I don't know about you but when I was a nipper, I received one coin off the tooth fairy when I lost a tooth and for each tooth thereafter. It's strange to even think it was a different currency back then but the tooth fairy left us one punt and it was the biggest shiniest coin you could ever lay your eyes on.
I don't know about you but when I was a nipper, I received one coin off the tooth fairy when I lost a tooth and for each tooth thereafter. It's strange to even think it was a different currency back then but the tooth fairy left us one punt and it was the biggest shiniest coin you could ever lay your eyes on. However, the word on the playground is that the tooth fairy seems to be spending more and more as the years go by and if you ask me, it's getting a little out of hand in some cases.
In our house the tooth fairy leaves coins, it is always a two euro coin and it is dipped in some silver glitter to add some extra magic before it goes under a pillow.
In March 2017, Independent.ie asked parents how much the tooth fairy left per tooth and the results come as a bit of a surprise. It seems a number of parents are on the same page. My eldest daughter led me to believe our tooth fairy was somewhat of a scab with her lousy two euro, my words not hers. Kids in her class are getting anything from ten euro to twenty euro per tooth regardless of the condition of the teeth.
In the survey an astounding 49% of parents felt between €2 and €5 was an acceptable amount to leave. 13% of parents left between €5 and €10 euro and only 4% left gave €20 or more. Keeping it old school, 35% of parents gave a coin. The value of the coin varied between €1 and €2.
However, we took it to our readers and asked them and an overwhelming amount told us they gave €5 for the first tooth and for each remaining tooth the child received a €2 coin as long as they looked after their teeth. In some cases, the tooth fairy left a small treat or a new toothbrush as a reward for sparkly teeth.
We went further afield and found new research by Australian oral health brand Jack N’ Jill and it seems Australian parents will need a mini mortgage before their kids get a new set of delf. It showed parents are splashing up to €28 per tooth.
The Australian study surveying 1000 parents also revealed the tooth fairy was more interested in the first tooth than any other tooth and will pay less on average the more teeth a child loses.
It's all a bit mad if you ask me, it's a minefield, isn't it? I think I may just stick to what works for me and your family because I sure as hell know I won't be paying €5 or more per tooth. Three of mine have yet to lose any teeth yet and because they are so close in age chances are they will lose them altogether.
How much does the tooth fairy leave in your house?
Written by Kellie Kearney staff writer at FFHQ who also blogs at www.mylittlebabog.com.
