Natursutten Pacifiers

I swore I wouldn't let Bay use a pacifier. I lied. I probably would have kept my promise if I could have walked or sat down for the first couple of weeks after she was born but she constantly wanted to be carried around and it hurt for me to move. That's when I gave in and gave her a pacifier. We had the Soothies silicone kind from the hospital but I wanted something that I knew was safe and natural so we got these.

We have used the orthodontic and rounded tips and now that my favorite [and our only local] natural baby store has closed, I have to get them online. There is honestly nothing I hate more than paying for shipping, especially for something really lightweight and small. I lucked out last night when I noticed that the Mini Social had Natursutten on sale in packs of 2 for $9.99. I ordered one set each of the orthodontic and rounded tips because I'm thinking it might make sense to keep changing it so she doesn't get accustomed to one or the other. Also, perhaps that will make weaning her off pacifiers in a few months easier? Probably not but it's worth a shot.

Just to show you how much my not-so-easy-to-please daughter loves hers, here is a picture of her a week or so ago while we were at a local [and very loud] sports bar:

Anyway, the shipping isn't too bad, $6.95 to the continental US and even with that, the pacifiers are cheaper than Amazon or anywhere else online. Then I did a Google search [as I almost always remember to do before checking out online] for "Mini Social coupon code" and found one for free shipping. Yay! I used the code, JAN11SHIP, and it went through, making the pacifiers $4.99 each, as opposed to around $10 in stores with tax.

Teething Necklace

This blog is supposed to be about all of the things babies need or want and a teething necklace, in my opinion, is definitely a need. I thought I'd have a while longer when Bay surprised me by beginning teething at 8 weeks. At first, she just drooled more, but one day she screamed until I instinctively [I guess] wet the corner of a cloth, put it in the freezer for a minute, and gave it to her to chew. She chewed it for a couple of minutes and passed out.

I'm not completely opposed to giving medicine to Bay but it's always my last resort. I had read about Baltic Amber and its healing properties before so once it was clear she was in fact teething [doctor confirmed it], I immediately ordered a necklace for her. There is a good selection at Granola babies [with free shipping, too] but I searched Amazon for one with rounded beads and found this great seller. I got it on Christmas Eve, very quickly after ordering, and put it on her immediately. I am happy to report that she has had zero teething pain since about 12 hours after I put it on her, which was over a month ago!

Here's how Baltic Amber works, taken from The Art of Cure's description:

A Baltic amber teething necklace is made for wearing (not chewing) when a baby is teething. This can be worn alone or paired with a Baltic Amber Teething bracelet. The warmth from the skin releases the active ingredient in the Baltic amber, succinic acid. Recent scientific research has proved that succinic acid has a very positive influence on the human body. It improves immunity and the balance of acids when absorbed into the bloodstream; it stimulates the thyroid glands to help reduce drooling and soothes red inflamed cheeks. 

Amber's anti-inflammatory and therapeutic properties are recognized by allopathic medicine as a natural analgesic, which will help to relieve teething pain and calm a baby without resorting to drugs. The skin's warmth releases healing oils from the amber, a resin, which is absorbed into the bloodstream.

They come in many colors but I had read somewhere that there is a higher concentration of succinic acid in the lighter colored amber. Here's a photo of the one I got:

You can find the necklaces and bracelets on several sites but the important things to look for are:

+Knotting between each bead so that if it breaks, only one bead falls off.

+A screw closure, which makes it so easy to put on a squirmy baby.

+Beads sized for baby: they should be small enough that if they were somehow swallowed, the baby wouldn't choke on them.

+String that will stretch and break if necessary.

Sophie the Giraffe

To date, we have received 3 and purchased 1. They're everywhere and it seems like every baby has one. If your baby doesn't have a Sophie yet, I highly recommend them. Here's the story per the Sophie Giraffe website:

The Little giraffe was born on the 25th of May in the year 1961… St Sophie’s day! In those days, the only animal toys available were farm animal or pet figures. That is why one day in France, a certain Monsieur Rampeau, who was an expert in transforming sap from the Hevea tree using the rotational molding of rubber as a toy-making concept, came up with the idea of designing a giraffe.

Such an exotic wildlife figure would be a first on the market and its size and shape would be ideal for a baby’s small hands to grasp. Sophie the Giraffe, who looked exactly the same then as she does today, went into production on a Thursday, May 25th, whence her name. She was an immediate success.

Young mothers straightaway saw that she was a must for their children when the first signs of teething appear, Sophie the Giraffe helps baby stop crying! By simple word of mouth, the little Giraffe’s fame spread.From then on in Europe, generation upon generation of children were to love hearing Sophie squeak whenever they pressed her tummy and head!Vulli, a company based in Rumilly in the Haute-Savoie Region of France has continued to keep the jealously-guarded secret of how this wonder toy is made. Sophie is still “traditionally” produced to this day, a process that involves more than 14 manual operations. She is made from 100% natural rubber derived from the sap of the Hevea Tree. 

They're great! Newborns love the contrast of her spots and teething babies like mine love to chew her. Here's Bay, finally interested in her Sophie, at 3.5 months:

Now, do your baby a favor and try one of these safe, natural toys.

3 Months