What To Do When Your Child Loses Their First Tooth

Disclosure: I have received a sample game to review as part of my membership on the Play Like Hasbro team.  All opinions expressed within this post are my own. #PlayLikeHasbro

Posts on my local moms board suggested that I was not alone in being unsure as to what to do when a child loses their first tooth. How much does the tooth fairy pay? Where do you put the tooth? Do you (the parent) keep the tooth after you help facilitate the exchange?

A parent’s role in moonlighting as the tooth fairy is a whole lot more complicated that I thought it would be. Since my household has now experienced several visits from the tooth fairy, I have pooled together 5 of our best tips to help you fly through your first trial runs as a tooth fairy.

1. Make a Special Place to Leave the Tooth for the Tooth Fairy

Months before we lost a tooth we created a tooth holder. I ended up getting a birdhouse at the craft store and we decorated it with paint to make a place to leave the tooth where the “tooth fairy” could reach it without waking the kids. Pillows, boxes, and other special tooth storage options work just as well!

2. Write a Special Fairy Note

Tooth fairies in my mind are tiny…so they must leave a tiny note with their gold coins, right?

3. Leave a Special Fairy Gift

For our first lost tooth, we left a little extra treat to sweeten up the experience of losing a tooth (our first visit from the tooth fairy was minority traumatic, as it came after Bud fell out of the car and needed to have his damaged tooth extracted.)

Recently, Hasbro sent over their Crocodile Dentist game for the boys to try, and I think it would make a fun tooth fairy gift! The game is an easy and quick game for preschoolers to play. Kids press down the crocodile’s teeth one by one.

One tooth in the mouth triggers the crocodile to snap its mouth shut. The trick is to pull your hand out before it snaps on you!

The boys loved playing and have played over and over again.

4. Make it Magical

There are few opportunities for us to make childhood magical for our kids. Mama Cheaps has an awesome fairy money and receipt idea for kids who lose a tooth. The receipt is just genius!

5. Get Prepared for Tooth #2

Once our oldest lost his first tooth, it seemed like others followed every two months. Hide a stash of coins or bills somewhere so you will be prepared and not end up having to give up a $20 to not ruin the surprise.

What do you do to make losing a tooth special? I’d love to hear your ideas!