The complete guide
How to Choose a First Tooth and Curl Keepsake Box
The keepsake that always goes missing
Ask any parent where their child's first tooth ended up and you will get the same answer, delivered with a slightly guilty face. Somewhere safe. Which, nine times out of ten, means gone.
It is not carelessness. A baby tooth is roughly the size of a grain of rice. It arrives unannounced, usually at the end of a long day, and gets wrapped in whatever is to hand. A tissue, an envelope, a sandwich bag. That bundle goes into a drawer, the drawer gets tidied, and three years later nobody can say for certain what happened. The first curl of hair follows the same path, often sealed in a freezer bag that yellows and splits.
The fix is unglamorous but it works. Give the keepsake a dedicated container, label it clearly, and put it somewhere you will not reorganise. That is what this box is for. Two drawers, both already engraved, each with a lining.
What the box actually is
This is a small zinc alloy box, listed as polishing antique pewter in colour. The size photo marks it as 7.7 cm high including the bear, 5 cm deep and 4.3 cm wide. The listed net weight is 208 g.
There are two drawers, stacked one above the other within the same body. The fronts are already engraved "My First Tooth" and "My First Curl". On top sits a small bear holding a baby bottle. The sides and top are plain brushed metal in the photos. Each drawer pulls out by a round knob and is lined in what the listing calls blue velvet.
One thing to be clear about, because it comes up constantly. The design and wording are fixed. They are already on the box, they cannot be altered, and no engraving service is sold with it. For some buyers that is a drawback. For others it is simpler, because there is no proof to approve.
The specifications also note that the box is not water resistant. That is worth taking seriously, and we will come back to it.
Why two drawers beats one lid
A single-compartment box seems simpler until you use one. A tooth and a lock of hair have different needs. The hair wants to sit still and keep its shape. The tooth wants to be found again quickly without you tipping everything out onto a table.
With two drawers you open one, look, and close it. The other stays undisturbed. There is also something satisfying about the two being labelled already, because it removes the small admin job that otherwise never gets done. Nobody has to write a note explaining what is in the bag.
The lining matters too. The listing describes it as blue velvet, so the tooth and the curl sit on fabric instead of bare metal.
Who this suits
Most buyers fall into four groups.
New parents buying for themselves, usually at the point where the first haircut is looming and they have realised a sandwich bag is not going to cut it. Friends and family buying a christening gift or naming day present, where the traditional look does a lot of heavy lifting. Baby shower guests who want something that will not be outgrown in four months. And grandparents, who tend to recognise this kind of object immediately.
It is less suited to anyone who wants a name, a date or a photograph on the front, since none of that is possible here. It is also not the answer if you want to store a hospital bracelet, scan photos and a first babygro, because the drawers are small by design. For that, you want a large memory chest and this box sitting inside it.
Choosing between keepsake boxes
A few questions sort most of it out.
Metal or wood? That is mostly a matter of taste. Wood feels warmer. This one is metal: the listing gives zinc alloy and describes it as durable.
Fixed design or made to order? This box has a fixed design. There is nothing to specify and no proof to approve, and it cannot carry a name or a date. If a name matters to you, this is not the right box.
One compartment or two? If you only plan to keep a tooth, one is fine. If you want the hair as well, and almost everyone does once they think about it, two drawers saves a lot of fiddling.
Where will it live? A box that goes on an open nursery shelf needs to look good from across the room. A box that lives in a drawer only needs to be findable. The photos show this one standing on a desk and on a book.
Getting the keepsakes ready
This is the part people skip, and it is the part that decides whether the contents survive.
Teeth first. Make sure the tooth is clean and completely dry before it goes in the drawer. The box is listed as not water resistant and the lining is not meant to be washed, so do not put anything damp inside.
Hair next. Snip the curl, keep it in one direction, and tie it near the cut end with cotton thread or a thin ribbon. The tie is what stops it turning into loose strands in six months. Some parents fold it into a small square of tissue paper before it goes in the drawer, which makes it easier to lift out later without scattering.
Then write it down somewhere. The date of the haircut, the date the tooth came out, which tooth it was. Memories blur faster than anyone expects, and a line in a notebook or a note on your phone keeps the keepsake meaningful rather than mysterious.
Looking after the box
Care here is simple. Dust the outside with a soft, dry cloth whenever you dust the shelf. That is the whole routine.
What to avoid is more important. No water, no polish, no silver cleaner, no abrasive cloths, because any of those can mark the finish. Do not wash the lining inside. Keep the box out of bathrooms and away from windowsills that get condensation, since it is not water resistant and trapped damp is bad news for both the metal and the contents.
Colour is worth a brief word. The listing says there may be a little colour difference between batches, and screens show grey tones differently. Expect a pewter colour close to the photographs, not an exact match.
Giving it as a gift
It presents well as it comes, which is half the battle. A length of ribbon around the body and a card tucked underneath is plenty. If it is going to a christening, the gathering afterwards is an easier moment to hand it over than the service itself, when everyone's hands are full.
One small courtesy. If you are giving it to brand new parents, mention that the drawers are for later. Some recipients open it expecting to find something inside and feel briefly confused. A line on the card along the lines of "for the first tooth, whenever it turns up" solves that.
Keep it out of reach of babies and young children. It is a small keepsake for adults to look after, not a toy.
The short version
A baby's first tooth and first curl are the two keepsakes almost everyone means to save and most people lose. This box answers that with two labelled, lined drawers in a zinc alloy body.
It is 7.7 cm high, 5 cm deep and 4.3 cm wide, has a listed net weight of 208 g, and comes with its design and wording already set, so there is nothing to specify. It is not water resistant, so keep it dry and dust it with a soft cloth. Dry the tooth properly and tie the hair before either goes in.
If you want one labelled place for the first tooth and the first curl, this is the right kind of object. Keep it somewhere obvious and out of children's reach, so the keepsakes are there when you go looking.