Tooth Fairy getting more generous

Tooth Fairy getting more generous


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KAYESVILLE — The Tooth Fairy is paying more today than in years past that's according to a new survey from Visa.

The survey shows the legendary figure is paying its clients an average of $3 per tooth this year, compared to an average of $2.60 in 2011, a 15 percent increase.

"I just wonder what these kids are saving their money for," said Denise Brown a mother from Kaysville. "An iPad?"

Brown's son is 7 years old. The Tooth Fairy gave him a miniature letter and a dollar for his first tooth. Afterward, he wrote the Tooth Fairy and asked for a toy instead.

The survey also shows kids receiving $5, $10 and even $20 or more for their first tooth.

"That seems a little excessive to me," Brown said. "I wonder if an extravagant Tooth Fairy makes kids feel that they should have more next time."


The nice thing with giving our son a prize instead of money is that he doesn't know or care how much it costs. There's no real comparison at school with his friends.

–Denise Brown


Other Utah parents report the Tooth Fairy leaves their kids a note along with $1 gold coins. Some leave as much as $2. Some Utah kids ask the Tooth Fairy to give them gifts.

"The nice thing with giving our son a prize instead of money is that he doesn't know or care how much it costs," Brown said. "There's no real comparison at school with his friends."

Pressure from peers is what parents seem to be facing. Analysts say some parents find the Tooth Fairy is paying out more money for their kids' baby teeth because kids are bragging to their parents about what the Tooth Fairy left under their pillows.

"I guess some people might feel pressure from outside influences," Brown said.

She also said parents seem to be having fun with the Tooth Fairy tradition because it reminds them of their own childhood. Brown said she gets excited when the Tooth Fairy comes to her house because she remembers how fun it was for her has a kid.

"Maybe some are willing to go farther and pay more money just to see their kid run up to them with this massive excitement and yell 'Look at what the Tooth Fairy brought me last night,'" Brown said.

Check out the full survey
Interested to see all the details? Click here to read the entire survey.

Brown also notes that the Tooth Fairy might find it difficult to make payouts to families with multiple children. This could add an extra financial burden for parents who want all of their kids to receive the same gifts with equal value for their teeth. Brown recommends parents focus on the excitement of the tradition rather than the money.

"I just say something small and simple," Brown said. "I don't think it's necessarily how much you get from it or what is left because that is forgotten after a day or two."

Meanwhile, VISA will launch an app to help parents calculate how much the Tooth Fairy should pay their kids according to their education and socio-economic status. However, one analyst cited in a USA Today article states that the app will only drive Tooth Fairy payouts even higher.

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