You might be familiar with the company Inspired By Finn from their popularity as a leading source of baltic amber teething necklaces, but did you know that they also sell hazelwood necklaces to help deal with reflux?

The idea behind healing necklaces is that the stone (amber) or wood (hazelwood) in a necklace lies against the skin and is warmed by the body, so the essence of the stone or wood is absorbed into the blood stream. Amber contains analgesics that help deal with pain, while hazelwood helps the body become less acidic, helping with reflux and other symptoms of pH imbalance. I have used baltic amber with Little Sir since he was around 6 months old (I think?) and I really do think it helps “take the edge” off teething pain.

I believe I learned about hazelwood in a Facebook series that Inspired by Finn was running on their Facebook page about the healing properties of various gems. Then, through the Natural Parents Network, I heard that some moms use hazelwood necklaces on their kids to help with reflux just like we use baltic amber necklaces for teething. You can read more about hazelwood for reflux on the Inspired By Finn web site.

Safety
Here is the part where I must list a disclaimer: in compliance with the CPSIA regulations, Inspired By Finn is not allowed to recommend that hazelwood necklaces be worn by babies under the age of 3 years old. They did not recommend that I use this necklace on my child, I decided this myself because I have been using amber in this way for almost 2 years. I ordered a teenager’s necklace for my daughter. I feel comfortable with her wearing it because she is literally with me 24/7 and I watch her very closely while she wears it.

If you have ever bought amber necklaces from Inspired By Finn, you know that they are made exceptionally well with strong string and knotted between each bead. That way, if the necklace breaks, the beads do not fall off and roll around where a small child could put one in his/her mouth.

It is important to be aware that the hazelwood necklaces are not knotted between beads like the amber necklaces. In addition, the hazelwood necklaces do not have the screw-latch, they use a lobster-claw closure. With a lobster-claw closure, it’s very important to have a ring between the beads and the claw, like this:

If the necklace catches on anything, the ring will break and release the necklace, instead of cutting off the child’s air supply or breaking the necklace and scattering beads.

When we first got the hazelwood necklace, the ring it came with was so flexible that the necklace fell off regularly. I went to our local craft store and bought a slightly stronger ring that holds securely but will still bend off if it gets caught in anything.

Does it work?
I definitely believe that the amber works! When Little Sir was teething, if we left the necklace off overnight, he would wake up throughout the night with pain. If he had it on, he slept through the night.
With hazelwood… the jury is still out. Little Lady is doing so much better ever since we started giving her rice cereal in her bottle at night! When I came back from BlogHer, I left the hazelwood necklace off for about 24 hours and she had a really rough night. Was it related to not having the hazelwood present? I am not sure. I would recommend trying hazelwood if your little one has reflux and is reacting poorly to medications, like she did. Just make sure to supervise them closely while they are wearing the necklace, and know that Inspired By Finn does not recommend usage for kids under 3.

Here is a cute little model of the necklace (although not 100% accurate since the necklace should be worn INSIDE clothing to touch the skin directly, not on top of clothing, as this picture shows):

*NOTE: I was given a discount on a hazelwood necklace from Inspired By Finn in exchange for this review. I would have bought the necklace without the discount because I trust them and have bought previous amber necklaces from them. The opinions are my own.