Teaching your children about the Tooth Fairy is an effective way to encourage them to brush and floss their teeth. If they’re scared to go to the dentist, you can use the Tooth Fairy as a motivational tool, saying that she rewards children who go to the dentist. Since your little winged friend may not always be around when your child loses a tooth, you may have to step in to do her work for her. Here is a quick guide explaining how to play a convincing tooth fairy.
Wait For At Least An Hour
Wait for your child to be asleep for at least an hour before you try to take the tooth out of the room. By this time, your child should be sound asleep, so you don’t have to worry about getting caught as much. If your child usually falls asleep quickly, you may not have to wait quite as long. Just gauge your actions accordingly.
Avoid The “Under The Pillow” Approach
Rather than having your child put his tooth under his pillow, create a special place for the tooth that is easy for you to get to. This may be a box that you decorate together or a small pillow your child can place on his night stand. Don’t be afraid to get creative with this. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for you – or the Tooth Fairy – to get to the tooth.
Be Reasonable With The Rewards
For most children, the Tooth Fairy will leave $0.25 to $0.50 per tooth, not $5, $10, etc. Out of respect for the Tooth Fairy and other children your little one will see at school, try to keep your prize money reasonable. You could get a half dollar instead of two quarters to make it more special, but don’t overdo it. You don’t want other kids to feel bad because your child made more from his teeth.
Leave A Little Glitter
Don’t you know the Tooth Fairy is in a hurry? She doesn’t have time to be prim and proper when she comes to collect teeth. That’s why she often leaves a trail of glitter from the window to the tooth. If you can mimic that on times when she isn’t available, you can keep the magic alive.
Attend regular pediatric dentist appointments to keep track of when your child is getting ready to lose a tooth, and then you and the Tooth Fairy can be prepared for the event to come.
