A grieving mom has issued a warning to fellow parents after her baby was strangled to death.
Danielle Morin lost her son Deacon when his teething necklace tightened and would not release, suffocating him.
Now, she's used her social media platform to try to warn other parents so they don't have to endure the same heartbreak.
According to a report by CBS Los Angeles, Danielle was given an Amber teething necklace by a close friend who bought it off Etsy. The popular childcare item is intended to help kids with their teething and is typically made out of Baltic amber, which supposedly releases a soothing liquid when gnawed
Danielle gave the necklace to her toddler Deacon. However, on December 10, 2016, disaster struck when Deacon was found dead at his Fontana childcare center. The necklace had tightened around his neck and failed to release, suffocating him.
Since her son's death, Danielle has sued Etsy, telling CBS: "I want parents to know there is no more Toys 'R' Us and people need to go online to buy products and these products are dangerous products...No parent should have to bury their child."
The online retailer responded with a statement saying that, while Deacon's death was an unspeakable tragedy, their platform could not accept responsibility.
"Etsy is a platform and did not make or directly sell this item. We believe the allegations should be directed at the criminally-negligent daycare providers or, if appropriate, the seller of the necklace," the statement read.
After years of grieving for her son, Danielle gave birth to another baby boy, Rhett, in 2019, and is now raising him. But she still takes every opportunity to remind fellow parents about the dangers of teething necklaces. In a recent video, she responded to a commenter saying: "Me and my kiddo love his."
"We also loved our amber teething necklace until it strangled my son to death," Danielle wrote in the TikTok, which showed sweet clips of Deacon and then heartbreaking footage from when he was in the hospital and his funeral service.
"Know better do better! Child safety isn’t a parenting choice, it’s a duty!" Danielle added. She captioned the TikTok: "If you know this could be your outcome why risk it?"
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