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Doctor warns parents about using amber teething beads

Amber teething beads promise to ease your baby's teething pain, but doctors have been warning for years that these beads can be dangerous.

Tuesday morning on 10 News Today, Dr. Redman will be live on our show and the WBIR Facebook page to answer your teething and health questions. Join us in the morning starting at 4:30 a.m.

When baby is teething, life is tough. There are many sleepless nights and increased fussiness. It's just plain frustrating for parents.

Many moms and dads turn to anything for relief. One item, though, can be dangerous.

Amber teething beads promise to ease your baby's teething pain.

Warnings from the American Academy of Pediatrics have been out for a few years, but Dr. Ryan Redman, medical director of the Emergency Department at East Tennessee Children's Hospital, says he still sees parents using these beads. A lot.

Redman said he's actually seeing an increase.

The claims are that the amber secretes an acid that when warmed by the body can relieve the pain of teething.

Redman says they don't, and these beads can be dangerous.

 Dr. Ryan Redman

They pose a choking and strangulation hazard.

"Teething is frustrating. It's a universal thing and when your child is going through it you want to do something to help. Unfortunately, there is just not a lot out there that will help to a significant degree," Redman said.

Redman said if you do use the teething necklaces, never use them while the child is sleeping, and you should put it around your child's wrist or ankle, not around their neck.

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