Tooth Fairy advice needed - in the next hour please! Before I go to bed...

[reezley]

Hi,
DS1 has lost his second tooth today! Just a week ago he lost the first one, and he asked if we would "do the tooth fairy". I said yeah...(he thinks I have something to do with it apparently?) So, with my sister's idea, and advice not to set the bar too high at 5 years old, I decided to give a nice assortment of coins. I did one of each coin - penny, nickel, dime, quarter. He liked it.

So today he put tooth #2 under the pillow and when I said goodnight he asked if I could put a dollar bill in there. I said with some mystery in my voice, "um, me??" He said, "the tooth fairy." I said, "I could put in a request.... and we can see.....??" Then he said maybe the tooth fairy finds out the kid's name and puts it on a biiiIg dollar bill...!

So, should I take his idea/request? I didn't plan on giving a dollar for each tooth! I know there's been inflation since I was a kid, but I was quite happy and surprised just to find any money in the morning! I think I got a quarter, I don't remember. What would you do in my situation? Personalized note but the same money? A fake dollar? A real one? Nothing different? I already put the smattering of coinage under the pillow, but I need to know if that's enough.... I'm thinking about this way too much, I know. I don't want him to be disappointed but..... Thanks for any advice!

[Pumpkin_Pie]

I got a dollar for each tooth when I was little and that was 30 years ago. My mother gave me four quarters for each tooth and I saved them all up and then rolled them when I had enough to depost into my bank account.

[One_Girl]

I got a little over a dollar for each tooth about 20 years ago. I put three dollars under my dd's pillow.

[reezley]

Yikes. Thank you both for your candor! I see what you're saying, 'give the kid a dollar already!' I'm seriously considering that now.
So, what if next time he asks if the tooth fairy can give $5? Cross that bridge when I come to it...
Still taking input-- but a dollar bill is looking likely tonight.

[zeldamomma]

The tooth fairy gives $1 per tooth here. Generally, I tell my kids that they may not ask someone for a specific gift unless they are asked for ideas, and I think that's what I'd say if my kid started making requests like that from the tooth fairy.

[Drummer's Wife]

We do a minimum of a $1. My 5 yo just lost his first tooth and got $4. It was what the tooth fairy happened to have. DD once got $20 and five pesos when we were on vacation in mexico It can get expensive, though, b/c we have four kids all 2 years apart. So far, the oldest 3 have all lost teeth. It will be many years of seemingly frequent tooth losing in our house!

We have a neighbor kid who gets presents - like, new toys. DD decided it was just the girl's mom giving them, and that was why the tooth fairy brought money here.

[4evermom]

I enjoyed getting a feeling for ds's expectations and hopes about such things. If a dollar would have thrilled my ds, I'd have enjoyed giving him a dollar. It's such a modest amount these days and it isn't as if kids loose a hundred teeth. If he asks for $5 next time, I'd go with that, too. My experience with ds is he has a sense of what is reasonable. I don't think he'd keep asking for larger and larger amounts. I actually gave my ds a toy for each tooth. That started because his first two teeth were removed under GA. The toys were a nice post surgery diversion. But we kept it up with no harm done. Ds appreciates the things he is given and is far from spoiled.

[donutmolly]

We were taken by surprise by DD1's first lost tooth (right before bed, argh!) and had not even discussed whether we'd "do" the tooth fairy. DD ended up with a bag of cheetos (her very favorite extra-special treat)... a couple of days later.

The tooth fairy brought me a silver dollar for each tooth, which I sometimes exchanged with my mom for a paper dollar I could go and spend.

[reezley]

I do want him to be excited about it and would love to make his wish come true! I just thought $1 was a lot (ok, I guess I'm old) and I didn't want it to be obvious that I'm the tooth fairy - since he seems to want to play the game even if he knows it's me. Love hearing these stories, go ahead and keep telling me how much you give!

Dollar it is tonight. Wish I had a new crisp one.

[Drummer's Wife]

My SIL has done gold coins - yk, the dollar ones? They are really pretty, and something different/special. I'm just not that organized. I get frustrated when the teeth fall out at 11 pm, and DH and I have to scramble to find some cash. I just the other day put a few bucks in a high cabinet for that purpose. With 3 losing teeth now, it's going to catch us off guard more often.

I think $1 is good - and would make a kid happy, crinkly and all. They get excited b/c of the whole magic aspect of the fairy, more than anything.

[confustication]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

My SIL has done gold coins - yk, the dollar ones? They are really pretty, and something different/special. I'm just not that organized. I get frustrated when the teeth fall out at 11 pm, and DH and I have to scramble to find some cash. I just the other day put a few bucks in a high cabinet for that purpose. With 3 losing teeth now, it's going to catch us off guard more often.

I think $1 is good - and would make a kid happy, crinkly and all. They get excited b/c of the whole magic aspect of the fairy, more than anything.

That happens here as well- or some other 'different' sort of money- a $2 bill, a partial set of state quarters, you get the idea. In fact, when the 'tooth fairy' stops at the bank, if she asks the teller for 'interesting uncommon denominations' with an explanation- they are REALLY helpful.

[pianojazzgirl]

My friend's ds got $4 for the first tooth lost and $2 for each subsequent. Since he's dd's best friend there's no way I can get away with anything less! She's got 4 wiggly now... just waiting to see which one will fall out first...

[34me]

We did the gold coins too. Luckily we live not too far from a car wash. I had to rush out to their change machine on at least one occasion. You put in $5 and out comes 5 golden dollers.

I want the pp tooth fairy - 30 years ago I got a dime a tooth .

[ASusan]

Originally Posted by 34me

We did the gold coins too. Luckily we live not too far from a car wash. I had to rush out to their change machine on at least one occasion. You put in $5 and out comes 5 golden dollers.

That is hilarious. Thanks for the tip; we live near a car wash, too.


30+ years ago, I got 25 cents. Fifty cents for the ones the dentist pulled.
(Our dentist pulled teeth to make room for big teeth in my small mouth. I was able to avoid braces, but now I question the practice.)

[Drummer's Wife]

well, dang - our self-serve car wash has tokens only good for the actual car wash. But maybe my kids would be excited about them, now that I think about it

[meemee]

the stamp vending machine at the post office gives out gold coins for change.

and so would your bank i think they always have them except of course you have to get a $20 roll.

we set our bar v. high. dd really wasnt interested in money so we did money and toys. a gold dollar, or silver dollar adn toys. garden tools, small box of her favourite candy, a little loop thingy that went on her backpack. she is not losing tooth so often these days and somehow the tooth fairy has lost interest in our house and dd doesnt even ask fro it anymore.

[weliveintheforest]

We gave a geode for the first tooth, and last night I had no time to come up with anything so her second tooth got a chocolate and a note. I have a bunch of chocolate molds so at least it was a special chocolate I guess.

[Polliwog]

When I have advance notice (most of the time,) I get the "gold" dollar coins. I get them at my bank and have never needed to buy a roll of them. If I'm caught off guard, I just fold a dollar bill into an interesting shape.

For DS's first tooth, I put two toy giraffes under his pillow. He was a big fan of Charlie and Lola and we have the book where Lola looses her tooth and uses her money to buy a toy giraffe. He loved getting his own giraffes.

[Adaline'sMama]

When I lost my teeth (15 years ago) I got a $1.00 coin for each tooth and a $2.00 bill for each molar. I will say, sometimes my Dad would say, "oh, its saturday, youll have to wait until monday to trade your tooth...the tooth fairy is off on the weekends"
(cause he couldnt go to the bank, im sure)

[hollytheteacher]

I always got a dollar a tooth. (i'm 26)