A mum has issued a serious warning to parents about the dangers of teething necklaces for toddlers after tragically losing her own son.
You can watch Danielle Morin's heartbreaking story below:
Through her TikTok account, Danielle had been encouraging her viewers to avoid products like amber necklaces with their children when one follower insisted that her child loved his teething toy.
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Sharing her heartbreaking story in response, Danielle made a follow-up video, explaining: "We also loved our amber teething necklace until it strangled my son to death. Know better do better! Child safety isn't a parenting choice, it's a duty!"
In case you're not familiar, an amber teething necklace is a piece of jewellery made of Baltic amber that's marketed to help children with their teething.
According to parenting site What To Expect, when a baby wears one, the body heat - in theory - triggers the release of a small amount of oil containing succinic acid. When the oil is absorbed, some believe it soothes teething pains.
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The US's Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) released a warning in 2018 about the safety risks of amber teething necklaces, confirming a serious risk of choking and strangulation.
After years of grieving, Danielle decided to try and get pregnant again, conceiving a baby as a single mum in 2019. As well as raising her now two-year-old son Rhett, she has also committed to promoting child safety through her social media.
Her videos around child safety, and particularly on the dangers of amber teething necklaces, have become massively popular among TikTok users, with parents regularly commenting to thank her for spreading awareness.
One viewer shared: "I want you to know that I bought one before my daughter was born and your awareness saved me from ever putting it on my daughter. Thank you."
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A second wrote: "I was contemplating buying one and now I won’t bc of this video. Thank you mama and so so sorry for your loss."
Another user added: "We used them with my older two and I will never use them with my younger two! I’m so glad I saw your page before my 3rd was born."
Danielle's goal now is to keep spreading the word on the dangers of amber teething necklaces and advocate for stronger regulation across online marketplaces like Etsy, where she had bought her son Deacon's necklace.
Ali Condon