If I Give You Hazel and Pearls

I went out to the hazel wood,

Because a fire was in my head,

And cut and peeled a hazel wand,

And hooked a berry to a thread;

And when white moths were on the wing,

And moth-like stars were flickering out,

I dropped the berry in a stream,

And caught a little silver trout.

~William Butler Yeats

Hazelwood and pearl necklace, Mirth in the Tummy Tub!

Weeks before Mirth was born, I was teaching a class with new moms, and I asked them each to tell me what their favorite baby product has been as I was starting to prepare for baby.  Well, it could be my mommy brain, but I don't happen to remember a thing they recommended!  That being said, these are 2 things I have come across this time around that I can fully endorse on novelty alone:  the Hazelwood Necklace and the Tummy Tub.

Many of us, even in (or especially in) Los Angeles have become familiar with Amber Teething Necklaces; however, only few seem to be familiar with the Hazelwood Necklaces, and I am happy to add it to the (crunchy) parent must-have list.

As indicated in the poem above, many of us have quite the fire in the head when our babies are having discomfort,  especially digestive, and it is good to have an arsenal of tricks.  Enter the hazel wood necklace.  As the skin absorbs hazel wood, the body shifts to a more alkaline as opposed to acidic state, which makes happy spitter-uppers, if any at all.  Mirth had a low-grade fever for a couple days, and I decided on day two, after all the swimming she has done this summer--you are not supposed to wear in the pool--maybe we need to change her necklace.  Hours after I put on her newest hazel wood necklace, fever completely gone.  

The most visibly magical part of this necklace is the wood actually changes appearance from smooth and light to dark and lined, like a peeling tree trunk, as the body reacts with the hazel wood.   

For more details about the properties of hazel wood and amber teething necklaces, and/or to buy a hazel wood necklace for a baby, child or an adult, visit www.inspiredbyfinn.com.

As for the Tummy Tub, when I first saw it I was completely freaked out: crazy baby in a bucket, and yet days later, my mind demanded: must have it.  That's because it makes so much sense!  This tub mimics the fetal position, and with warm water, Mirth has found prenatal bliss in a bathtub.   It has been a go to for anything that may be troubling her; she calms  down (and has begun to splash and play with delight) 100% of the time we use it.  

(My other newborn must-haves are a pilates ball for bouncing, kiddopatumus swaddler, sheepskin mat for floor time, playsilks, and Cocyntal homeopathic remedy by Boiron.)