Tooth Fairy Ideas and Tips

Your child has their first wobbly tooth and you need to start planning the Tooth Fairy visit. Now what? Losing baby teeth is an important part of growing up and should be celebrated. In this blog post we will go through some fun Tooth Fairy ideas and tips to make your child’s tooth fairy experience truly magical.

When do children start losing teeth?

Children usually lose their first tooth around 5 or 6 years old, when they’ve just started or are about to start primary school. But, as every child is unique, some may lose their first tooth as early as 4 years old, or not until 7 years old.

Losing the first tooth is an exciting milestone in a child’s life, and they’ll continue to lose baby teeth throughout their childhood to make room for the adult teeth to come in.

Preparing for the Tooth Fairy visit

If you notice your child has a wobbly tooth, you should start organising the Tooth Fairy visit so that you and your child are prepared when the time comes. You can start by talking to your child or reading books about the Tooth Fairy and explaining what they should do when they lose their first tooth.

Or you can have the Tooth Fairy herself deliver the instructions! The Tooth Fairy can bring a personalised letter and maybe an envelope or little box for the tooth, or instructions on where to leave it (e.g. on their beside table or under their pillow).

Gifts from Tooth Fairy

Typically the Tooth Fairy brings the child a gift in exchange for their tooth. This is usually money but it can also be a small toy or even a new toothbrush!

If you decide that your Tooth Fairy brings money, remember that the first gift from the Tooth Fairy can set the expectation for future visits. Some parents prefer to start small with just a coin and then increase the amount as the kids get older. Other parents like to go all in for the first tooth and then make it smaller for subsequent ones. So, have a good think about what will work for your family and have a solid plan in place.

Making the Tooth Fairy visit even more magical

As parents, we often want to recreate our own childhood memories, or perhaps give our children the type of memories we’ve never had. Making the Tooth Fairy visit a magical experience doesn’t have to be complicated. Children will love to just find a small gift or coin under their pillow if that’s what works for your family. But if you want to take it up a notch, here are a few ideas to make it even more special.

Milestone Certificate

If this is your child’s first lost tooth, you’ll probably want to document it to later remember the date and their age at the time. So why not take a picture of your child holding a milestone certificate with all their details.

Letter from the Tooth Fairy

To make the experience more personalised, the Tooth Fairy can leave a Tooth Fairy letter addressed to your child, thanking them for their tooth and acknowledging their effort in keeping their teeth clean. This is a great opportunity to bring up the importance of good oral hygiene habits and leave any tips that are relevant to your child.

Tooth Fairy Receipt

Each time the Tooth Fairy brings your child money, she can also leave a Tooth Fairy receipt with it. These can be personalised with the date, child’s age, count of lost teeth and money amount. The Tooth Fairy receipts can then go into your child’s keepsake box, so that one day they can look back and remember this part of their childhood.

Excuses for when the tooth fairy is late and other Tooth Fairy problems

But what if the child literally loses their tooth? Or they lose a tooth when you’re away from home and not prepared with your Tooth Fairy kit? Fear not, as we have solutions to the most common Tooth Fairy problems below:

Misplaced tooth

Let’s say your child loses their when they’re at school and misplace it. Or maybe the tooth fell off while they were eating and they accidentally swallowed it (like it happened with one of my kids). Kids can feel upset if they don’t have the physical tooth to leave to the Tooth Fairy, but an easy solution for this problem is to have them write a letter or note to the Tooth Fairy explaining what happened. Then reassure your child that the Tooth Fairy understands when these things happen and make sure that she still visits as usual.

Losing a tooth away from home

You’re on a holiday and you forgot that your child had a wobbly tooth, or maybe they just found out themselves and the tooth quickly and unexpectedly falls off. You’re not prepared with your Tooth Fairy gear, so what do you do? The answer is nothing. You can tell your child that the Tooth Fairy only knows your home address and that they need to wait until you’re back to leave the tooth under their pillow or wherever they usually leave it for the Tooth Fairy. In the meantime, make sure you keep the tooth in a safe place so you don’t lose it.

No money for the Tooth Fairy

It’s late at night and your child runs to tell you that their tooth has just come off… but you don’t have any coins in your wallet. What do you do? Well, you can decide to leave them a note instead this time (but be careful that this might set a precedent for the next visits!) or you may postpone the Tooth Fairy visit. If you go with the second option, just don’t leave any gift that night, then the following day you can do your Tooth Fairy tradition and have her leave a letter explaining why she didn’t come (e.g. it was too late at night, she was busy with lots of children losing teeth on the same day, etc)

Keeping track of lost teeth

More important than the age your child is when they start losing teeth, is the order in which the teeth fall off, so as a parent you might want to keep track of it. Using a chart is an easy way to track your child’s teeth for your own personal reference or to share with your child’s dentist in case of any concerns. It can also be a nice keepsake for your children to keep in a memory box.

The tooth fairy represents a special moment of transition and growth for both children and parents. I hope you enjoyed these Tooth Fairy ideas and that they help you make the tooth fairy experience even more magical for your children.

Have a look at our range of Tooth Fairy printables if you need something to make your job easier!