Mom Tip Tuesday “How to Not Ruin the Tooth Fairy”

“How does that even happen?”

I’ll tell you exactly how it happens and how you can prevent the same chaos in your home when it’s time for your little one to lose their first tooth. 

Picture it El Paso 2023 and it’s nap time with three children, if you’re well versed in “child” you’re aware someone is trying to get out of a nap and this time it was my oldest child. He had a wiggly tooth for a couple of weeks now and for some reason, it was too much for him to bear at nap time. With that in mind, I bargained for some quiet time instead of a nap and he agreed. 

Fast forward about ten minutes I’m relaxing, it’s quiet at the counter, and I’m sitting alone doing the grocery list for that week; my son comes running into the kitchen jumping around and holding something in his hand. I tilted my head puzzled noticing he had a small amount of blood on his chin but he was smiling. Snapping back to reality he was yelling he took his tooth out! “Mama Mama my tooth came out I pulled it!!!”

“Oh wow, this is happening!!!” I was so excited Winefam, next step was to make some warm salt water for him to swish with and check the site to make sure the tooth came out safely. I had no idea what possessed him to pull it but in all honestly, I’m glad I didn’t have to do it. 

We cleaned him up and then discussed the next steps I read him a story about the tooth fairy and watched his face light up at the thought of FREE MONEY for his tooth. Being the forward-thinking parent I am I told him to put the tooth in a little container under his pillow so it’s easier for the tooth fairy to get since she’s super tiny, it’s also easier for me to get out from under his head without waking him. My son agreed and decorated his ziplock bag putting his new prized possession inside. Later on that night we brushed our teeth, said prayers, and my son put his ziplock bag under his pillow, and then drifted off to sleep. 

At about two AM I snuck into…I mean the tooth fairy snuck into his room and replaced the ziplock bag with a crisp $5 bill and put the tooth in a tiny box in my dresser. With the mission completed I was off to bed excited for him to find the money the next day. This is where it all went wrong. 

“Mommy help! Help! Heeeellllppp!!!!”

I rolled over in bed to see my five-year-old with a bright red nose and tears streaming down his face. Internally I thought “Oh my God what happened?”. 

Between coughs and snot he managed to get out “The tooth…fairy…stole….my bag!!!!!” I wondered what he could be talking about the tooth fairy doesn’t steal they give you money for your discarded teeth. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. However, I forgot to take into account I have lawyers for children and they will question everything. 

Upon further discussion my son wasn’t upset at the amount of money the fairy left behind but the fact the tooth fairy took his ziplock bag along with the tooth. How on Earth was I going to fix this? We decided we would send a text message to the tooth fairy and ask her to return the bag the following day. Too easy right? Wrong.

So the tooth fairy ended up bringing the bag back and placing it under his pillow as he slept, and you’d think that would be good enough for my child. Of course not, the next day I woke up to a disgruntled five-year-old saying the tooth fairy returned his bag however she didn’t give him compensation for his trouble. In his words “pains and suffering money”. 

“Are you kidding me, kid???” So the next night the tooth fairy left one dollar and a smiley face which should’ve been good enough. The next morning I decided I needed to wake up before the kids so I went to my sons’ room and woke him up to see if he was ok or did I permanently ruin the tooth fairy for my five-year-old and his younger sister. My son sleepily opens his eyes and rummages around his pillow to find the dollar.

“Mommy can you please tell the tooth fairy we don’t need her to come back”

The mother was too stunned to speak….

My son then tells me further that she steals and it’s not right to steal people’s things and he doesn’t feel comfortable with her coming to the house when we are sleeping. There wasn’t much I could think of to say at the moment so I just told him I want him to be comfortable and I will call corporate to tell them we needed a replacement fairy. 

Parents in the 90s did not have it like this and I won’t accept any form of “millennial parents have it easy”. What’s easy about having to have this much drama over one tooth? Back when I was a kid you got a dollar and kept it moving because there was no tooth fairy discussion. 

So you’re wondering how to prepare for your child’s first tooth. Here’s your Mom Tip Tuesday to make it as painless as possible

1. Salt water rinse post tooth loss to help with swelling and clean the space
2. Do not have the child decorate anything for the tooth
3. Place the tooth towards a corner of the pillow so its easier to take while sleeping
4. Print out and make a certificate to commemorate the first tooth

If you keep it super simple and don’t have a child threaten to cal corporate the first tooth should go smoothly. Share your mom tips below for pain-free first tooth experiences. For additional tips from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists check here.

Check out a short video here about ordeal.