We’ve had an extra little boy staying with us off and on all summer. He’s great to have around, he fits right in with our sons, he eats whatever I put in front of him and he says “Yum, Laura – that was good”. Yes, he can stay anytime.
The other night as I was reading to the boys as they were winding down for bed (The Great Turkey Walk…ever read it? EXCELLENT book!!)…anyway…the other night while I was reading to the boys suddenly our young house guest sat straight up in bed and presented us all with his freshly lost tooth! The book was quickly set aside, Kleenexes were fetched, and the gaping hole in the mouth was proudly displayed. There was much tooth loss celebration all around.
Everyone finally settled back down and I picked the book back up again to start reading. Our house guest, however, sort of just sat there holding his tooth in his hand with a puzzled look on his face as if to say, “Um, what am I supposed to do with this now?” I’m sure if he was at his own house, he would have put it right under his pillow and laid down to dream of the soon-t0-be monetary exchange for his hard earned tooth pulling endeavors. But what’s a kid to do at someone else’s house? Would the tooth fairy even know where to find him since he was in a completely different house in a completely different town?
I stopped reading and suggested that he go ahead and put the tooth under his pillow. He shrugged, nodded and stuck it under the pillow, then lay down to listen to the book.
I continued to read, but suddenly in the back of my mind I began to contemplate what should be done. We were happy to be the tooth fairy for him…but um…when the tooth fairy comes to our house, she is incredibly, totally and absolutely stingy. A tight wad. Barely leaves a thing. Guessing that we may be the cheapest tooth fairy on the planet, I began to grow a little concerned that our friend may be less than excited in the morning when he stuck his hand under the pillow and in exchange for his tooth, he found…a quarter?! Is that IT? After he’d gone through so many years of wearing that tooth and brushing it and chewing with it and smiling with it? Seriously, a quarter?
It was too late to call his mom to ask what she would have done. Plus, I didn’t really want our kids to have any idea that the tooth fairy could actually bring more than a quarter for a lost tooth. As far as they know, the tooth fairy only owns quarters.
We have four kids, which is a total of 80 lost teeth. We’re happy to give them more money for things such as mowing a lawn, but just for losing a tooth? We (um, the tooth fairy part of we) plan to be boring and cheap and continue to always and forever leave a quarter. Our kids never complain. Money is money.
I had no need for worry. Our guest happily presented his quarter the next morning (either he was just being polite, or he was truly happy to have it). But it did cause me to wonder:
How much does the tooth fairy leave for lost teeth at your house? Are we the cheapest tooth fairy people on the planet?
Um, my kids may need to avoid talking to your kids about this subject for obvious reasons.
Carrie McGarry says
We always give a gold dollar, it is really special and they don’t want to spend it :) Win Win!
Bethany says
We always got a dime in our house, granted that was 25ish years ago. My husband and I were planning on giving a quarter to our son when he gets there, so we’re right there with you!
Michelle says
We have given a dollar for the first tooth and 25 cents for the rest. Granted we only have had one son lose a tooth so far.
Molly says
I always got $2 as a kid. I never thought of how quickly that would add up. I’m liking the whole quarter idea.
Amy says
When our oldest boy lost his first tooth he was worried about someone breaking into our place to take a tooth. Even if it was a fairy he was scared that someone could do that. He also had issues with a fat man breaking & entering (Santa) and a walking rabbit. I came clean to him, so he gets nothing at our house, but when he’s at my sisters if he pretends so that her kids still believe then he gets $1 a tooth.
Melisa says
I got a quarter for every tooth I lost…30 years ago!!! lol
My kids get $1 for each tooth, but it’s a rule the ‘tooth fairy’ made up that it has to go into savings.
Kristi says
We give $5 a tooth, but we don’t really give much allowance, so it’s a great excuse to give our kids extra money rather than just handing it to them. We like them to have money so they can learn to save it for what they want, or just plain learn the value of a dollar. :)
Onita says
quarters for us too :)
lcg says
Wow….this is a lot of years ago :} I was happy with a dime back in 1960…of course that would buy 2 candy bars back then. Maybe we did $ .50 or a buck. We did give $10 for the terrible awful impacted wisdom teeth extraction (Just to be kind as the child was 16 then..hahaha).
We also had the Easter bunny bring the easter basket with a little gift.(as well as candies) …maybe some cute boxers for the girls to sleep in. Or a couple of pairs of cute undies or socks.
Cupid came in February–maybe a little cactus plant for their room or a piece of stained glass for their window. Or a new pillow case that I had stamped with a little design.
melanie says
Nada.Zip.Zero. And they don’t put it under their pillow. :o (yup, regular old fun-haters here)
Considering how much we have spent at the dentist to PULL a lot of those beloved teeth… $5/tooth would be a cheap alternative. Actually my DH told this year’s girls needing additional teeth removed that he’d pay them a dollar for every tooth they removed themselves (instead of paying the dentist over $100 each) They are motivated since they don’t enjoy that part of dentistry either ~ just the videos and ice cream and sympathy hard-earned.
I think I got a dime from my folks. Many years ago. And yes, they paid the dentist to pull some of them. Silly stubborn teeth…
A friend with many kiddos has always given them an extra scoop of ice cream for supper the day they lose a tooth. No tooth fairy stories there either.
Kelly says
Our tooth fairy brings shiny gold dollar coins. My daughter loves getting one (or two on occasion like the 1st tooth lost, then the 5th tooth lost) and keeps them separate from her other money. She gets very excited about getting her gold coins. the girl at the bank even picks out the shiniest ones for us!! The tooth fairy even leaves a special note every now and then.
Jamie says
We give $5 for the first tooth and $1 for each tooth after. The tooth fairy only gives gold coins here as well. My 5 year old has her first slightly wiggly tooth now, so thanks for the reminder that the tooth fairy needs to replenish her stash of gold coins!
Sarah says
Our tooth fairy brings a $1 for the first tooth and $.50 for every tooth after. It’s so cute, my oldest keeps one quarter for himself and gives the other to his little brother. Warms my heart every time!
Leah says
We’re right there with you…one whole quarter!
onemotherslove says
How timely! My son lost his first tooth last week and was so excited to get a shiny quarter! (and an all natural sucker – I know… gotta keep the tooth fairy in business, though. Candy is a rare treat around here)
Maggie says
For our first born, we dropped everything and went to frozen yogurt, now we’re doing a much more natural diet and don’t want to deal with the consequences the following day of too much refined sugar. So now we make maple ice cream sometime that week. It’s more expensive than a quarter but it’s a real celebration, and I’ve never felt right about the imaginary mythical figures (but don’t judge those who do).
Trisha says
My daughter has her first loose tooth and we have decided on $2 bill for her first and a gold dollar coin for the rest.
kris says
We gave a special $2 bill for the first tooth and after that $1 per tooth. I wish I’d thought to start off with the quarter. I’d be much richer now…
Krista says
We got $1 a tooth when I was growing up (late 80’s-mid 90’s). But, there were just 2 of us, and we only got money while we were young enough to believe, after that, nothing. I like the ideas of the gold coins. I also have nothing against a shiny quarter. Like another poster on here, we didn’t get allowances or anything like that, so the $1 was a real treat and was usually hoarded until just the right thing was found to spend it on.
Jennifer May says
my son hasn’t lost any teeth yet- so we have yet to develop a real system.
I love the gold dollar idea- so special! I have a $2 bill from when I was 5 years old that I never spent- it was so special to me:-)
When I was little, I don’t remember how much I got (a quarter maybe, or fifty cents), but what I DO remember is that “the tooth fairy” always left little “footprints” of gold glitter on the pillow or dresser, and for our first teeth- she left a little note. We thought that was really cool, and while I always suspected it was my mom, those “footprints” always made me hope that there was a real tooth fairy!
And the glitter is (from a mother’s perspective) very cheap!
Jen B says
We give two quarters for each tooth. They know and expect it. :) Quarters are the best. I think I am a cheapy, compared to my friends, but I don’t care. They’re teeth, for crying outloud. Who ever started the rule that you get paid for growing up?? :) Where’s my retro check?
Michelle Caskey says
We give our boys $1 per tooth. They know that the tooth fairy isn’t real – but they still enjoy waking up to the plastic baggie with a tooth being gone and the plastic baggie with a buck and a note being there. They have saved their notes from “the tooth fairy” so we have a record of what was going on in their lives each time they have lost a tooth. It has been fun!
Tracey says
We do $1 per tooth when they fall out naturally and $2 a tooth when they have to be pulled (I felt so sorry for my then six-year-old when she had to have two teeth pulled last year!)
Dana @ Adoption Journey says
We give $1 a tooth – but my kids know that “tooth fairy is a pretend game” and that Dad is really the tooth fairy. I love to tease them when Dad is out of town and they loose a tooth. Once, one of my children lost a tooth when Dad was on an international trip and I promise, the child believed that Dad flew home in the night, just to put that dollar under his pillow.
Sheila says
We gave a dollar per tooth. I’m surprised at the people who are doing a quarter – I know lots of people who gave their kids new toys, etc. Please understand that I say surprised in the sense of actually being surprised, not disapproving. My kids actually got less than anyone that we knew. :)
MelanieKS says
Ummm, I guess we’re the odd parents out, but we don’t have a tooth fairy at our house. Of course, Santa and the Easter Bunny avoid us as well, so maybe that is part of it.
Often we will get the kids a small treat after losing an important tooth (first, last, one that was difficult to come out). Otherwise, we just give a big hug and say ‘Great! You are certainly growing up!’.
It has worked well for us and our oldest is 17. We have 80 teeth here as well, and have already paid for two sets of braces. Guessing that is enough. ;0
Kori says
I try to keep dollar store goodies – a new pencil, a small container of playdoh, sidewalk chalk. Some ranging from a few cents (pencil) up to a dolar (the chalk package). Time to go buy some more as my son has just hit the tooth losing stage!
Amber Rogers says
We just give them whatever spare change is in our purse or pocket at the time. Sometimes less than a dollar, sometimes more. Even just a quarter is enough to buy a superball out of the machine. They know there is really no tooth fairy, and that she is often very forgetful and two days late. But it is still a fun thing to play with the kids.
Amanda Fletcher says
We leave between .25 and $1 depending on what we have around at the time. This last week, however, my soon to be 7yo had a tooth pulled. A ginormous, huge-rooted, looks just like the cartoon teeth, how the heck did it fit in her mouth in the first place sort of tooth. She got $2 for that one.
Tahlia says
Haha! We leave a quarter per kid too -except if the “tooth dude” is late or if we’re on vacation … =D
LadyChadwick says
Somehow mythological creatures do not come to my house.
We do however celebrate lost teeth. I have a little container full of them from two kids.
Nana on the other hand sends foriegn coins for each lost tooth.
The kids have never expressed sorrow, and I never have to worry about sneaking around.
Lori says
We leave $2 a tooth, but we only have 2 kids and we haven’t really done allowances yet. However, that starts to add up, especially when my daughter had to have 5 teeth pulled (for orthodontic reasons) one time! Oh, a cute book to check out is “Throw Your Tooth on the Roof : Tooth Traditions From Around the World”. It tells what kids in other countries do with their teeth!
may says
none. we don’t do tooth fairy. ha ha!
Jennifer says
We’ve done $2.00 for the first tooth and $1.00 for each tooth after that. We have two boys – and figure $20.00 over X number of years really isn’t too extravagant. But then, we also require them to buy most of their own toys, treats, etc., to use their own money for church offerings, and to keep 1/3 of everything they get in a savings account.
Our tooth fairy also leaves a foreign coin each time she visits. Most are coins my parents and my husband have collected on vacations and business trips…. but a few I picked up on Freecycle. Yup, I posted a WANTED: Foreign coins to be left under pillow by tooth fairy – and actually had several responses. I honestly think the boys prefer the foreign coins to the $1. They look it up the country it’s from on the map, compare the new to their other foreign coins, and tell everyone they see that day that, “I have a coin from …!”
Rhoda says
My two children were adopted at 3 1/2 from overseas and were terrified of anything made up like Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, etc. I was planning on giving a few foreign coins I’ve collected, but the first tooth came out and the thought of anyone coming into their room at night and taking THEIR tooth was devastating. They are happy knowing Mama is keeping their teeth for them.
Jessica says
I got $2 as a kid, but I’m definitely planning on having the stingy fairy come for my kids’ teeth. They’re still growing their first set. I’m thinking a quarter sounds like a good amount.
Amanda says
When my kids started losing teeth, their friends were bragging about how much they got- usually from $5 all the way up to $20! So I decided to do things differently. For my daughter’s first lost tooth, she received a letter from her personal tooth fairy, along with a 3 ring binder, a map of the world, some fairy stickers, a half dollar coin (tradition from my childhood, since that’s what I got) and one foreign coin (whatever denomination I could find.) Every subsequent tooth, she got a half dollar and another foreign coin. The idea was for her to find the country of origin, then put a fairy sticker on the map so she could see where the tooth fairy had been traveling. This idea was so popular with her friends, they were jealous and wanted her tooth fairy! :) Even $20 couldn’t compete.
I changed it slightly for my boys. My 2nd child got the same set up, but with a half dollar and state quarters (and a US map). My youngest got a half dollar with any coin, with a different year on it.
Oh, and for each child, I gathered some facts about each country/state/year and put that in the binder. It’s something they’ll keep and treasure forever. Also, I stored the coins in baseball card protector sheets (made for 3 ring binders.) They’ve never spent any of their coins.
MomOfFour says
I know I will be in the minority here……we give a quarter, either outside their door (if they aren’t quite asleep yet) or under the pillow, BUT we do not tell the children that a “fairy” is bringing them money. We tell them about that being the practice in many households, but we firmly believe children should be told the truth – mommy and daddy are the “fairies”.
They don’t care – they are just happy to lose their tooth and get their money!
Lorea says
My husband gets two dollar bills every month as a fun bonus from the company he works for. When our son is old enough to start losing teeth I think we’ll give him a $2 bill for every tooth as long as it goes into savings. :)
Courtney says
The Tooth Fairy leaves $1 per tooth at our house. That is actually pretty low compared to many of our kids’ friends – some of them get $10 per tooth. Crazy!
Kris Mays says
Quarters here, too. But if they have to go to the DDS to get one pulled, they get more. Honestly, we don’t do Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny or St. Nick. Our kids know who their stuff comes from. But it is still fun to put it under their pillow for Daddy.
Michele says
There is one big problem with the “Tooth Fairy,” Easter Bunny and (as my husband puts it) “Satan Clause.”
We tell our kids that these characters exist. Then they grow up one day and discover we were LYING to them – there IS no Tooth Fairy, there IS NO Easter Bunny and there is NO fat man in a red suit who leaves presents behind.
Then we tell our kids about Jesus – what do we expect when they grow up and lose their faith? Is it OK to lie to our children?
Do we tell our kids not to lie and then we lie to them?
Sorry, no fictitious characters at OUR house, either.
Kimberlie says
When I was little and loosing teeth, some thirty-five years ago, my Brother and I got a quarter for every lost tooth. My Husband and I figured that a nice shinny $1 coin was just about right given inflation and all. We have four kids all about three years apart, so the tooth fairy gets a regular work out around here. We’ve warned the children that the tooth fairy can pop in any time (that’s for when we forget to do the exchange at night) so they always put the tooth straight under the pillow. Once we forgot for several days and had to get creative with a letter from the head office explaining that the tooth fairy had had an accident on the way to our house, she was doing fine, and sorry for the delay.
Megan says
Well, I’m glad to see that I’m not alone. We haven’t had any lost teeth at our house yet, but I was thinking a quarter was a good reward. Also, I can’t bring myself to tell my kids things that I will eventually have to explain aren’t true, so we will say the “fairy” is coming, but make it very clear that they can guess if it was either mommy or daddy–no mythical creatures in our house.
Christine says
Oh Megan, your note is so convicting!! We have found ourselves having to explain to our son (a year or so ago) that it is really us who leaves something. It felt like we’d lied all along, a bit, but it was one of those sweet things of childhood that we just didn’t want to spoil for him. That being said, we’ve gone the gamut on how much to pay (Dad was sooooo generous!!), so we are now at $1 per tooth (but we only have 1 child!) and “TF” as she’s known in our house also brings a small treat (something very small and not artificially colored, as our son cannot tolerate those). As he’s gotten older and didn’t want to let go of the “tradition” but wanted it to grow older with him, we leave a note. I found several websites with notes from TF, and we just modify them to fit his current situation. It’s a funny, sweet note, and we have saved all of those in his memory book. TF ties the note with dental floss and leaves everything under the pillow at night. At 10 1/2, we are still greeted the next morning with the gaped grin and a huge hug, then we all read the note together and laugh about it! Hope this is helpful!
jerilyn says
I don’t know where we stand on that issue. Our oldest is 3 so we have time.
On a different note, when I helped my parents move last year, I found all of my baby teeth and my sister’s baby teeth. Yuck!
Christine says
When I was young we always received a quarter and I was planning on doing that for my kids but my husband did not feel that was enough money.
It has been awhile since my 7-year-old lost a tooth but I think my husband was “comfortable” with $2.00.
Megan says
Don’t feel bad – I’m 35 and I still tease my mom about the fact that I once woke to find her pilfering MY piggy bank for change to leave under the pillow. I guess that’s how the tooth fairy worked before ATM’s. :) It’s really just supposed to be a symbolic treat, right? Not a lucrative endeavor!
Mary says
We gave $1 a tooth. Sometimes they got a dollar bill and sometimes they got 4 quarters. Whatever mom and dad had! I believe someone got 9 dimes and 2 nickels one time. They were happy either way because they only had a small allowance of their age per month, some of which was tithed and some of which was saved and some was for spending. Once the tooth fairy forgot – she can be dingy that way – and we had to look a long time to find that the loot had fallen behind the bed. Apparently lying about mythical creatures and their doings is not a big problem at our house. I personally like mythical creatures for the brief time they happened in my children’s lives, but totally think it’s okay to nix them. You need to do what works for you.
Angie says
Love this type of inquiry and hearing what others do!! Oldest is only 3, but I like the gold dollar coin a bit. A dollar may be more than I’d what to spend, but the novelty of the item is neat, along with the rule that it has to go in the piggy bank. I think I got a quarter or two 20 years ago, and I’d have no problem giving my son a quarter today either.
Robyn O. says
We’ve only had to pay out 3 times so far, but we decided 50 cent pieces. The price isn’t too steep, and the kids find them to be quite a novelty since they don’t see that type of coin very often.
Denita says
I’m with you at a quarter each. But I like the idea of small trinkets and/or toothbrushes instead.
Camille says
My step-daughter lost a tooth one summer when she was with us. This was prior to our “all cash” budget so we had NO MONEY in the house and forgot to go out! She got a nickel because that was what we managed to find in the car. LOL She didn’t seem to mind!
Christy says
Well with twins, I am the cheap wad around here! Luckily the girls are losing them at different rates! One has lost 5, and the other2….couldn’t be more opposite. Although they each lost one on the same night…saved the Tooth Fairy a trip :)
I usually leave a note(printed from the computer), and a dollar. I am not opposed to a quarter! One tooth I left them an assortment of change that equaled $1, and made them count it out, good practice! I haveleft small soaps, etc. Hubby tried to slip a $5 under the las lost tooth! I stopped that in an awful hurry! Since I am the one never with cash, that would have been a bad standard to live up to X2!!!!
They are after all just little bitty, most times yucky teeth! I agree…mowing the lawn and pitching in deserves the $5 spots ;)
Ann says
We’re only slightly less stingy around here…two quarters.
Helen V says
Go ahead and call me a spoil sport, but our children do not believe in the tooth fairy (or the Easter Bunny for that matter). My husband lovingly keeps all of their baby teeth in tic tac containers in his top drawer. Sometimes they go back through and count them or just take them out and look at how small they were compared to the big teeth they now have. It works for us and they have never felt as if they were missing something.
Carie says
We have left gold dollars, dragon tears, crystals, will think about a new toothbrush- thanks for the suggestion!
Step says
Gold dollar coin here as well. My boys know who the real tooth fairy is and have lost all of their teeth anyway. My daughter has only lost 6 so far and she’s almost 9.
Anyway, I used to get a quarter when I was a kid. I also remember getting dimes too.
Amy D. says
Our tooth fairy gets pretty creative sometimes. She has left a singing toothbrush (you know, the kind that they can only hear if it’s in their mouths), a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts (for a tooth lost a midnight, leaving the TF scrambling for whatever goodies she could find at 1 a.m.) and a new hairbrush (to help us through the “my hair doesn’t NEED to be brushed” phase)
Anna B says
I’m almost 30, but when I was a kid the tooth fairly left either a quarter or 50 cents, I can’t remember which. What I DO remember is being with may dad (my folks were divorced) when I lost a tooth once, and he asked me how much I normally got for it. I cheerfully said, “A dollar!” Sure enough, the next day I had a dollar! I was so pleased with my slyness. *shakes head*
Robbin says
I think we have the same Tooth Fairy. She leaves quarters at this house too. =)
carmen says
My kids don’t believe there is a “real” tooth fairy or easter bunny or santa clause. They know that it is just mom and dad playing the part for fun. We only have 1 child who has lost teeth so far. We don’t give her the same thing every time. She has gotten lip gloss, a new pencil, and a dollar. Her favorite part is to write a note to the tooth fairy and get a note in return. With her first lost tooth she was given notes with clues taking her to different places in the house to find a lip gloss.
Serenity says
At least your tooth fairy leaves SOMETHING. Recently Matthew lost a tooth and the tooth fairy forgot to come (she had just had a baby and was sleep deprived). Matthew was super sweet though and didn’t even mention it for a week when he pulled it out from underneath his pillow and asked me to call the tooth fairy. I felt terrible! To make it worse though I still forgot and when my hubby was changing Matthew’s sheets a week or so later, he found the tooth and threw it away. Yes, we get the worlds’s worst parents award!
Renee says
Our kids dont believe in the tooth fairy(or santa or easter etc) We also dont do halloween. We keep lost teeth in a little pouch in their memory totes, with a picture of their smile.
God bless
Becky@BoysRuleMyLife says
Ok. We are definitely paying too much. We gave $5 for the first tooth and $1 for each after that. I took a similar poll of my friends on Facebook to find that I was *cheap*! Some had actually given $20 – $25 for the first tooth! I was SHOCKED!!!
I think a single quarter is a good idea, but now that we’ve started with a buck, I think it”l have to continue.
However, I must share that the last tooth that was lost didn’t get turned into the tooth fairy… my son chose to keep it. Go figure! :)
Christy says
The first lost tooth nets the child $2, but each subsequent tooth only earns $.50. The first tooth that is lost is also usually accompanied by a letter saying how much they are really growing up!
Joy says
The tooth fairy at our house leaves a dollar and a sprinkle of glitter on the front porch. Sometimes the tooth fairy takes several days to arrive though :)
Susie says
We do two quarters (I was going to only do 2 for the first and then 1 after that, but I caved ;-)) and we sprinkle them with fairy dust (iridescent glitter) :-)
Saralyn says
The female tooth fairy leaves a quarter, but she’s often rather absent-minded and forgets, if you can even imagine the horror of that! So the male tooth fairy has taken over and he leaves (gasp!) a whole dollar! That female tooth fairy needs a night planner before they’re in the poor house!
Marla says
I’m with some of the others, we don’t do the tooth fairy, or the Easter Bunny, or Santa Clause, or Halloween. We did do the tooth fairy at one time, and she left between $2-$5. Depending on what was on hand. Sometimes she left bags of change. But we don’t do all of the that anymore.
KathleenK says
Our children don’t believe in the tooth fairy. Or the Easter bunny. Or Santa Claus. We explained the fable/myth at one point. Now we just congratulate them when a tooth falls out.
Michelle Hogan says
We do $5 for the first tooth and a golden dollar for each one after. I have seven kids and I don’t think it’s too much – but I like to make a big deal about little things! I also don’t give out allowances and only pay for special chores. I’m certainly not opposed to a quarter – I’m just stingy in other ways! As for Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc…I don’t know – I enjoy the stories and the fun that goes along with it. I think part of childhood is creating those special memories as long as they don’t become materialistic, consumer-fests! Since I don’t buy my kids a lot of extras during the year, I like to save presents for those special days.
carmen says
We want our kids to know that we believe in God and that he is real. If
they believe in the tooth fairy, santa, or the Easter bunny and as they
grow up learn that these aren’t real, will it cause them to doubt the
reality of God? We would never want that. This is why we have chosen
to tell them early on that all of these are pretend. We do pretend to
be these things but the kids know that it is just mom and dad leaving
gifts.
Michelle Hogan says
That makes total sense! I have always maintained a belief in the “spirit” of Santa, for example
and by the time the kids are around 7, they usually realize the pretend factor too. But I always say that St. Nicholas was real – and he did real, kind, giving things and that’s what I hope to bring to Christmas. Not just – “Oh, Santa thinks I’m awesome, so he’ll leave me 47 toys I want!”
Jennifer says
The first tooth is worth a $1. and several small prizes. {new toothbrush, stickers, and such} Then the next couple of teeth get a small amount of change or small prize. Then the Tooth Fairy realizes that someone else has lost their first tooth, and moves along to surprise them.
Pamela says
We don’t do “tooth fairy” but the kids, after losing a tooth, sell it to daddy for $1. Our 4 children earn money for mowing the yard and sweeping the driveway & any “extra” chores and don’t get money any other way, since being a part of a family is about sharing the responsibilities with joy…so while $1 might seem a bit high, it’s our way of celebrating their growing up!! :)
Jennifer says
We don’t do “Tooth Fairy”. Mainly because we used to never have cash in the house (only used the debit card) and so had nothing to give. I’m glad now that my kids don’t expect anything. I have four, too, and it would get expensive!
Barbara says
You’re all going to ‘boo’ at me, but we leave a silver dollar. They are not allowed to keep it though; it goes directly into their savings account that Daddy maintains.
Catherine says
When I was of tooth-losing age, we got a shiny half-dollar for each tooth. They were extra special coins (who has half-dollar coins just laying around?) so we felt like we should save them as a collection. I think I finally cashed mine in when I was done losing teeth, but it made for something different.
jeanie says
My son just just recently started losing teeth. My sister-in-law saved all the 50 cent coins that she got from the tooth fairy. She gave them to us and now our son gets them. Second generation tooth fairy money!
Kristy says
Our 6-yr old is the only one of our littles who has lost any teeth yet… she must be on a fund-raising binge because she’s lost SEVEN so far… at $2 a whack! One dollar from her mommy, one dollar from her daddy. Yes, she smiles a lot when she loses teeth. :)
If you don’t mind, I think I may use your kids as an example someday… you know, the whole “SOME kids only get A QUARTER when THEY lose a tooth” routine, LOL!! (Just kidding!)
Growing up, it was a about 50-cents per lost tooth for my sister, brother and me. My hubby claims that inflation has driven up the cost of everything, so that explains the generous “tooth fairy” around our house. ;)
Kristy @ Homemaker’s Cottage
Natalie says
Our kids don’t believe in the tooth fairy, easter bunny, santa clause, etc. We figure Truth is Truth. Besides, why should all those guys get the credit for the hard work and money we spend to provide all the little surprises for our kids. Yeah, I know…we’re SO mean, but we try to always tell our kids the truth. We do, however, offer to “buy” our kids’ teeth for a quarter a piece. That must not be very appealing, since they always choose to keep them for their own collections. ;)
Kelly Lancaster says
I only have 1 child but he got $5 for the first tooth and then he has gotten $1 for the rest. I have kept all his baby teeth so far in a little container and at least for now he seems to still believe in the tooth fairy.
I remember when I was growing up that I got .50 to $1 for mine.
Rebecca says
When I was little, my brother and I got the great idea that we were going to save all our baby teeth and put them under our pillows all at the same time so that we could become rich all in one night! We stored them in little cups at the back of the kitchen cupboard. At some point while growing up, I forgot about my plan, and never redeemed my teeth. Then, one summer during college, my mom and I were completely cleaning out the kitchen cupboards, and at the very back of one of them… I found my teeth! I never got rich off of them, but my mom and I laughed for quite awhile!
Christina says
Haha. We give $5 a tooth. I have been teased incessantly about this, but my children (I have 5, one that doesn’t have ANY teeth yet) don’t get a lot of extra money from other things, and it “helps” them to get rid of teeth that are barely hanging on. I don’t have to pay the $ all at once. Also, we do not do the tooth fairy (or any other mythical “person/thing”) in our home, so I just get to “buy” the teeth from my children when they fall out.
Jennifer says
I was given quarters when I was little and thought I was so rich when I had three or four…haha.
I have not had the blessing of having children yet but I will say that adding that little bit of harmless fun of an imaginary tooth fairy or easter bunny does not hurt your children. I did not grow up believing they were real because my parents were honest and kept things focused on God. Just like having your imaginary friends at a tea party or playing with your trucks does not do any harm niether will this.
Can’t wait to have our own children so we can make the same fun memories with them.
Nikki says
My daughter got $15 for her first one!
Stacy says
We were unprepared for our son’s first tooth loss, and all we had was a $20 bill. We explained that it was probably just because the first tooth was extra special. Afterward, we polled all our friends and found that $5 per tooth is the average in our area, so that is what he gets now. I think you should just ask around to see what it is in your neighborhood. I know in some it’s $20 per tooth! Yikes! I think it’s awfully sweet that you played Tooth Fairy for your guest though. :)
Monica Kee says
I have always given my son a dollar or two, he is 7 now.