Chewable Jewels

Dr. Bloom Chewable Jewels

Birmingham dentist Helen Bloom Smith was at her own baby shower when her twin nephews started using her glass beaded bracelet and necklace as teething toys.
Smith, who was still in dental school at the time, was frantic about what the glass and metal could do to the babies' developing teeth.
"I saw their teeth biting down on these glass beads and it horrified me. I tried to pull it away, but they wanted them - they always want what you're wearing," she said. "Then I looked around the room, and I noticed that the moms weren't wearing jewelry and I thought, why can't we wear pretty jewelry?"
So Smith set out to create her own line of teething jewelry made of food-safe silicone. The result, called Chewable Jewels, is now on the market.
The products were designed for busy moms who need even their accessories to do double-duty, said Smith, who has more than once slipped off a bangle and passed it to her son to keep him busy while she drives.
The bangle-style bracelets and chunky pendants are designed to look like sleek resin or stone, but gently give way on baby's gums and are dishwasher safe. All of the parts, even the cording that holds the pendants, are made of FDA-approved products and are free of latex and phthalates, controversial chemicals used in plastics that some say are linked to hormone disruptions and other health problems. Infants and toddlers need something to soothe sore gums and stimulate growing tooth buds.
The price is right and the packaging works. Look for Chewable Jewels on display in the showroom or check out their website http://www.chewablejewels.com/.