Parents warned not to give babies teething necklaces after toddler dies

Parents have been urgently warned to keep their babies away from teething necklaces after an 18-month-old was strangled to death by the necklace during a sleep. Photo / Getty

Parents have been urgently warned to keep their babies away from teething necklaces after an 18-month-old in the US was strangled to death by the necklace during a sleep.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has deemed the item unsafe following the tragic incident.

The tragedy comes at the same time as a 7-month-old choked on the beads of a wooden teething bracelet while under parental supervision.

The necklaces are designed to help babies through teething, giving them something to chew on to encourage the teeth to break through the gums.

Manufacturers also claim the resin in the necklaces helps to soothe the inflammation and ease the pain.

However, the FDA is now warning parents against the necklaces following the tragic death.

"We know that teething necklaces and jewellery products have become increasingly popular among parents and caregivers who want to provide relief for children's teething pain and sensory stimulation for children with special needs," FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb MD said in a statement.

"We're concerned about the risks we've observed with these products and want parents to be aware that teething jewellery puts children, including those with special needs, at risk of serious injury and death."

While they are most commonly used to relieve infants' teething pain, the jewellery may also be used by people with special needs, including autism or ADHD, to provide sensory stimulation or to prevent chewing on clothes or body parts.