How Much Is a Tooth Worth to the Tooth Fairy?

My oldest is only 5 so I don't have any experience with this yet, but I did tuck away an idea that a co-worker used when her daughter lost a tooth. The tooth fairy always brought a silver dollar (kinda "special") and a new toothbrush and some times fun toothpaste that "you" would never buy -

I thought those were great ideas! Good luck -

Hi J....I give out one dollar for each tooth and I fold it in a special way. Sometimes like a fan, or a kite or even just a tiny square. They can't wait to see what it will look like!

~J.

I know I am late in responding, but I just wanted to add a story about what my son did after he lost his first tooth...

My 5 yr old lost his first baby tooth (on the bottom) and the Tooth Fairy brought him $5 just as she had done with my first two children...well...he was SO Excited that later that day I was working in my home office and he had been playing quietly in his room when he came into the office with a mouth full of blood and blood running all down the front of his shirt!! I FREAKED out and grabbed him up and ran to the bathroom to see what had happened where he showed me his toothless grin...

He had PULLED Out his other bottom tooth next to the one he had lost with a pair of PLIERS!!! He then proceeded to tell he how he was going to have LOTS of money because now the Tooth Fairy could bring him $5 more tonight!! And he had a FULL mouth of teeth and he could Pull ALL of them out and go shopping at the Toy Store!!!

Needless to say we had to explain that the tooth fairy only brings money for teeth that fall out on their OWN and he got nothing for that tooth!! We then took him to see then dentist who had to put a bit of a scare into him because he was seriously thinking about pulling out more teeth! CRAZY!! I know!!!

We now only give $1 per tooth to him. He just lost one last week (he is almost 7 now) and every time he loses one and gets a $1 he seems to want to pull out another to get more money! YIKES!!! THis child is going to be the death of me!!! LOL!!

My children never got money, their tooth fairies gave them little trinkets. They never knew what it would be!
My first daughter got a tiny stone animal figure (the kind they make in Mexico), a tiny Russian glass bird, a little wooden dala horse... always made from natural materials (no plastic) because my daughter was a fairy expert and she told me fairies only like natural things. Is there a World Market store near you? They have great little things, for pretty cheap...

Other things were a painted wooden heart, a piece of quartz crystal, a pretty agate, a glass heart... a little fairy dust with these things was so magical!

Our tooth fairy still leaves my children a special little glass bottle or box with all of their teeth inside of it when they loose their last tooth.

J.,

We gave our daughter gold Sacajawea dollars, that way she could easily identify her tooth fairy money. Now they have the gold Presidential dollars. I haven't seen them, but I think that would be good, too. It was never the dollar amount as much as the unique coin.

Another thought....if you have two film cases (35mm rolls) have your daughter put one under the pillow with the tooth in it and put the money in the other one. As long as they are matching, she won't know they are different containers. It's easy to find and swap film cases under the pillow.

T.

How about when you have time go dollar store and pick up
lil trinkets your child may like?

Stickers?
Crayons and Coloring book?
Marbles?
of course dependingon the age of the child~

lil note saying you get a to stay up later this weekend?

you can pick out a movie to watch from the video store

Hope some of the ideas help~

Hi J.,

I also have a six year old who has lost two teeth. We were unsure of what to give as well and decided that one dollar is plenty for a tooth. I know other parents give more, but I don't think it's necessary. I hope that helps you with your decision.

R.

A tooth fairy is suppose to have a whimsical affect, not a cash affect. An unusual coin, a fifty cent piece or a dollar coin would be my choice. Tell Dad the tooth fairy isn't made of money. :o)

For my son's first tooth that he lost he received $5. After that he's been receiving $1-2 per tooth. He enjoys it because he's been saving so he can get something he really wants!!

One dollar, I think it will be more than enough.

Does your 6 year old value money? I ask because our son has yet to lose his baby teeth but he has asked about the tooth fairy. We've told him that the tooth fairy leaves behind a treat that she knows that child will like. In his case, stickers are what he said he'd like from the tooth fairy.

For the first one I don't think $5 is too much. Each one after leave a $2 bill. I keep a stock of them and my girls love getting them.

I have 4 children, and I say one dollar. However, it was even more exciting to my boys to get 2,3 or 4 quarters! At that age, they think 'more is better'. And shiny, jingly things are the best!!!

I've heard of kids getting cd's etc. . .

Be careful of the expectations you set at such a young age. It's difficult and sometimes impossible to lower the bar once it's been raised.

J.

Being 57 I remember mostly getting .10 or .25 but what we did with our three daughters was this:
1st and last tooth lost was a special gift: My Little Pony baby pearly ponies which were all the rage in the late 80's and early 90's. All other teeth got .50 to 1.00. Then with my youngest, who is 11, we also did the same, gave a special gift for the 1st and last and 1.00 for all other teeth. To this day they still have those special little gifts that we gave them.

My mother used to give me one shiny quarter, a dime, a nickel, and a penny. When my kids were little I continued the tradition. As they got older they would tell me what their friends were getting (which was a lot more) so I added a gold dollar to the other coins and they were thrilled with that.

I received a quarter for my first tooth and a dime for each tooth after that. I am 51. I think 50 cents for a first tooth and a quarter for each tooth thereafter. We don't want to set expectations too high so early in life. It may encourage that feeling of things being owed to them rather than earned by oneself.

About myself:
mother of two boys,Josh and Adam, now 28 and 26 years old. Grandma of three beautiful grandchildren. Alex,7 1/2 months
Mason 17 months, and Lauryn 6 years old. I have one fultime job and one partime job and one occassional job.
I am active in my church, am on several committes. I love to garden and go camping.L.

For my two kids (11 and 9) I gave them $1.00 per tooth as long as it had no cavities. This made the kids want to brush their teeth and not have cavities. The only time it went up to say $5.00 was when they had to go to the dentist to remove a stubborn tooth and they behaved accordinly.

Whoa! I wish your husband was my tooth fairy!!
4 Quarters, a half dollar or a Susan B Anthony is what my kids have gotten. My 13 year old just lost his last mollar last night. All the tooth fairy had was dimes. He was happy. P.

We never gave money for teeth. My kids got books from the tooth fairy. We did give $1 plus a book for the first tooth, then after that it was just a book. It did end up probably costing me more in the long run, but the kids looked forward to the tooth fairy and we promoted reading. :)

How about a golden dollar coin? Makes it special.

We did $2/tooth (inflation - teeth were $1 when I was a kid!), and the tooth fairy brings gold dollar coins (that was my husband's idea). :)

We also have a special tooth box that holds teeth & then money.

OK I HAVE To chime in on this one! I have a 6 1/2 year old who has lost 4 teeth. We panicked the first time and gave her a collector's silver dollar. Then again for the next one. THEN we decided that was insane! THEN my Husband gave her $10 for the 3rd one... ENTER the book "you think its easy being the tooth fairy?" by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt! Buy this book for your children. This tooth fairy is not the typical one with fairy wings, she rides a turbo powered surf board! She is smart and funny and strong! She has to lug a bag of "QUARTERS" on her nightly rounds! QUARTERS! Well needless to say my daughter got a special QUARTER for her 4th tooth from that tooth fairy and she was in awe! I placed the quarter on note she wrote to the tooth fairy and wrote congrats from the fairy and left her tooth on the quarter. I threw in some fairy glitter for effect! VOILA! Happy 6 year old. No stress on mommy and daddy.

I am S. Wyatt: allgiftsmusic.com. My music and my work centers around self esteem in children and healing the inner child within.

J.: We have three children. We have given between 25-50 cents per tooth. I know it is all relative but $5? To me that is an awful lot-- think of how many teeth she'll lose. And the price only goes up when they start losing molars (if the tooth fairy is still around). It is setting the bar very high. I believe starting out with a modest amount is always best (for allowance as well). My children have always appreciated even the small amount they get, it's more about the gesture than the amount of money. Sometimes the tooth fairy also leaves notes about how clean the teeth are. That's always a big hit.

How about something fun, like a golden Sacagewa dollar? I think a dollar is more than enough. A special coin seems more special than an ordinary dollar bill.

My husband suggested we do the gold dollar coin too. It was $5 for the first tooth because it was the first - Now it's $1 a tooth - at one point she got $3 at one time!

My children get $1 for the first tooth, and .50cents for each tooth after that. We try to give the $1 in the form of a silver dollar or a gold dollar coin, and the .50cents is in the form of two quarters if I can't find a half dollar coin that day.

Hi J., we gave $5 for the first tooth and $1 for each tooth after. And do you know my 9yr old is still excited to recieve that $1. Good Luck.

When my six y/o loses his teeth.I give him gold coins. Which i think they are a dollar or atleast fifty cents.

$1.00 were is she going were he needs to spend that much money,start now in teaching the value of a dollar,if you choose to give her that much make him save a leat $4.00 dollars.

Hello,
My 4 yr old lost her first tooth 2 weeks ago. I was so excited! My husband also said $5 and I think that's way too much. She solved the issue herself by confidently informing us the tooth fairy was going to bring her 3 quarters and 2 dollars. And that's exactly what the tooth fairy did bring! She was very pleased when she woke up the next morning. She won't be getting that much for future teeth. I like the idea of the dollar coins and the fifty cent pieces. She likes to play pirate so the gold coins are going to be a hit I think.
Have fun!

Our 6 yo just lost 2 teeth. He got $1.25 a tooth and was ecstatic to get a coin and paper money.

Looks like $1 is the winner with most parents. Two of our kids have very small mouths and have had to have several teeth pulled including permanant teeth which is not easy on them. In that case we give $5-10 each tooth. My son just had 2 baby teeth pulled last week and the dentist said they were in there like permanant ones so we gave him $5 each. He had to stay home from school for a day to recover.
I feel guilty to say we also "forgot" the tooth fairy was coming a few times over the years. Talk about GUILT to see their little face the next morning. So the tooth fairy wrote a note saying she was SO sorry she couldn't fly in the storm last night and brought an extra quarter to make up for having to wait!

The tooth fairy gives our kids $1.00. Sometimes, you need to be creative (such as the time my daughter swallowed a tooth while eating popcorn or forgot to put one under her pillow or the tooth fairy fell asleep on the job or... she once lost one during a trip to Mexico and received a dollar AND a peso.) Amount also seems to vary by community. You may want to ask some of your daughter's friends' parents. Your child may question why she's getting 50 cents if everyone else she knows gets $5.00! I think of it more as a fun tradition rather than a large money-making event; it's definitely not an important enough issue to cause arguments between spouses. Good luck with your decision!

I think a dollar is a safe bet if you can aford it, I went more with age, when my kids were small it started with a quarter, and then moved up to a dollar.

WOW, 5 bucks is a lot. I have always given 1 dollar. You need to think how many teeth she is going to loose in the next year. It is a great way to teach your kid to save money. Put it in their piggy bank and watch it grow as you add money. But meeting your husband 1/2 way is importent too. Go with 2 to 3 dollars and I think both of you will be happy.

I agree with you that $5 is too much for a tooth, especially when they usually loose them in sets. I think $1 is a good price for a tooth, and with the new dollar coins, it could be a way to encourage collecting, and help with the next tooth coming out ie: "I wonder which dollar the tooth fairy will bring you when that one comes out" etc. If your husband still thinks it's not enough, maybe you could compromise and do $1 for front teeth, $2 for canines, $5 for molars, etc as your daughter loses her teeth. Good luck!

one$1.oo per tooth is great don,t set your childs expectation too high

I have an 8 year old daughter and we generally leave $2 in quarters or 1 dollar bill and 4 quarters just to mix it up. The change makes it seem like much more money to her.
Good luck!

A dollar a tooth is plenty!

The toothfairy gives one quarter for each year of the child at our house - for example 6 quarters for a six year old, 7 quarters for a 7 year old. She also brought a toothbrush with the first tooth.

Well the tooth fairy at our house gives $1 per tooth. But the tooth fairy at my sisters house gives $5. I only got a quarter when I was growing up so I think that $1 is pretty reasonable. I have a 10 and 8 year old who are quite pleased with that.

I recently saw on the news that the going average for a tooth is $2.10 each. My son saw that and we've been giving 2 dollars a tooth(one paper dollar and an old silver dollar which I received as a child). He thinks he's getting ripped off now!!! Arg! I guess the next tooth may have to have more.

Good luck deciding. Looks like you have a lot of advice that varies quite a lot.

well speaking from the mother of 18 17 15 year old teens . personally i would keep the tooth low i was at 1.00 back then and 2.00 a large tooth and my then 5 year old said to her then 7 year old sister that ( she though that a lot of her teeth were lose ) all in a effort to gain some extra cash , yes she loosened 4 of her teeth early and all most messed her bit up from premature tooth loss. Although a some what funny story and my daughter was a unique person, i would keep it at 1 dollar.

I'm doing five for the first tooth and $1 for each additional tooth.

we gave our daughter $1.00 per tooth so far....

If we have quarters, we leave a couple, otherwise it's $1.
I agree with you $5 seems like your setting yourselves up for more questions
and higher standards.

We've done a dollar (which is the amount we heard from others). I've also heard of others giving less (maybe 50 cents) and then also give some sugar-free gum.

I have twin 7yr olds who get 5 dollars, but I think that is too much also. It is my husbands idea. I would try to talk him into 1 dollar because after a while your child will be losing them more frequently and you will go broke.lol.

Well my Daughter is only four so we are not having to deal with that yet but my sister-in-law and I were just talking about that a few weeks ago and they did not have any money when my neice lost her first tooth so what they did and what they are planning to do with my their son. They took a piece of paper and wrote a note from teh tooth fairy saying that once you have lost all of your teeth than you will get a gift card to bye yourself a toy just leave me a note with your last tooth to let me know. so i can give you your gift card. that is what they did though and it seemed to work.

When my 6 yo started losing teeth we gave him fifty cents.

On our daughter's 1st tooth she got 4 quarters and a lip gloss - after that it's been $1.00 in change or just a bill. She's 5 so thrilled at anything but she loves to tell people about the lip gloss she got for the very first one.

I don't think there is anything wrong with a half dollar per tooth, or even a dollar for a molar. My husband and I gave our daughter the gold dollar coins when she started losing teeth. I think it mainly depends on how much your comfortable with.

However five bucks is kinda excessive....=)

$1 is plenty. How many "expenses" do kids have.....

If your daughter has a concept of money or not? My kids don't quite understand the dollar amount of money so why think big for them when it only gets more expensive over the years. Does that make sense. My son is 6 and loosing his first two teeth. We told him he would get A DOLLAR for his tooth and if he got both out he would get two dollars! He is thrilled with that.
One idea I heard of is to give money from a different country for each tooth. Then they can build their foreign collection.

I would say $1 per tooth. But I'm sure it's different in every family. Hopefully she won't ask her friends how much they get (if it's more).

I go to the bank and have stocked up on $1 gold coins. My 8 year old has now lost 8 teeth and he's got 8 Gold Coins. He also has a special little "tooth pillow" that has a pocket for his tooth and the gold coin fits perfectly in that. Anything more then $1 is too much. I was gonna give him quarters as that's what I got growing up...but then they came out with the gold coins and i thought that was nice and special and worked with the inflation...LOL. Good Luck.
J. in Kansas

I am a second grade teacher and my students love to get $1 coins. They tend to get different amounts (depending on their parents' money and values)but what seems most important is that it's consistent for them. So I would say give the first time what you plan on giving for all teeth.

I gave $5 for the first tooth, then after that it was whatever change is in the bottom of my purse... which usually adds up to a couple dollars (this started cause I had no cash on me one night when the tooth came out!) But it was a success and much more appreciated than the single $5 bill... kiddo was sooo happy with all the different coins and had a blast dropping them one by one into the piggy bank and figuring out how much money she had.

$1.00, unless it's a tooth that was lost with some trauma (i.e. dentist pulled, mom pulled, fell out naturally by ramming into a post) Then it's $3 - $5. (You can see which ones cost me $5)
Good luck.

Funny how it is the little things like this that we don't think about when parenting, huh? Too bad there isn't a manual for all this. That being said......my husband and I have always given our kids one of the new coin dollars for their teeth. They seem to appreciate that. Have a great day!

I think five dollars is a bit high. I agree that the gold dollars, or half dollars are unusual and would be fun to get. But because of inflation, why not stock up on $2 dollar bills. You see less of those than any coin.

I have a little experience in this since my daughter has been losing them left and right lately, with her two front teeth both wiggling like crazy right now. My husband and I have decided that what good would it be if she couldn't get a small toy for herself at the store but without treating like it is such a huge deal. So we set a price limit of between four and five dollars. Also, it is enough that she is looking forward to her next visit from the fairy, that losing a tooth can be a good thing. We also figure this amount limits the risk of her buying candy, which might happen at say $1 or $2, something we don't want to happen. When I was a kid I used to get 25 or fifty cents and would rush straight down to the local market and buy penny candy, needless to say I have a lot of fillings now. :)

My six year old has lost two teeth and got two dollar bills for each tooth. I also contemplated getting her a Littlest Pet Shoppe instead of money - but then my husband pointed out the fact that the Tooth Fairy would then have to get her a toy instead of money every time! I do think a dollar is plenty, but your daughter could spend her $2.00 on something better than a $1.00 toy.

no tooth is worth five bucks, my friend gives golden dollars. You know the one dollar coin, her kids think that is a treasure.

My 5 year old son has already lost two, and he got a dollar each for them. I will probably give a couple of dollors for the molers but only 1 dollar for the little ones. Kids need to learn young how to manage there money, I am still trying to learn!!!

I think the gold dollar coins or the old Susan B Anothy dollar coins are the neatest. They are only a dollar, but I think they are a special dollar : ) Just an idea. Fifty cent pieces are a good idea too, I think it's more the thought then the actual price.

I know I got a dollar back in the 80-90's for my teeth but the tooth fairy has gone up...

I worked at a daycare and my daughter is 6.5 so I hear alot. I am going to guess from what I've gathered the average is $5.00 a tooth. I have heard of some kids getting those dollar coins I can't spell this so exuse me but they're golden and they're called (sacaweya)

My daughter hasn't lost any teeth yet but I'm hoping I can stick to around a dollar. I personally think $5 dollars is to much. When you add it all up they will be loosing alot of teeth.

The first tooth is the most exciting, so we gave our son $10. We explained to him that the tooth fairy does more for the first tooth, then it decreases. For his next teeth after that, we have been giving $1. He's been just as happy with $1 as he was with $10!

For my daughters 1st tooth (she is 5) we gave her a $2 bill. From there I think it is going to be a dollar. The golden dollar is a great idea! Not sure if I can find them overseas though! Good luck and have fun being the "Tooth Fairy'!

Hi J.-

I must have missed this question. Sorry for responding so late. For the first tooth we have 5 golden dollars. Our "tooth fairy" writes a letter with beautiful font on beautiful fairy stationary explaining that the first tooth is so special, and that is why she is leaving $5.00. Then for future teeth, they only got one gold dollar with the letter. In the letter we complement about how shiny the teeth are, and what a great job of brushing they are doing. If the dentist told them that maybe they could do a bit better blushing next time, I find a way to say that I saw the tooth was a bit dirty, and you might want to practice brushing in the future.

Enjoy!!

Hi J....I think a couple of dollar bills is fine for the tooth fairy and plus kids like getting "more money" rather than one 5 or 10 dollar bill (most kids dont realize it's more even though it doesnt seem like it). Another idea would be to leave "fairy dust" on the window seal or night stand just to make it a little more fun. Good luck!!

I asked the same question last month. My husband and I settled on $1. We gave her 4 quarters. She was so excited, to her it seems like more $$ then a dollar bill. I wouldn't give more then $1, and I would suggest lots of coins.

The Tooth Fairy gave our 5 year old a Susan B. Anthony Gold coin - she absolutely LOVED it!

I had been giving my 6-yr old 4 quarters (she loves it!). She thinks it's a lot of money. Since she's learning to count coins, I'm giving her smaller coins totalling $1 and she has to count them before she puts them into her princess-carriage-piggy-bank.

Hi J.,

Maybe I am cheap, but my son who is 11 and is loosing teeth again is happy with a dollar. Kids will never turn away money regardless of the amount.

Deb

My husband did something that our kids thought was such fun. They got one of each coin per tooth. One penny, one nickel, all the way thru to a 50 cent piece. I believe each of the kids have received at least one silver dollar coin...you know the old ones.

K.

Just a quick addition...my mom always sprinkled super fine glitter under our pillows as "Fairy dust" with our money. It was magical!

When my children who are now 12, 16, & 19 were losing their teeth, I gave $.25 and .50 per tooth but see how many years later it is, so I could see giving a little bit more now. I would go with your husband maybe if all teeth were lost at the same time maybe but that doesnot happen. Hope that helps.

We have been doing $1.00 per tooth.
~M.

I see that you've had many responses already, but...
I told my daughter that I'd negotiated a special deal with the tooth fairy; she has the option of $1 per tooth to keep and spend, or $10 per tooth if she puts the money in her fledgling bank account. We talked about the pros and cons of both options; I was happy that she chose the $10 in the bank. I "told the tooth fairy" of her choice, and we made a trip to the bank the next day.
Yes, this will get expensive, but I felt it was worth the lesson.

Hi,

The going rate is $1.00 per tooth. I work with children K-6th and this is what they say they receive. Remember, sometimes they will loose more than one tooth in the same week, or every other week. This should not be a money making system for your child. They are really happy at getting 1.00 per tooth. I remember getting .25 cents when I was growing up.

Good luck.

I gave my daughter tickets to go see Beauty and the Beast on Ice when she lost her first tooth. Expainling the first tooth is the best gifts. After that I gave her some small gifts of things I knew she wanted. Some examples are bubbles to play with outside or a little purse with some change in it for the gumball machine. As she got older I adjusted the gifts. I didn't want to get into the momey thing because I realized that most toys she wanted were money than fifty cents or even a dollar. I didn't want her to feel she had to lose all her teeth before she could get something. I used money as a payment for chores since she actually 'earns' this money.

I think that all the advice here is wonderful. I'm a pediatric dentist so I hear about all kinds of "gifts" from the tooth fairy. A few parents nowadays get too excited for their children's first tooth and give too much. I've heard of many $20 teeth and even one little girl that got $100!!! I just tell the parents "remember that there's 19 more teeth to go!"... and their eyes get really wide for a second. Well, good luck, and all the suggestions you've received are excellent and I'll be sure to follow them too when my 2 month old loses his first tooth.

I thought a dollar would be good. Maybe I am too old, too. lol

My mom always paid a quarter for a front tooth and fifty cents for molars. I have done the same with my son.

I am a sah mother of 6. And each child got the same. On their first loss, we gave them the silver dollar. (hard to find but banks carry them (not FCU). Anyways it is our tradition to give the "old" monies. Say the $2.00 bill. We even gave then a $5.00 dollar bill that came from Canada. It really is about your parenting and what "YOU" want to give.

Good luck

How about the Presidential Dollar coins? Then you could get a coin collector folder for her to keep them in. The only thing is that only four of them come out in a year. I like the Sacajewea Gold dollar coin idea too. Be sure to stock up on whatever you decide to do. Even if its just having paper one dollar bills or spare change somewhere. I seemed to have to root around the bottom of my purse sometimes being caught unprepared!! Kids think coins are really cool and tend to think they have gotten alot of money, the more coins they get. At least thats what my son was like. Have Fun!!

For the first tooth we did $3 and every tooth after that is $2, I was told that the going rate is $2.50 & up. I hope this can help.

D. I

Hi, what a cute question. I always gave my children $1.00 for good teeth and with the teeth that have a cavity or filling it was .75 cents cuz the teeth were sick. My kids loved getting $1.00 for there teeth that when they became loose they did what it took to get them out. Have fun and good luck.

That depends. When my son knocked his tooth out it cost over $1000 to put it back. I am thinking the tooth fairy has nothing on my dentist!

we give our 6 yr old $1 per tooth.

We give $1.00 and a new toothbrush!

Good Luck!

J.,

Maybe this is just me, but $5.00 seems like a lot of money for losing a tooth. I'd go the half dollar route. ALL kids lose there teeth, it's not that big of deal. If you want your daughter to have more cash in her pocket, talk about allowance, that we she is actually doing something for the money, instead of having it show up under her pillow :)

Good luck!
J.
SAHM to Charlie and Joey (16 months and 3)

My daughter got a little spoiled for her first lost tooth. She surprised me with it, because she's not even 5 yet! Anyway, we gave her a dollar and beanie baby she's been asking for forever - Ruby, from Max and Ruby. She also got a note from the tooth fairy.
All together, I spent about $8, which I realize is a little on the outrageous side - but I don't plan on doing this for every tooth. For her (twin) sister, who has yet to lose a tooth, I have already picked up a beanie baby (Max this time) - so I'm ready when she is.

Hi J.. If I had a six yr old, I would leave them a dollar or two. Let them save it so they can understand the value of money. And teach them how to save.

Hi. I know you already got your answer .... I am a mother of 5. I did the one dollar thing, too. (Unless there was a cavity -- then only a quarter)Every few teeth earned a little note on fairy stationary saying something about nice clean teeth for her "safe-keeping"...) Just wanted to let you know that if you buy stamps or even just put money into the machines at the post office --- they give back dollar change in the form of --- you got it! Those little gold dollar coins! I always went there and stashed a few away at a time to be prepared....They are sometimes tough to come by!
Each child got a note of farewell and all the teeth back when the last one fell. All now know it was me, but have all their teeth and many of the coins.

I live in a rural area in the country. I've got grandkids now, but when my kids were young they got a quarter. I was a single mom & money was tight. My daughter always wanted to move to town cos "the kids in town got more money than we did in the country".

I have two kids. My son is now 8 and my daughter is 7.
We did go with $5 for the first tooth and then have decreased each time so that now they're getting $.50 a tooth. But it is always in special money that they can't spend. I've been saving $2 bills, silver dollars, susan B anthony's, 50 cent pieces, etc for my whole life for this! :)

J.

5.00 dollars is alot of momey for tooth fairy..i normally leave 0.50 cents and they like it.. they put it in the piggy bank that its building up...but 5.00 is tooo much.. my husband wanted to leave 1.00 and i told him No best is 0.50 cents... i am in the same shoe you are in with the hubands trying to reduce the money for the tooth fairy...

first tooth requires a letter to the tooth fairy. We also did the $2 bills for one child, comic books for the 3rd child, and $5 for the second. Really depends on the child, what they appreciate more. a note from the tooth fairy was also left under the pillow signed "WOW" which they quess is "MOM" upside down. They lose teeth forever is seems and when they are around 12 it is 5 or 6 at once! I didn't give allowance though.

I'm a little late on my response, but speaking as the mother of an 8 (9 next month) and 7 year old who have already begun to question the tooth fairy and easter bunny not to mention santa, I leave a $2 bill. Since they are not really in circulation they are special and my kids think that it must have come from someone other than me! I am not ready to give up on the magic of it all yet so extreme measures have been taken to prolong their belief. (I've even muddied boots and left footprints on my carpet and fireplace harth from a messy santa!) They just grow up so fast!!!

My daughter is only three, but my husband and I have decided to give coins from different countries. You know that tooth fairy, she is such the world traveler.

My husband said the same thing! I think $5 is WAY too much. And since I'm the one playing the tooth fairy, not him, then our son gets $1 for each tooth =)

In my opinion $5 is way too much. You don't want to start a tradition which is going to bankrupt you in the future! :-)
Let me tell you what happened in my family. . .the "regular tooth fairy" was sick so a substitute tooth fairy took over the job ie Dad. Usually the child got a quarter per tooth. . . this substitute gave him $1.00! Well, our son thought this was a great way to get money so he proceeded to wiggle his teeth until he got three more out!!! He had no front teeth for a couple of years! After that a note was written to the tooth fairy that she couldn't visit our home ever again! Needless to say, the younger kids were really mad at my son for spoiling it. My son-in-law (a temporary tooth fairy--it is always the Dads!--gave his son an $8.00 toy! How can you keep that up! Whatever you decide realize it will be the "tradition" and you will have to keep it up--unless you ban the tooth fairy from coming at all! :-)

We typically do a dollar per tooth. The first tooth we did make a bigger deal. She got a letter from the tooth fairy and five dollars. The letter did specify that this was special and not to always expect that. Although, one night my husband came home after having a few drinks and accidentally put $20 under her pillow after I had already left one. She certainly thought she hit the jackpot! Another special thing we do is sprinkle a really small amount of glitter next to her pillow. Our daughter thinks it is fairy dust.

I've always given my boys a gold dollar coin from the tooth fairy. They are uncommon enough that they think the coins are pretty special. But keep some on hand! They are hard to come by when a tooth is lost around bedtime!!

Hi, I believe a dollar should be enough for a tooth. If it is one of her front teeth maybe the $5 would be appropriate. I remember getting 25cents and thinking how great that was. Times change LOL. Good luck. C.

I love the gold coin idea! We gave our daughter $5 for the first tooth (all we had in the house!) Consequently, we've given $5 for the second one too (all we had in the house-apparently we're ill-prepared for the nights that her teeth have come out!

We told her that she'll get more money for teeth that are especially clean & it seems to be motivating-at least when there is a loose tooth!

All said, I think the gold coin idea is fabulous! That's something they don't/haven't seen everyday so it would seem more "special". I think I'm going to stock up on some gold coins!

Back when I was little (many years ago), I received a quarter from the Tooth Fairy.

Forward to now, and my daughter, who will be 8 in a couple weeks, gets one dollar for her teeth. I figure the price of inflation has gone up a lot in the 35+ years since the Tooth Fairy left me money, and I feel comfortable with that amount.

A.

I paid $5, but keep in mind, whatever you pay for the first tooth commits you to every other tooth :-) Also, the tooth fairy only came for teeth that fell out naturally - not for teeth the dentist had to remove.

The going rate in our house is one dollar per tooth, although now that my kids are getting older, they want to "renegotiate" for a higher rate for the molars. :-)

She has been known to pay as much as $60 for the front teeth, although sometimes she leaves only a $2 bill (since it is uncommon - it has Wow factor!). It really depends on the Toothfairy's "budget" at the time, and the time of year! (Our kids are both January babies, so December and January are gift times, and then the rest of the year, they don't get presents. It just seems sad for them to be untreated for so long! Plus, there are only so many years left, that they actually get to believe in fantasy, so I like to make the best of it! I love seeing their sleepy faces as I tuck in the money!)

This is the problem....kids expect or we as parents give too much so we don't disappoint our kids. Remember back when we were kids? Things were so much simpler... I say gold dollar is definetly the way to go....

The going rate in this household is a quarter and that seems to also be the average amongst the school chums.

We leave one dollar and a new tooth brush.

It really isn't the amount of money that brings happiness it is the element of surprise, so it can change from tooth to tooth maybe big front teeth are worth more that the smaller ones and molars have a different value, it is the magical surprise that makes them happy, I wouldn't go overboard, you spend enough on the dentist. maybe 50c to 1 dollar is my opinion

Have we forgotten these are just teeth? I can't believe the amount of money parents shell out for fallen out teeth! We gave our son a dollar for his first tooth lost. After that it's a quarter. If the tooth fairy forgot to come during the night, then he will get a dollar. Our son is thrilled with a quarter. We're going to continue that tradition with our daughter.

Hi J.,

I think you are right $5 is too much. I don't want to date myself but I only got a quarter for a tooth. We have given our daughters $2 for the first tooth and $1 for each tooth after that. We have even written a note from the tooth fairy when she got busy and forgot to pick up the tooth, it worked well and now my daughter has the note tacked up on her wall.

I'm in the same predicament with my 6 year old son who is about to lose his first tooth. It can get expensive when you think they have 20 teeth - it adds up. I'll probably go with 2 quarters since coins are 'worth more' and are more fun than bills (he doesn't have a concept of money yet). If you have any Canadian friends, you can ask for a Looney or Toonie (their $1 and $2 dollar coins) - something different for kids.

S.

Holy cow, I can't believe how much some kids are getting! We give 50 cents for a molar & 25 cents for all other teeth. Kids are thrilled with whatever they get; shouldn't have to be huge amounts.

My husband had an old silver dollar. He polished the best he could. That is what my daughter got for her first tooth. Then we gave her a half dollar coin (if I am not mistaken), and 2 dollar bills there after.
I think the amount does not make sense, but it is kind of more significative to receive rare coins and bills. At the end, our kids will have a "collection", because the money received it is not meant to be spent... but to be kept as keepsake.
... on the other hand, my daugther used to wish the toothfairy would bring her a CREDIT CARD!!!! plop!

We explained to our kids and grandson that there is "no tooth fairy" and when they lose a tooth.... they get ''special time' out with daddy or mommy .. one on one is always so much fun. sometimes they'll go to McDonalds or to the dollar store or for an ice cream but it's their 'special time' and it's always been so positive and they smile at people to show off the gap where their tooth once was. I'm sure whatever you choose to do will work for you.

A Little About Me: I have 4 kids.. 27, 25, 22 & 20 and a 7yr old grandson, a 5 yr old Autistic grandson, a 21 month old grandson and a granddaughter coming in July.. so far, grandma has had to be the loose tooth puller! mommy and daddy even brought him to my work one evening because the tooth was very loose but 'grandma' had to be the one to pull it. Our tradition has worked wonderfully for our family.

Great story. Truth, My almost 7 year old daughter lost her 3rd tooth. Not at all prepared, my husband with a 100 bill and myself with a 20 dollar bill..... What to do? She really loves the tooth fairy. She got the 20. What else was I to do?

Dear J.:

This is what I did with my children. The first tooth is always special so I gave them 10.00 for the first tooth. Then I told a fib to all the children that after the first tooth the tooth fairy only gives a 1.00. I hope this helps.

Molars $1.00, everything else .50 cents. It's just enough to fit nicely under the pillow, but not so much you set the bar too high.

At our house the Tooth Fairy leaves $20 for the first tooth and then $2.50 for each tooth after that.

Don't get me started on this one. I was giving my daughter quarters to 1/2 dollars and then after awhile (They lose a lot of teeth you know), I started giving my daugher gold dollars. She told me one day, my dad gives me five or ten dollars! Well then I said oh really, I don't think so. This is you 10th lost tooth and so how long do you think this is going to go on..you ungrateful child. Haahaaa, of course I am kidding but seriously how long does this go on? If not expected to go on for long then maybe 5 dollars is ok but you need to establish that upfront because they lose teeth from age 4 to age 11!!

J.,

We give .25 for each tooth. A friend of ours who is a dentist says that he tells kids the tooth fairy looks at the teeth to see how well they are brushed. If they are not well taken care of she gives less money. I asked what most parents give per tooth and he said .25-.50 a tooth.

Sue

We pay $1 for each tooth. Easy to remember.

I've heard of giving $5 for the first tooth and then $1 after that. I've also heard of giving special coins like the dollar coins and foreign coins or currency. If you have friends in other countries or travel alot...or know someone who travels alot you can get coins from them. Then it doesn't matter how little or how much the coin is worth...it is more about where the tooth fairy got it. This one can lead to teaching your kids about the world and using a map or globe. You can also give him "old coins" that can be purchased on E-bay if you want another unique idea. It really is about what the two of you decide you would like as a tradition in your family.

I have given my kids $2 a tooth. Hope that helps. I agree w/ you that $5 is a bit much. They have lots of teeth in their head to fall out. lol :)

Sherri

A cute idea: pile a penny, nickel, dime and quarter together with tape. Give him/her one set per age that they are. (age 6 = $2.46) Another idea we've done is to give them a dollar and a new toothbrush & toothpaste. This is fun for them, especially for the first tooth, and encourages continued good teeth brushing with a fun new toothbrush!

My oldest daughter is seven and has already lost a boatload of her baby teeth -- we always gave her one golden dollar for each tooth (we went to the bank and stocked up on them beforehand - since you never know when you'll need one or two and they're not something you typically have on hand). She then earned one coin/tooth unless it was a real tough one coming out and then she got double for the trouble.

Hope this helps!

I think a $ 1.00 for each tooth. I didn't get that much when I was little. Do you have a tooth fairy pillow yet? I have some on my website.

Anyway have fun with the tooth fairy and the whole bit. My son will also be losing his teeth soon too and I hope I can make it a good experience for him.
I probably will be putting tooth fairy dust on his pillow, to make it look like the tooth fairy was here and read him a book about tooth fairies.

Anyway have fun with it. They grow up so fast.

My children are 8 years apart so when our oldest was @ 'tooth fairy' age, she was like an only child for a while and when she was in middle school, school trips, girlfriends sleepovers... our son was younger and like an only child. So we in a way spoiled them both - not to where they became bratty but hey, they're your kids, and once they're off to college and on thier own, you miss those little things like the easter bunny, santa claus and especially the tooth fairy.
Honestly, I use to think my husband left TOO much under thier pillow but now am glad he did.

PS, I am a mother of 25 yr old & 17 yr old and they both still get easter baskets : )

You might think that I am overdoing it but my oldest son now 11 would get stone eggs from the tooth fairy, as well as golden coin dollars. The eggs are about 3.00 to 6.00 dls. Every time he got a different one so now he has a nice collection. It just made him so happy! For the youngest now 6 years old who has lost about 6 teeth already. He has gotten stone balls and golden coin dollars. He brings his collection to the school's show and tells. I know it is not very common so it is up to you. It just made my sons so excited and happy that it makes feel good.

The tooth fairy leaves $5.00 at our house for the first tooth, along with a "fancy" printed note saying that the money is only for the first tooth because it is so special. $1.00 is left for other teeth that follow.

K. L.

The tooth fairy gave my daughters $5.00, when they lost their first tooth. (She didn't have any change, but it was their first tooth which made it special.) After that, it was $1.00.

I usually give $3.00. However sometimes the tooth fairly leaves a really neat toothbrush or stickers or something that mommy wouldn't usually buy. Our tooth fairy also leaves "fairy dust" on the bed, floor and under the pillow. (You'd think eventually they would catch on that it is just glitter!) Hope this is good advice for you.