Jewelry to please mom and baby

Babies love to put everything in their mouths. They also love to grab anything they get close to, including Mom's hair, jewelry, glasses, clothes. This can wreak havoc, as anyone who's had a pierced earring tugged on can attest. Or worse, looked down to see a string of pearls coming apart as a tiny fist gives a solid yank.

But there's a solution for jewelry. A company called Chewbeads makes safety-tested necklaces and bracelets out of a nontoxic silicone that it says can withstand the trials of babies.

The company is clear: This is jewelry intended to be worn by an adult and not given to an unsupervised tot to play with. But its advantages over regular jewelry, according to the company, include:

• Beads are made with 100 percent silicone (similar to pacifiers). The material is soft on babies' gums and emerging teeth, and it's dishwasher-safe.

• There is also no BPA, PVC, phthalates, cadmium or lead in the jewelry, and necklaces have a breakaway clasp for added safety.

• Necklaces range in price from $29.50 to $36.50; there's even a line of junior Chewbeads ($6 to $22.50) for big sisters who might want to have jewelry similar to Mom's.

The beads are available on Chewbeads' website, http://www.chewbeads.com, and www.amazon.com.