Photography from sandraINSTITCHES, via Etsy

My four-year-old’s life is full of Very Important Events. Her birthday is coming up in a couple weeks and yesterday evening she asked the guy at the cell phone kiosk if the entire mall could be decorated for her birthday. I had to break it to her that, even though she thinks it should be, her birthday is not a national holiday. After this, she opened her mouth and pointed to the newly-formed hole. “I lost a tooth!” she told the guy behind the counter.

She did. She lost her very first tooth that afternoon. And she told every single person she came across, because it was Very Important. I’m thinking that when she grows up and gets married, her spouse had better not forget a birthday or an anniversary or there will be hell to pay.

During my 10-year-old’s tooth-losing career, the tooth fairy forgot a time or two to put money under the pillow and had to cough up a little more dough for her forgetfulness. I’m thinking that my four-year-old will not be so forgiving of the tooth fairy’s tardiness. She’s just new to the tooth-losing game, but I know that as soon as she learns the ropes, on top of making sure the tooth fairy is prompt, she is going to want a Tooth Fairy Pillow.

I am new to the world of tooth fairy pillows, but apparently they are all the rage. The idea, I am told, is to put the tooth in the little pocket of the pillow and then hang the pillow on a bedpost or doorknob. The tooth fairy then comes and replaces the tooth with cash. There are cute monster pillows (like this one from Hill Top Creations, US$9) and personalized pillows (like these ones from S&D Stitches, US $22) and even tooth-shaped pillows (like this one from sandraINSTITCHES, US$13).

Does the tooth fairy visit your house? Do your kids have a tooth fairy pillow? Or do they put their teeth under their regular old pillows like I did when I was a kid?

Jen Wilson is a married mother of three super-awesome children—two girls and a boy—who range in age from 0-10. She enjoys photography, organizing, reading, TV, and sarcasm. She drinks her coffee black and dreams of one day owning a dishwasher. You can also find her on her blog, Hey Mrs. Wilson, where she has been writing about life in Saskatchewan since 2004.