Nursing Necklace

Last June, I was visiting my best friend in Edinburgh. Expecting a baby soon she told me about an accessory I’d never heard of before, the breastfeeding necklace. Also called a teething necklace or nursing necklace – I prefer this last one – I thought it was a brilliant idea. Even though I’m not a mum, I’ve fed and nursed a lot of babies during my apprenticeship and then as Early Years Educator and I would appreciate to have this around my neck sometimes.

What is it ? Why use it ? When use it ? I answer all these questions.

A nursing necklace is made of a thread with varied textured beads and sometimes a teething ring and is worn by a parent/carer of the young baby. It is used mainly during feeding time (hence the common name, breastfeeding necklace), but, as we will see, its interest is going beyond the meal time.

As parent/carer of a young baby, many times in a day you feed them with a bottle of milk or breastfeed. Maybe you’ve noticed sometime your baby is not very concentrated on the feeding and there is many reasons:

• - they are watching around them, attracted by a sound or a light,
• - they are grasping your hair, your ears, your nose, your cheeks,
• - they are grasping your nipples,
• - they are struggling with teething pain,
• - they are agitated,
• - Etc…

Sometime Baby needs help to have a nice and relaxing meal.

The nursing necklace is used to encourage baby to grasp it rather than your hair or another part of your face. When babies have teething pain they can get angry because of the pain and will try to bite something to soothe it. That’s one purpose of the teething ring. Rather than bite the bottle teat or your nipple if you are breastfeeding, your baby can grasp and manipulate the necklace while they are feeding. You and Baby can be comfortable and appreciate this moment together.

The nursing necklace can be worn all along a day. Indeed, when you are holding your baby, they like to play with necklace in general. A nursing necklace will be more adapted for 2 reasons.

First, a classic necklace can contain dangerous pieces easily breakable and your baby could hurt their mouth, throat and/or suffocated by swallow them.

Secondly. The nursing necklace offer the same experience than a teething ring:

• - practice their voluntary prehension
• - explore materials: wood, coton
• - explore textures: smooth, soft
• - explore volumes: rounded, curved

For more information about the fine motor gross and the purpose or the teething ring in the baby’s development from birth to seven month old, I invite you to read this article

So, This necklace can be worn during breastfeeding, bottle feeding, but also when you carry your baby in your arms, or with a baby wrap.

I have designed these necklaces to be safe and interesting for the baby and aesthetically pleasing for the wearer.

These nursing necklaces will be in sale from 15th September in the Shop