There comes a time in every parent’s life when he or she must take on yet another role and play the part of the Tooth Fairy. If you are family of multiple children, you might be playing the Tooth Fairy for a very long time, as each child will lose twenty baby teeth over the course of six or seven years starting around the age of six. For a child, the Tooth Fairy and the tradition that follows the loss of each tooth is a very big deal. As a family dentist, we'd like to share with you some important steps for being the best possible Tooth Fairy for your children.
Step 1: Decide on your tradition
It is important to take a bit of time to decide what your family’s Tooth Fairy tradition will be. The first time that you play the Tooth Fairy is one of the most important times as it will step the bar for the next 19 times that you will play the Tooth Fairy per child. The key is consistency. Decide on what the Tooth Fairy will leave behind, where the tooth will be placed for the big exchange.
Step 2: Buy or make a tooth pillow or special receptacle where the lost tooth will be placed. Baby teeth are very tiny and very easily misplaced. This is a great opportunity for an arts and crafts project that you can do together as a family if you are feeling creative. Otherwise, there are an abundance of tooth pillow and tooth boxes available online.
Tip: Don’t have your child place their lost tooth directly beneath the pillow that they sleep on. This will only make it more challenging to make the exchange and heighten the risk of being caught in the act. You can explain to your child that the Tooth Fairy requested that your lost tooth be placed in a special and safe place, such as a “tooth shrine” that you make in the bathroom or in a designated spot in the kitchen. This is another opportunity for a creative family activity where you can design and decorate this special place.
Step 3: Plan ahead
There is no real telling when exactly a tooth will fall out. Sometimes it may be way more apparent than others, but there is always the risk of it happening rather suddenly. It is a wise idea to stock up on Tooth Fairy supplies, whether that is coins or small bills, little gifts, or whatever else you leave behind in exchange for the lost tooth.
Step 4: Know the answers
Q: Why does Blake get $2 for his lost tooth and I only get $1?
A: Each house is assigned its very own Tooth Fairy and each Tooth Fairy has a different exchange rate per tooth.
Q: What happens if I lose a tooth when I am sleeping over at a friend’s house? Will the Tooth Fairy find me there?
A: The Tooth Fairy will only come to our house unless we are on a family vacation in which case I will make prior arrangements to give the Tooth Fairy directions to where will be.
Q: What does the Tooth Fairy do with all of the teeth? Where does she get the money to leave behind for the teeth or to buy the surprises that she leaves behind?
A: I wish I knew, but I am not the Tooth Fairy.
Step 5: Have fun
Being the Tooth Fairy is an opportunity that you will one day never have again, so have fun with it while you get to play this role in your child’s life. Maybe you want to leave behind a note on a tooth-shaped piece of paper is teeny tiny writing from the Tooth Fairy each time. Or, perhaps you want to sprinkle glitter around as Tooth Fairy tracks. You can be as creative as you want to be.
Click here for some incredibly creative Tooth Fairy ideas!