When do baby teeth fall out & tooth fairy traditions

Hi, I'm visiting from the 1-4 Forum...

Our son who will turn 5 years old in September, complained about his teeth hurting today. I looked to see what was going on, and his bottom front tooth was wiggling. Scared, I stopped, and didn't say anything to him. I freaked out. Is it normal for a 4.5 year old to have their teeth start to fall out? I hate to admit, but we haven't taken them to the dentist yet, although they do brush their teeth twice a day. We thankfully had an appointment scheduled for them for next week, so my dh called the dentist's office, and he was told that it is normal for 4.5 year olds to lose their teeth. Phew... sigh of relief... But still concerned...

When did your children lose their first baby tooth? How long does the whole process take? How does it finally fall out completely?

And what are your traditions regarding the tooth fairy?

I have to admit that I was so emotional today. Tears rolled down my face as I came to the realization that our children are not babies anymore, they're little men... Time flew by so fast. I wish I could make it slow down a little.

Looking forward to hearing some of your answers.....

 

DS lost his first tooth at 5 1/2 in kindergarten; DD lost her first tooth more than two (very, very long!) years later at 7 1/2+.

The Tooth Fairy had planned to give the kids $1/tooth, but the first child in their kindergarten class to lose a tooth made it known to her classmates that she had received $10 from the Tooth Fairy.

I couldn't bring myself to do $10, but I did bump it to $2. The kids put the tooth in an envelope (makes it easier to retrieve) under their pillow, and awake to find an envelope with a Print Shop clip-art fairy with their name on it and $2 in it.

They're 10 now and no longer believe, but enjoyed it while it lasted.

Oh -- and it can take anywhere from several weeks to several months from minor looseness to the tooth falling out.

 

When did your children lose their first baby tooth? How long does the whole process take? How does it finally fall out completely? My son was 5... it took about three weeks from first wiggle to fall out.

And what are your traditions regarding the tooth fairy? Nothing, we dont make up fake people... but we do celebrate the loss of a tooth and getting older!

 

My kids were about 7 or so when they lost their first tooth. They were very excited about it because most of their friends had already lost one.

As for traditions - we had the kids write a letter to the tooth fairy and put the tooth in an envelope along with the tooth. In the morning the kids had a note from the TF along with a a gold dollar. As the kids got older and were "in on the secret" they still had to write a letter and would get a note in return. I have some great letters in a box with the kids teeth now.

One time when my son was about 11 or so and knew the secret he thought it would be funny to give the tooth fairy a scavenger hunt. So here I am at 2 in the morning looking for his clues. He woke up to a scavenger hunt of his own in the morning. Instead of him getting the usual gold dollar he had 20 nickels hidden throughout the house. We both still laugh about that!

Sam

 

Day care teacher here.

4.5 is a tad early but we do start seeing loose teeth. Some take forever to fall out and others go fast. It all depends on wiggle time.

When I was young my tooth fairy was standard with the under the pillow/money swap but I've seen everything from pillows to boxes to envelopes. The going rate right now is about $2 but yesterday we were talking at the lunch table at day care that someone in their class got $20. ("but that was for her first tooth" .. said in the funniest kid/grown up voice)

 

My girls lost their first two teeth a little after they turned 5. Kira lost both bottom front teeth with in two weeks of each other (but she got hit in the face so the both got loose that way) and Katrina lost hers about a month or more a part. Kiras was loose for a long time and Katrinas weren't loose for very long.

Just so you know you aren't the only one that took a while to take your child to the dentist we actually didn't take them until after Kira lost her first tooth (but before anyone else lost any). They both brush and we also brush their teeth and they had no problems and the dentist said they looked great.

As for the tooth fairy we bought them each a new book and put $1 in it. We are planning on either buuying them a new book each time or getting something for them from the $1 store. We don't really do the fictional characters either (they know that the tooth fairy is us, along with the easter bunny, santa and any other character) but we do put the teeth under their pillow and then switch the tooth with an item so when they wake up they get a surprise. They have actually seen the teeth that I took from their room in my bedroom on my dresser.

I heard that if you get your teeth early you loose them earlier too, but I'm not sure about that all of my kids got their teeth in late.

 

We have plastic containers that are shaped like teeth but unfortunately we haven't used them very much because the teeth have been getting lost in the playground, in a sandwich and one our sidewalk. When this happens I have printed out certificates saying they lost a tooth today.

The first tooth lost was just shy of 6 years old for us and I had not taken them to the dentist yet. I took them shortly after because we needed a form filled out for Kindergarten and the dentist said everything looked perfect.

They get $1 for each lost tooth (I actually did a quarter the first time but then Daddy did $1 so I have followed suit).

Wiggle time has differed for each tooth, my children are very hesitant about the teeth coming out so they don't help them along (unlike one of the girls in school who literally tied a string to her tooth and the other side to a door knob to try to get one out!).

 

My boys will be 6 in June and we are still waiting on that first tooth to fall!

 

Awwww! Hi Tula!! My boys just lost their first teeth this year (6 years-old), but plenty of their friends lost their first teeth (usually the front bottom teeth) at 4 and 5. It's amazing what a range of ages it seems to happen at! My boys have still only lost their bottom front teeth, but half their classes are missing their top middle 4 teeth

My boys were very excited about the tooth fairy coming and bringing a quarter for their tooth. Unfortunately, the night Kiko lost his first tooth, I was alone with the boys and suffering from the flu. I took night-time cold medicine and fell in to a coma that night. In the morning I was woken up by Kiko crying, "The tooth fairy didn't come!!" Ugh. I peeled myself off the pillow, hugged him and said, "I have a secret to tell you. I am the tooth fairy, and I forgot. I'm sorry!" He stopped crying and stared at me for a second, then spun around and ran off yelling, "Sam!! Mama is the tooth fairy! Sam! Wake up!" :laughing:

Hang in there, Mom! Your beautiful babies are growing up

 

Mine all lost their first teeth at age 5. I think H&B have each lost five teeth already, and they're not even 6 yet!

We do the tooth fairy, but personally I hate it! We have creaky wooden floors and I'm always afraid they're going to wake up. They get a golden dollar coin for each tooth. At the rate the three of them have been losing them lately, I had to go to the bank and buy $10 worth, and that's already depleted significantly! (Jackson doesn't believe anymore, but he still asks for his dollar coin!)

 

Absolutely normal. Mine lost both bottom teeth before they turned 5. so they were still in preschool... They were done w/ losing all the front top/bottom by the time they finished Kinder. (6). Dentist said normal. Kind of sad b/c the first grade teachers make a big deal about the "lost tooth club", and neither of my boys has their name on the list b/c they are done, haven't lost any in first grade...
they always got a gold dollar coin for a tooth.

 

QUOTE(Ellen Barr @ Apr 26 2008, 08:40 AM) [snapback]740516[/snapback]
My boys were very excited about the tooth fairy coming and bringing a quarter for their tooth. Unfortunately, the night Kiko lost his first tooth, I was alone with the boys and suffering from the flu. I took night-time cold medicine and fell in to a coma that night. In the morning I was woken up by Kiko crying, "The tooth fairy didn't come!!" Ugh. I peeled myself off the pillow, hugged him and said, "I have a secret to tell you. I am the tooth fairy, and I forgot. I'm sorry!" He stopped crying and stared at me for a second, then spun around and ran off yelling, "Sam!! Mama is the tooth fairy! Sam! Wake up!" :laughing:

:rotflmbo: When I was little, the tooth fairy would ALWAYS forget (I was the youngest of three and I usually got the short end of the stick on things like that ) I found out the secret pretty early on because I would go complain to my mom that the tooth fairy didn't come and Mom would say "maybe she'll come later" and disappear for a few minutes. Sure enough, I'd check my pillow a little later and there was a quarter (or whatever random change she could find lying around :laughing: )

 

Mine all lost their first tooth in their 5th year, but it's been all over the map since then. We did the tooth fairy and gave $2 (gold coins, $2 bills, Susan B. Anthony coins or just two one dollar bills) for regular teeth and $3 for molars. Logan didn't start losing molars until a little over a year ago and they've been coming out regularly ever since. Sarah started losing molars this past year and has lost several. Caitlin has only lost one. I gave the girls the truth about Santa Claus last summer and after that, Caitlin said, "Does this mean the Easter Bunny isn't real either?" and Sarah promptly said, "No!" I had to fess up and told them about the Tooth Fairy then as well. Now when they lose a tooth, I still tell them to put it under their pillow (in a zip loc bag) or the "Tooth Fairy" won't come. They like doing the whole routine. Logan not as much. He lost a molar a couple weeks ago and I told him he needed to put it under his pillow, but he didn't want to, so I just gave him the money. I decided in the beginning not to do something other than money because I didn't want to be stuck one evening with an unexpected lost tooth and need to run out and get something.

 

Hi everyone,

Such fun stories to read. Thank you all for your answers!! Since I created this post, I decided to check on my other sons' teeth, to see if they moved as well. I figure, they're identical, it should be happening at the same time... Sure enough, Peter's teeth are wiggling as well, and when I wiggled them, he did say "ouch, that hurt".

I've got to get my act together, and be prepared for the Tooth Fairy visit!! I will reread all your responses and come up with some sort of plan.

Ellen, I remember reading that story of yours in the past. How funny. I loved how he responded to it!!

Just wondering, for those of you that have identical twins, did their first tooth fall out at approximately the same time?

Thanks again for your answers!

 

We each lost our first tooth a day apart. After that it was all over the map as to when they came out. The difference probably being that she'd yank hers out at the first sign of a wiggle and I'd leave it forever until it was hanging by a thread with the new tooth was comming in behind and dad would have to pull it out.

 

Cute pic, Kendra!

 

QUOTE(womb for 2 @ Apr 24 2008, 10:58 PM) [snapback]738396[/snapback]
My kids were about 7 or so when they lost their first tooth. They were very excited about it because most of their friends had already lost one.

As for traditions - we had the kids write a letter to the tooth fairy and put the tooth in an envelope along with the tooth. In the morning the kids had a note from the TF along with a a gold dollar. As the kids got older and were "in on the secret" they still had to write a letter and would get a note in return. I have some great letters in a box with the kids teeth now.

One time when my son was about 11 or so and knew the secret he thought it would be funny to give the tooth fairy a scavenger hunt. So here I am at 2 in the morning looking for his clues. He woke up to a scavenger hunt of his own in the morning. Instead of him getting the usual gold dollar he had 20 nickels hidden throughout the house. We both still laugh about that!

Sam



What a great story! What a resourceful kid!

Love your story, too, Ellen! :laughing:

First lost teeth in this house were all over the calendar too. Anywhere from just under 5 years old to nearly 6. Our ID boys lost first teeth before age 5 and within days of each other. After that, like Kendra, one didn't want to wiggle or pull on his while the other would wake up with a very slightly moving tooth, work it all day, and have it out by suppertime!

 

We still have all ours in. The boys were a little on the late side getting teeth though. We will do the tooth fairy. The boys get so excited over things like that. The easter bunny is one of their favs!

 

Kendra, what a cute photo of the two of you!!! You must have scanned all your photos as a kid, to be able to have this photo ready like that! ( A project I'd like to undertake one day...)

Note to self: make sure to take a photo of Vasili and Peter with their teeth missing! What a great idea. You girls looked so much alike, and you both looked at the camera. It will be a miracle if I can take a photo like that later on.

1st dentist appointment will be this Friday. I'm curious to see what he says.

Thanks again girls!

 

We both went a little crazy when we got our first scanner. Mom says her albums have never been the same.

 

All my girls started losing their teeth at age 5. Becky was the slowest at losing them. She finally lost her last molar at age 15. The twins, however, were fast and furious with losing teeth. They turned 10 in Feb. and both have lost ALL their primary teeth (20 each) and both of them have 1 of their 12-yr molars breaking thru.

Our tooth fairy has been very busy these past 5 years and is happy to be retired now!

 

Both of the boys lost their first tooth at age 5. That first time, I just had them put them in a ziploc bag under their pillow and it took me forever to find that darn bag. So, my Mom made them each a tooth fairy pillow to put the tooth in...they still have to put it in a ziploc bag but there's a pocket on the front for the bag to go into. Oh, and each pillow has their initial on the pocket too. The tooth fairy in our house is usually pretty broke so they get a quarter for each tooth and got a dollar for each of their front teeth.

As far as how long it took for each tooth to fall out, Michael will wiggle and wiggle and wiggle that darn tooth til it comes out, once he even twisted the tooth til he could get it out. My knees went weak just watching him, I had to go to the nearest chair! LOL Isiah usually leaves his alone til he gets to school b/c if he loses it at school, they'll put it in a little plastic container shaped like a tooth that's on a plastic string around his neck.


UGH...I can't get it to attach the pic of the tooth fairy pillow so I'll put it in a TS album. Go here to see the pillow.

 

QUOTE(Katheryn @ Apr 29 2008, 01:02 PM) [snapback]745995[/snapback]
All my girls started losing their teeth at age 5. Becky was the slowest at losing them. She finally lost her last molar at age 15. The twins, however, were fast and furious with losing teeth. They turned 10 in Feb. and both have lost ALL their primary teeth (20 each) and both of them have 1 of their 12-yr molars breaking thru.

Our tooth fairy has been very busy these past 5 years and is happy to be retired now!



I lost my teeth fast as well. I lost all of mine by the time I was 10. (in braces before the age of 11) Our tooth fairy would do the hunt to find the money.

 

Hi girls. What a cute photo of the tooth fairy pillow!! Had I known about it sooner, maybe I would have had a chance to make one!!!

Well, the new update is that Peter's tooth came out today. I gave him yogurt and banana for lunch to make sure his tooth lasts until tomorrow's first dentist appointment. After pre-school, my friend gave him a piece of bread, and it bothered him chewing it, so he just took it out, and dropped it. I was on my knees looking for it. I found it!!

So, the tooth fairy will come tonight. How exciting.

Thanks again.
Tula

 

The boys will be 6 in July and have not lost one yet!

 

QUOTE(2girls2boys @ May 19 2008, 03:02 PM) [snapback]781547[/snapback]
The boys will be 6 in July and have not lost one yet!

Gina, my niece was like that. My mom said myself, and my brother and sisters were like that as well. She told me an old wives tale that says the longer the tooth stays, the better the teeth they have. No idea if it is true, but who knows, maybe?

 

My 5th son has lost his first, second and third teeth (all bottom teeth) from April 14, 2008 - May 14, 2008...yep, he lost 3 in one months time.


His first tooth fell out at school, and when he came to the hospital to visit me (just had had our 8th child), he showed me the space where his tooth WAS!!!!!! Talk about tears on my part (hormonal from just having a baby, missed the first tooth and the visit from the tooth fairy, etc)

 

Caitlyn lost her first one when she was 5. She lost it at school and the teacher gave her certificate. Brianne lost her first one just before she turned 5 and has another loose one. Hayley has not lost one but has a loose one.

The tooth fairy brings 5 gold dollars for the first tooth and 1 gold dollar for every one after that.