My son sprouted two teeth back to back when he was just 4 months old, and started to show signs of teething even earlier than that! He began putting everything he could get his chubby little hands on into his mouth. That included my hair, jewelry, clothing, and fingers. Anything I wore on my body was fair game. This meant that I had to resort to removing all of my jewelry and wearing my hair up all the time. What little effort I had time to put into my appearance as a new mom had officially gone out the window. I began to feel like such a frump!

I had heard of, and seen some other mamas wearing silicone chewbead necklaces so I decided to shop around for one. I looked and looked for one I liked and came up short. None of these brightly colored, silicone necklaces fit my style and I honestly couldn't see myself actually wearing one of them. I started contemplating making my own chewed necklace in a style I would like and would actually get some use out of.

For many years I have worn a sandalwood and moonstone mala that I handmade. I love my mala and it holds quite a bit of sentimental value to me. I even had it on during the birth of my son. I noticed that it was one of the things my baby constantly went for,  always trying his hardest to put it in his mouth. Other babies I had held also seemed to always be attracted to it too. I started to think that maybe I could make a mala that was specifically designed to be worn by me for my little man to chew on and play with. I wanted it to be organic, toxin free, safe, stylish, and possibly even hold some spiritual functionality.

I made my first mala using organic, raw wood beads that I hand finished with organic beeswax and organic jojoba oil, and 100% pure food grade silicone beads. I used organic cotton cording to string the beads and make the tassel. I now had an organic, toxin free, safe chewbead mala that I enjoy wearing and that my son loves to chew on and play with! The different textures of the wood beads and the silicone seem to keep him intrigued and soothe his teething gums in different ways. As soon as I started to wear it, I began getting inquiries as to where I had gotten it. When I said that I had made it myself the requests for me to make one for other mamas began rolling in, and Munchkin Malas™ was born!

The Purpose Behind Munchkin Malas™
Munchkin Malas™ were designed with the organic, natural, and free-spirited mama in mind. These multipurpose malas are designed to be worn by parents for teething babies to munch on and play with while being held or worn, or while breastfeeding to keep those curious hands occupied, and can also be used for meditation and prayer. While they are not the traditional 108 beads, Munchkin Malas™ can still be used to take a time-out and say a few mantras, meditate, or pray when motherhood (and life) gets overwhelming and you need a moment to yourself to reset and recharge.

Where Can You Purchase One?
Munchkin Malas™ are now available at the following locations:

• Online in my Etsy store - Shop Now
• Pomegranate  Prenatal Yoga and Parenting Center 

More locations will be coming soon!