Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
My daughter is nearly 6 years old and her friends are starting to lose their baby teeth. She is asking me nearly every day how much does the Tooth Fairy give.
This morning in the car on the way to school she brought the topic of the Tooth Fairy up yet again. She informed me that her best buddy at school got R200 for her tooth. I gasped and said that is obscene, I only got R1 a tooth from the Tooth Fairy when I was a little girl!
We debated the topic for a while and I explained to her that one very important thing to remember is that it is not a set amount per tooth that the Tooth Fairy will give. There are lots of variables, like how clean the tooth is and whether there is any decay.
Her immediate response was “So how come you only got R1 a tooth?”
Do these kids miss anything? I then had to explain to her that at that time I didn’t even get R1 pocket money a week. My dad would take us all to the corner cafe every Saturday and we would get our pocket money (I think mine was 50c at the time) and we could get loads of sweets with that. Today I don’t think you can even get a lolly pop for R1!
So I had to explain to her about inflation and that R1 was gold to a child when I was growing up. I remember some sweets were half a cent! Imagine being able to buy something (anything) today for half a cent right?
Yes I am now getting to an age when I can talk about “the good old days when sweets cost half a cent”.
Back to the monetary value of a tooth… share in the comments below how much the Tooth Fairy gives your kid per tooth pillow (or how much you think the Tooth Fairy should give) and you could win 1 of 2 Tooth Fairy Pillows.
The winner will be announced via blog post on Tuesday 15 September 2017.
@lynne, I have had this conversation with many parents i know and the amount seems to range from R50-R200 easy. I think its crazy as well. There’s no way i will be paying R200 a tooth. I did some math, at R200 a tooth times 20 teeth – thats FOUR GRAND on teeth – Um, no thank you lol
I hope you didn’t forget to mention to your little one that “way back then” we still had R1 notes LOL
LOL yes the R1 notes haha. And yes I have two kids @tamara737 so that will be a total of R8000 for me. Not a chance! What happened to the Tooth Fairy bringing a few coins?
Well i never had this convention before, so i dont know much about it
@lynne – Its truly ridiculous when you actually do the Math. I dont even think my little one would know what to do with a few coins lol #sadbuttrue
Oh well it won’t take your child long to figure that out! My kids go crazy for money now @tamara737 so you try and keep your child clueless for as long as possible.
LOL!!! I hope I can @lynne 🙂
At the moment she still thinks the more you have the better – even if its lots of ten cent coins lol – bless her little mind 🙂
I have never left more than R20.00 I think that’s a fair amount. and my son’s happy
Thanks Corrine, that sounds reasonable! I totally understand about inflation and all but I do think that R200 is insane. My daughter is getting to the age when she is going to lose teeth and I have to have my game plan ready!
Well My son is still young. Would Start with a R5 coin, as he does not know the value of money yet. Add R2 for each GOOD tooth thereafter. I always tell him, if he does not brush his teeth often, the tooth fairy won’t take his tooth. Very good teeth get another R2 extra
Well if you think about it, what is your child going to buy for R10? Not anything really that is going last… I would suggest something between R50-R100, especially at 6 years old they can go and pick out what they want to buy with the money – besides we make the rules and can tell them they have to buy a new toothbrush or toothpaste or floss etc. with the money.
On that note, I agree it should be in coins – the more the merrier! Lots of R1 and R2 makes it more exciting and fun!!!
Yes! My kids love coins so much more than notes and that makes it soooo much cheaper for me 🙂
Hi there. so i have not reached that stage yet with my daughter but have 3 siblings who have gone through it. so they all decided that the first tooth is R100 worth and then from there to the parents discretion i.e. R50, R20 with reason being the toothfairy pays as per the health of the tooth
Very cute.
I would love to win this for my baby boy Zaeem
Hi Lynne wow What a lucky child to get R200 for a tooth, if we were lucky to get any it would have been like R2 or R5 a tooth. My mum or dad use to put it under our pillows, I remember trying to stay awake to cought him or my mum in the act but fell asleep everytime. I think something like a good book, something to learn or play with would be a great substitute for a tooth. Money ain’t everything.
Very good points you have there Rina, money isn’t everything!
R10.00! Thats all this tooth fairy can afford lol! And the tooth fairy will also leave some glitter on her pillow to show she was really there. We live in South Africa where cash in transit heists happen all the time. The tooth fairy should never carry so much cash -she could get hijacked and robbed. So the less money she carries the safer she is – that means more kids get to see her and she can keep her little business going. Tell me that does not make sense! hahahaha first time mummy here – looking so forward to this time.. we are going through the first teeth precious moments now!
Oh my word Rebekah you have me snorting with laughter. You are so right, the tooth fairy should not be wandering around at night alone, loaded with cash…. certainly not here in South Africa.
I remember getting R1 in my days, so now i really don’t know, as my baby’s teeth are still intact LOL…
Should his first tooth fall out, I will start with R5.00, that should suffice-then i can go up a rand each time a tooth falls off. I would really love to win this tooth fairy pillow for my little jumping jack boy 🙂
For a little kid i think the amount should start with R5, in that was our kids can save up their own pocket money until such time… It’s amazing that kids now days ask for money for their tooth fairy money before they go to bed, so they clever enough to know that we are putting the money there.. Kids these days are much more clever than we where when we were small.My boy amazes me every day, so I am anxious and waiting for his first tooth to fall off, I would love to see his reaction, But since he is my only child, I promised to give him everything and the best only, so his dad and I will do whatever we can , so that he knows the tooth fairy loves just not his tooth …. Happy Chatting
Yes kids these days really do appear wiser at a younger age. I am so happy that my little girl still believes in the tooth fairy, Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny 🙂 It will be so sad when she realizes they aren’t real.
@lynne my son is started to lose he’s baby teeth aswell and surely I need to get my game on too. R200 is insanity, my son never goes to the shop or never even uses any money he gets it just goes into he’s money box , so I think that R20 a tooth is reasonable and I bet he’ll be happy. My son in any case doesn’t even remember the next day that he has money
Hehehe! This is a good one as my almost 5 year old daughter has a loose tooth. She is expecting a gold coin because thats what Bear (from Goldie and Bear) got for his tooth LOL! I have been trying to convince her that money is better than a gold coin as she can buy whatever she wants. This mommy tooth fairy is paying not more than R50 a tooth plus 50c as a gold coin lol.
Did you try the R5 coin? Put four of them and show her the center gold.
Hey Caroline, I should hey. The tooth is yet to come out, it is loose. I ‘ve been thinking maybe R50 is too much. Yes 2 R5 coins will do. Thanks
Hi my son I 7years old and lost a few teeth in his short life time. We normally plan this as it was exciting for him. One the cat should not sleep in his room for that night and should sleep down stairs. Me and my husband will move some of his toys while he sleep as if the mouse struggled to get to his tooth and then also have some small foot prints on the carpet. Well long story short we give him anything from R5 – R20 (R20 is when oupa and ouma also give some money).
I think R20 will be a fair amount. Won’t be giving more than that.
I really don’t know how much the tooth fairy is supposed to give but I believe when you are boosting an imagination it should also be exciting. So on that note, what I plan to do when my son starts losing his teeth is, tell him the tooth fairy carries a coin sake because from the fairy land there is no paper money. So when you lose a tooth, she puts coins under your pillow and collects your tooth as treasure. You both exchange treasure. The cleaner and stronger the tooth, the more the coins. And if you’re faithful to her and keep each tooth under teeth under the pillow when it falls, she will add more coins every time. I believe this will make your child more happier than a R200 note. It’s in the spirit.
Wow R200 think that’s way to much, i would go with R10-R20 and leave it in R1/R2 or R5 coins and maybe put it in a little material bag in the tooth fairy pillow more fun for the kids its more the fun aspect for them then the money ( its not there birthday so no need to go over board with the amount you give ) its just a fun thing to do for the kids and can always tell them to save that money with there pocket money for something small or head of to the crazy store kids can get stickers or coloring in book or some glitter glue all round about R20 each
Well my kids are 9 and 7. In our house the tooth fairy gives R20 for a good tooth and R10 for a not so good one. This way they are able to buy something with their money instead of more sweets to help ruin those that are left. It is of great excitement when they lose a tooth as they know they are able to buy something for themselves. This works well for us they don’t lose their teeth all in one day or week or month.
I love this topic!!
Our “Tooth Fairy” pays no more than R20 a tooth. My son is 9 and over the last 2 months lost 4 teeth, so he is really draining the “Tooth Fairy’s” budget… Some nights the “Tooth Fairy” will forget to collect his tooth and he wakes up all disappointed when he finds the tooth still in his slipper. So I explained to him that the Tooth Fairy has many teeth to collect per night and usually goes for the better teeth first. If he would remember to brush his teeth twice a day and keep it clean from decay, his most probably will be collected first. So over the last week or so he remembered to brush his teeth twice a day and when he lost another tooth last week, the “Tooth Fairy” luckily remembered to collect his tooth that night. Although he still only got the “fixed rate” of R20, he was happy and so was the “Tooth Fairy”…um…. Mommy!
I believe that it is child dependent. Anything from R20-R50.
With my kids specifically, I do a combination of money and a gift. For example my 6 yr old lost his first tooth and received R20. Lost his 2nd tooth and received an electric toothbrush from the tooth fairy. They get really excited. ?
My son is scared of the idea of loosing his teeth!! I’m trying to explain that it’s a normal thing so he can get new ones but still he’s not sure he wants it to happen!! ?
Shame, it’s not surprising it may seem scary. Hopefully the idea of the tooth fairy will help him get over his fear?
My two step daughters are 7 and 12 and my little one is 7months old and just got her first 2 teeth. My girls get R10-R20 depending on what we have on us. R200 is ridiculous. Tooth fairy money is extra cash for the tuckshop not an imvestment policy. Once we fell asleep and forgot to pay, the next morning we told our 7 year old that there was a thunderstorm and that’s why the tooth fairy didn’t come. That night Murphys law it started raining and she was so upset so we explained that we contacted the tooth fairy to bring her umbrella with her. 3 girls and many more tooth fairy visits to go.
I think in this day and age R20 per tooth is fair.
The tooth fairy or mouse (in my case) is a poor little fellow, so I bet he would only be able to afford a R10 or R20.
I don’t even remember paper notes at all, I remember days when you could get a bread for less than R10, like R8.50 or something and it still feels like yesterday! Good old days for sure.
Yes i just love this topic. My daughter is 13 years old and she has lost all her baby teeth but she still believes in the tooth fairy. My son who has recently turned 9 is not convinced of the Tooth Fairy but he pretends just to please me. I still leave him some money in his slipper though! He will act very surprised when he gets the money. He does doubt himself at times because i leave a bit of sparkle dust on the slipper so deep down inside i believe that he still believes in the Tooth Fairy. Boys are just different… in a good way.. of course. I think R 200 might be a bit too much. My husband is the big spender and i will always try to level it out by leaving about R 10 or R 20, sometimes R 50 if I’m feeling generous. It also depend on the condition of the tooth and also the location of the tooth. If it was an easy pull then the Tooth Fairy won’t pay that much but if its a tough tooth then it will be a bit more. You as a parent also have to believe with a sincere face and heart that they still exist otherwise the kids will just sniff you out! The important thing for me here is that it’s not about how much money the child will get, it’s all about believing in the Tooth Fairy. May you live forever Tooth Fairy!
I was very lucky to get R1 for a tooth from my grandfather who was the tooth fairy at that time, that was about 28 years ago. Today I would say between R10 – R20 in coins to make it more fun, and nothing more. It is still enough to buy snacks with or to save up for something bigger.
Just the other day I listened to this topic on the radio. Yes, I too gasped when some parents phoned in and said R50/R100/R200 per tooth. I remember getting between R2 and R5.
One of the stories that came up during this radio conversation was the “tooth fairy” leaving a note for the toddler. The note basically stated that the “tooth fairy” could not accept the tooth as it was in a bad condition. Once oral hygiene is implemented twice a day, she might consider the next tooth.
This was adorable. A lesson to be learned for the toddler. Yes, it must have been a disappointment, but I’m sure he/she brushes his teeth more often now!
This article has made my day. The tooth fairy has come to visit twice already.
Last week Friday the tooth fairy was supposed to come and visit, and she appears to have ‘forgotten’ to visit my little one. I had to tell a little white lie and tell him the tooth fairy has to visit all the children that have lost a tooth and she will get to him when it is his turn.
Then on Saturday the tooth fairy popped R14.00 under his pillow and he couldn’t contain his excitement on Sunday morning when he said the tooth fairy had come to visit him and paid him for his tooth.
Wow! R200 per tooth!! That is insane! If that is the “tooth rate” I must consider gathering some teeth and start my own business! No, my little one, now 7, never got more than R20 per tooth. That is more than enough!
Maybe R50 would be sufficient
I have not discussed this amount yet because I haven’t reached that stage with my son. But R200 for me is a bit over the top.
I would have to agree to a R20 being sufficient pay out per tooth, they are still so young and either way if you give them a large amount so they can keep for their pocket money, you still are going to give them pocket money ongoingly. This would just be a double cost. 😊
I believe in teaching monetary value to my child, but not at such a young age, he already loses his money, definitely not the wisest when comes to money.
R20 for the first tooth.. R5 for the rest.. I got 50c a tooth years ago..
Lol I am going to be giving out R20 per teeth. I will negotiate myself out of it. I read some parents said they will give R200. I will tell my child that if they don’t take care of their teeth the tooth fairy will deduct money.
One thing I’ve learned Kamo – make sure you always have some R20 notes tucked away somewhere! I’ve been caught with no change with my child losing a tooth in the evening and I am not the type to rush out at 10pm to draw cash or break a note! My kids have made some really good scores like that from me!
Wow the tooth fairy now a days is super rich LOL. I used to get R5.00 for a tooth and it was to me a lot of money all the sweets you could buy and still get change.