Aug 29, 2008 2:38 pm US/Eastern
New Jewelry For Mom Allows Babies To Teethe Freely
ASHTON, Md. (CBS) ―
Teething babies will put just about anything in their mouths.
Anyone with kids has seen this: the family heirloom about to be crushed by baby hands of steel.
But now, parents don't have to risk their good jewelry anymore. A line of jewelry has been created that is safe for kids to teethe on.
"Well, it's a matter of do you wear it at all. I mean, if he is going to rip it, pull it, you're going to have to make a decision if you are even going to wear jewelry," said mom Shawn Jarosz.
Seeing this to be an unwinnable battle, Amy Creel had an eureka moment.
"We thought, wonder if there is a way to create something that would be pretty and practical, and would be safe for babies to chew on and play with," said Creel, inventor of Smart Mom Jewelry.
Two years ago, after a couple of years of research and development, production of jewelry the baby could bite began.
"We have the bangles, we have pendants that are patterned, we have pendants that are natural gem stones, and heart and donut shapes," said Kendra Laduca with Smart Mom Jewelry.
The jewelry is made of silicone.
Now, some of the moms in their neighborhood playgroup bring their kids over to Amy's basement and work for $15 an hour filling orders from the Web and retailers.
The jade light green is the most popular so far.
The products are in nearly all 50 states and in 15 countries.
"I definitely saw potential in the business, but I didn't think it would take off as it has," said Creel.
They have 150 merchants around the world, and are signing up new ones every day.
Smart Mom is based out of Ashton, Md.
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