Some kids are just super light sleepers.
Other kids toss and turn so much that the tooth is likely to “disappear” well before
the tooth fairy can get there – straight down the crack between the headboard and
mattress, that is.
If you have a light sleeper or restless tosser-and-turner, rather than attempting the
“under a pillow” method for getting baby teeth to the tooth fairy, it might make
sense for your family to consider some alternatives.
Below, find ways to get crafty, resourceful, or even “glam” with your tooth fairy
traditions. Some of them involve the tooth fairy still taking your child’s tooth, while
the last upends even that common ritual, inviting your child to both keep their
tooth and receive a prize!
Get Crafty: Making Your Own Tooth Containers
To prevent a baby tooth from getting lost in the sheets or your child from waking
up just as the tooth fairy appears, encourage them to make their own special tooth
container.
Source a Mason jar or a small flower pot—anything with smooth sides they can
decorate—and break out the paints, ribbons, stickers, etc. If glue, especially hot
glue, is involved, I recommend parental supervision.
Extra-crafty kids and adults might try making a small, tooth-shaped pillow. Simply
cut two matching tooth-shaped pieces of felt, sew them together, and stuff with
polyfill or fabric scraps. Add a smaller square to the front of the pillow, sewn or
glued on three sides, to act like a “tooth pocket.”
These containers can go right on your child’s nightstand or dresser for easy
access.
Get Resourceful: Repurposed Tooth Containers
You can also get resourceful with your special tooth container. There’s no need to buy brand-new items when you can go green by reusing an empty mint tin, pill bottle, or spice jar. Free and just as easy to decorate, these containers will add to the fun while reducing your family’s environmental impact. Don’t have a crafty kid? Tell them to use a shoe. Yes, a shoe! They don’t have to decorate it, and if it works for Saint Nick…
Perhaps the easiest repurposed container of all is the humble glass of water. Direct your child to fill a glass of water, put their baby tooth in it, then leave it on the nightstand. Once your child falls asleep, fish the tooth out and add a few drops of food coloring. Look, the tooth fairy visited!
Get Glam: Turning Baby Teeth into Keepsakes
Of course, if the tooth fairy doesn’t collect baby teeth in your house, you don’t need to worry about a light sleeper or a tosser-and-turner. Have your child place their tooth on a bedside table, and after the tooth fairy leaves her gift that night, the next day, you can “get glam” with the tooth.
Many cultures incorporate baby teeth into their jewelry, turning them into rings, earrings, or necklaces. Professionals exist who will cut your child’s baby teeth into “gemstones,” set them in resin, or create a mold and cast metal replicas. At home, you could dip the teeth in gold paint or glue and glitter—just make sure you disinfect them first in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water, then air-dry them completely before storing or wearing them.
My mom kept my sister’s and my baby teeth in a jar. Maybe it’s time to get glam?
Even if your child doesn’t put their teeth under a pillow, they can still read and enjoy UNDER MY PILLOW, available now on www.jenniferballowauthor.com
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