Yikes! Baby's crying and you can't seem to calm her down. Or he's miserable with teething pain and you've had no luck finding something to make him more comfortable. So what do you do if a trip to the store for the "latest and greatest" baby gadget doesn't fit into your schedule – or budget? Just take a dose of imagination and add a few items conveniently found around your home.

Spending money isn't always the answer when it comes to solving infant problems. After all, parents for centuries managed without fancy teething rings, white noise machines and super-duper infant entertainment centers. By investing a little bit of thought and creativity, parents can often solve their problems without ever leaving home or spending a dime.

"The benefits of using household items are most parents have these items, such as a hair dryer, vacuum, etc.," says Blythe Lipman, author of Help! My Baby Came Without Instructions (Blythe Lipman, 2004). "[They] don't have to go out and buy them."

With a little imagination, an exercise ball becomes a burping aid (just sit on the ball and bounce Baby in your lap to help loosen up those bubbles), and your clean finger becomes a great way to feed a baby who is still a little intimidated by the spoon. Lipman, who is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., adds that parents shouldn't have too much trouble inventing ideas on their own. "Sometimes, just thinking about what makes them feel better will help them come up with a tip to help their baby," she says.

There's no doubt that tooth pain makes babies miserable. Helping them out a little can make everyone in the household happier and better rested.

Winter Prosapio of Canyon Lake, Texas, recommends dipping a spoon in ice water to ease Baby's teething pain. "This will give a baby something cool to bite down on," says the mother of two former teethers. She suggests using pliable plastic spoons, but says normal spoons work just as well.

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