine teeth in the meantime with no teething symptoms. Granted, I realize she's now 18 months old and may be able to tolerate teething pain more than she could as an infant. However, she hasn't experienced any of the other teething symptoms in the last few months so I honestly believe the necklace helps. I'm a skeptic turned believer!

I truly forget she's wearing the necklace until someone makes a comment about her wearing it. The other day at her 18 month well-child visit, the doctor said "oh Tory, you're wearing a necklace, how fancy!" I didn't feel like going into details about its teething powers, so I just smiled and let the moment pass by. The necklace doesn't seem to bother Tory one bit. She wears it almost 24/7 except for in the bathtub and asks for it to be put on again when she's done. I don't know how long I'll let her wear it, but I do know I'm a bit nervous to take it off and experience another round of terrible teething.