LilSugar

When Did Your Lil One Lose Her First Tooth?

LilSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:00:46 -0700

The tune "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" may have a special meaning for Shiloh Jolie-Pitt this holiday season. When the 3-year-old beauty was spotted visiting a toy store in France, she was sporting a rather authentic-looking pirate costume - including a missing front tooth.

The tooth fairy doesn't tend to start visiting lil ones until they reach the ripe old age of 6, though some get a visit up to two years earlier. According to doctors, teeth tend to fall out in the same order in which they appear, with the front two bottom teeth falling out first, followed by the top two. When a wee one loses a tooth before its usual time - either due to an accident or tooth decay - they don't usually rush off to the dentist in search of a veneer or bridge like their parents do. Instead they must wait until the permanent tooth grows in, often a few years later.

Brad and Angie's little blondie will likely be flashing her gap-toothed smile for a few years now. When did your youngster lose her first tooth?

What to Do With Those Pearly Whites

babysugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:00:36 -0700

Now that the tooth fairy has paid for her pearly white treasure, it's up to mom and dad to decide what to do with the tiny enamels. Parents often clip their wee one's first lock of hair for a keepsake but hanging onto a lifeless tooth is a tad different. Many folks toss them in the trash while others make keepsakes out of them. Some find reason to bury them in the backyard. What did you do with baby's first set of chompers?

Do you have tips to share on the Tooth Fairy? Join our The Mommy Club over in our LilSugar community and share your ideas!

Tooth Fairy Pillow Alternatives

LilSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:30:28 -0700

All it takes is a little wiggle and a pull before your child's first baby tooth is history. Kids eagerly anticipate the bounty the tooth fairy will leave them, but how that pearly white is left out varies from house to house.

When the frilly or traditional pillows don't do the trick, there are plenty of alternatives. Lil pirates will be saying "aye, aye" to the Tooth Captain ($12) that includes a swashbuckling pirate atop a chest designed to hold the mouth jewel. There are felt pouches, door hangers and custom plates available too. Check out some of our favorites.

Wee Are the World: The Tooth Fairy Project

LilSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Though you may have scrounged the Internet to find the perfect pillow, box or envelope for storing lost teeth, once the tooth fairy leaves her present, those teeth usually sit untouched hidden in a drawer. The lost tooth process can take on a whole new meaning if used to introduce lil ones to The Tooth Fairy Project. Created by the Radiation and Public Health Project (a watchdog group), The Tooth Fairy Project, studies levels of radiation found in baby teeth to determine where the highest levels of strontium-90 are located in America. Strontium-90 deposits itself in teeth and bones, just like calcium, so studying baby teeth allows researchers to see where the radiation is being released. The project hopes to identify whether radioactive material is being released by nuclear power plants, the effect of the Chernobyl disaster in America and if radiation levels have increased over the years. Participation in the project is simple – just fill out a form detailing where you live, when your tot was born and where you lived when pregnant, and send it in with the tooth. The group hopes to collect 10,000 teeth, and is about halfway there.

Source

Lil Find: Oeuf Tooth Fairy Pillow

LilSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:00:20 -0800

The anticipation of how much shiny change the tooth fairy will leave and the process of preparing for her visit has always struck me as one of the most precious family traditions.

If you haven't committed to a fancy inscripted tooth fairy box consider this Oeuf Tooth Fairy Pillow (on sale for $20). The knit pillow molar has a tiny pocket on the back where you can slip your lil one's deposit to the tooth fairy, and because of its U-shape it also makes a great plane and transit pillow.

How Much Does the Tooth Fairy Leave at Your House?

babysugar — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:00:21 -0700

My sister called me in a conundrum the other day. Her daughter is about to lose her first tooth and she wanted to see what the going rate is for pearly whites. We agreed 50 cents did the trick for us when we were tots.

When I taught first grade, the kids regularly told tales of $5 comps- some even raved about $20 prizes! When the time comes for me to wear the fairy wings, I'll be sticking to quarters. It can only get better for the babe after that. And, if the tooth fairy spoils them rotten, mommy and daddy are in BIG trouble.

How much does the tooth fairy leave at your house?

Source

Lil Find: Little Giraffe Tooth Fairy Pillows

LilSugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 05:00:55 -0800

The lush blankets created by Little Giraffe have quickly become a celebrity favorite with Katie Holmes buying them in bulk for Suri Cruise.

This year, the company is introducing tooth fairy pillows for kids in a variety of colors. The faux-fur pillows ($30) are a beautiful addition to a lil one’s bed and may encourage them to give up that tooth as soon as it falls out!

The pillows will be available on the company’s website shortly, or can be purchased at Dream and Little Dream with Me now.

Lil Find: Toothless Grin

LilSugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:02:59 -0800

Nothing comes close to a toothless grin, except maybe these pillows by Toothless Grin where kids can stash their fallen teeth until the tooth fairy comes.

Made from high grade cotton and quality decorator fabrics, with themes that include exploration, ATV racing, rodeo days and western nostalgia, they are suitable for lil boys. The heirloom quality pillows ($30) are a cool change from the floral themes, bows, ribbons and beading of most tooth fairy accessories that cater to young ladies. And, these are great for girls who aren't fond of frills.

Tips For Giving Up the Pacifier For Good

LilSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:00:49 -0700

Breaking up with binky is hard to do. There are infinite ways to quit the pacifier, and everybody has an opinion. While some doctors urge parents to get rid of the suckers by a certain age for dental and language reasons, others are more lenient. Regardless of how you decide to wean your tot from the paci, there will be good days and bad. Here are some techniques mamas have used.

A visit from the pacifier fairy. Have the pacifier fairy visit your home to collect the suckers for lil boys and girls who need them. Like the tooth fairy, this one leaves a gift as a thank you.
Make it unusable. Cut the silicone nipple vertically in half. Your tot's tongue won't like the feeling as much as the original.
Give it to the baby animals. At Stockholm's Skansen Zoo, wee ones donate their old pacifiers to the new baby animals and the binkies are hung from trees in the children's zoo.
Change the rules. Start curtailing the places the pacifier can be used until it becomes inconvenient for your lil one to use it.
Trade up. Offer for your child to trade in his paci for a coveted new toy or video.
Go cold turkey. Simply take away the pacifier one night and toss it.
Lose it. Next time you are searching frantically for the pacifier, simply give up and say that it is lost and can't be replaced.

Source: Flickr User April Roberts

Life Saving Stem Cells Found in Baby Teeth

LilSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:43:04 -0700

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Your child's baby teeth may be worth more than money from the tooth fairy. New research shows that baby teeth contain some of the same potentially life-saving stem cells as the cord blood that new parents bank upon their children's births. The use of tooth stem cells has only been tested in animals, but researchers say that the 10-20 stem cells each tooth can provide may be the key to curing many life-threatening ailments. Last year, 40 percent of lilsugar readers said they would be willing to pay the thousands of dollars it costs to collect and store cord blood, but with the baby tooth option costing half of that, more moms and dads may be willing to test it out. Would you?