Inspired by Finn Review and Giveaway

some many moons ago, inspired by finn sent me an amber teething necklace to try out and review. my little sprout has been wearing it ever since.

he was a late teether and only had the top two and bottom two center teeth when we received the necklace. shortly after it's arrival, his next two top and bottom teeth came in and i would have never known except he had a slightly runny nose, mild temperature increase, and wanted to nurse ALL NIGHT LONG for two weeks. he was pretty calm throughout the ordeal, though, and there is no doubt in my mind that the amber necklace helped!

i had an amber teething necklace for pea, as well, and that is when i became convinced that amber really was beneficial. while teething, pea hardly displayed any discomfort and when he did seem to be in a bit of pain, i'd give him two or three humphrey's pellets , nurse him, and he'd be asleep within five minutes. every time, it never failed. after sprout was born i was looking at the inspired by finn site and learned that the more opaque the amber, the better the analgesic properties. pea's necklace had been much more transparent and contained misshapen beads that seemed uncomfortable so when i was able to select a necklace for sprout, i chose one with more opaque beads (but also some transparent ones, because i prefer their appearance). each bead is smooth and rounded for maximum comfort! i would take pea's necklace off from time to time, though he did wear it consistently through each teething episode, whereas we have not taken sprout's off since we got in march or april (yes, it's been that long).

last month sprout got all four molars in. i didn't notice. this is a testament, in and of itself, to how well the opaque amber beads worked in providing superior pain relief and decreased swelling. there was no drooling, no crying, none of the typical "signs" one expects when their child is teething. two weeks before i noticed his newly exposed molars i thought he might be teething because he increased his nightly nursing sessions and had a very mild rise in temperature but those were my only clues and before i thought to check, he was back to his normal self.

when my oldest was getting his teeth, it was a completely different experience. i remember the many, many nights my mom and i would walk with him, screaming and crying in our arms. i did use humphrey's back then, and orajel, and infant tylenol because i wasn't aware of amber beads as an alternative (and i while i nursed him, at first, he was on the bottle before his first tooth came in). despite all of the over the counter methods, teething was rough on my first son.

it was a completely different experience with my younger two, and i think the amber necklaces made all the difference! and the more opaque beads on sprout's necklace made for an even better experience with much less discomfort.

even if you're not a believer, you have to admit the necklaces are cute and it certainly wouldn't hurt to have your child sport something so adorable. we get compliments on it every. time. we. leave. the. house. i'm not even kidding.

now, i am very happy with our necklace - it was called the honey dot oval, though i don't know if this option is currently available, however i have noticed that inspired by finn is now carrying a line of unpolished/raw necklaces and they are awesome! i'm going to get one for myself and everyone on my christmas list! i think the lemonade one is my favorite!

the giveaway:

Inspired by Finn has generously offered one of my readers the opportunity to win one amber necklace, up to 17" in length, in winner's choice of color!

how to enter:

you must be a follower of this blog to enter
if you're not already following the awesomama blog, please leave a comment once you've become a follower - if you're already following and want to be entered, leave a comment saying so :)
(note: there is a "follow" option in the blue blogger navigation bar at the top of the screen, must be logged in)

extra entries:

1. tell me why you want to win an amber teething necklace - maybe you're a mama that believes in the power of amber, maybe you're curious, or want to sport one for youself, just for the simple beauty of it!

2. visit inspired by finn's hyenacart shop and link to your favorite product in your comment.

3. tweet about this giveaway and link to the tweet in the comments (may be done once per day, for one additional entry every day!).

4. tell me how you heard about this giveaway :)

5. become a fan of inspired by finn on facebook and comment here with your facebook username

bonus entries

blog about this giveaway, link back to your blog in the comments for an automatic three additional chances to win (yes, that's 3 entries!)

this giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only, 18 years of age and older.

contest ends wednesday, october 20, 2010 at 10:00 p.m. EST.

winner will be chosen by random.org

now, i am super excited to announce our giveaway but my readers may also order from inspired by finn and receive 20% off of their order. just enter the code below at checkout...

inspired by finn coupon code: blog68