Most of us remember the excitement we had as children when we lost our teeth, the anticipation of what it meant and who would be coming to collect it. You might have paraded your lost tooth and new gapped smile around your house, or perhaps you were filled with relief when it finally came out after some ill-attempts with the classic door-and-tie removal method. Whatever it may be, we can’t deny the impact the tooth fairy had on our lives during our childhood, allowing us to experience a small piece of magic for ourselves.
The tradition with losing baby teeth has been adapted and reinvented across time, with different countries having different beliefs and celebrations. International movers, Overseas Packers & Shippers, compiled a list of different traditions from around the world, with the tooth fairy found in “Australia, the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and parts of Europe” being parallel to the “tooth mouse” found in Mexico, Spain, France and other places around the globe. Other traditions include throwing or burying teeth, or even tossing it down a mouse hole! You can read more of these traditions in depth here.
Even with all of the different variations, the basis of the tradition is the same: to bring children joy and comfort in a time of potentially overwhelming change. So how can we further this impact for our own children and loved ones?
1. Watch movies and have engaging conversations!
Imagination is a necessity in early childhood development, and our tradition of the tooth fairy has already been used by the media with movie characters, plots and overall engagement. With all of these internal variations of the tooth fairy, perhaps you can start conversations about differing perspectives with the young people in your lives, maybe even share how the tooth fairy changes forms in different cultures to help foster an understanding and appreciation of how unique we all are.
2. Share experiences and make keepsake boxes.
Instead of leaving a tooth under a pillow or in a glass of water, spend an afternoon or two crafting a special box for your little loved ones to place it in. Get the whole family involved to help add their own special touch for an even more memorable time. This allows you to further celebrate such a big change in your young person's life and gives them a gift they can cherish forever. You can take inspiration from our Heartshape Tooth Fairy Tin or Djeco - Do It Yourself Little Secrets kit, or even use the kit itself!
Let us know your own thoughts on this tradition and the ways you celebrate this milestone, or learn how Colgate is avoiding “tooth inflation” in America here so we can incorporate it back in Australia (How much does the tooth fairy pay these days??).