A tradition almost every family shares
There aren’t many childhood traditions that feel truly universal. Christmas looks different from home to home. Halloween varies wildly. Even birthdays can be big or small depending on the season you’re in.
But a wobbly tooth? That moment tends to arrive for almost every child — and with it, a little window of belief.
Ahead of National Tooth Fairy Day (28 February), we surveyed 116 parents across the UK and Republic of Ireland to understand how the Tooth Fairy tradition is evolving — not just what families leave under the pillow, but what children actually get excited about.
And the results were a lovely reminder of something many of us feel in our bones…
The headline: children aren’t just in it for the money
Yes, money is part of the tradition — and it always has been. But in our survey, only 12% of parents said their child is mainly excited by the money or gift.
Instead:
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58% said their child gets excited by both the magic and the money
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30% said it’s the magical qualities that excite them most
That means 88% of families said the magic is part of what makes the tradition special.
If you’ve ever worried you’re “not doing enough” because you’re not leaving a big amount — breathe. The belief matters more than the value.
This is our first National Tooth Fairy Index — a snapshot of the tooth fairy tradition in 2026.
What the Tooth Fairy actually leaves — the real going rate
The most common going rate across the UK and Ireland is £/€3–5 per tooth, chosen by 57% of families. A further 20% leave £/€2, and around 10% go up to £/€6–10. And in case you were wondering: a recent headline about a £500 celebrity payout? Not a single parent in our survey of 118 went above £/€20.
Late night magic
60% of children across the UK and Ireland have written letters to the Tooth Fairy. That's three in five children composing notes to a magical being they genuinely believe will read them — and leaving them under their pillow with a tooth, hoping for a reply.
And 52% of parents have written back.
Wonderful parents writing tiny letters in careful handwriting — or deliberately bad handwriting, to look more fairy-like — at ten o'clock at night, sneaking them under a sleeping child's pillow. Not because they have to. Not because anyone told them to. Because they wanted to sustain the magic, the belief, the excitement.
71% of parents keep their child's baby teeth as keepsakes. These small momentoes from childhood— the physical evidence of a child growing up — are being saved in boxes and drawers and keepsake jars all over the country. Because they feel too important to throw away.
The midnight rescue: you are not alone
Now for the part that made everyone who read our data feel immediately seen.
43% of parents have forgotten about the tooth fairy visit. That's nearly half of all families. Another 15% haven't forgotten yet, but are already anxious about the day they will.
41% have been caught without cash to hand when a tooth came out. One in four parents has experienced both — the forgotten visit AND the empty wallet.
If you have been that parent, standing in your kitchen at 11pm trying to remember if you have any coins anywhere, please know: you are in excellent company. And the fact that you cared enough to panic is exactly the point.
What the data tells us about what families really want
The most revealing finding in our survey wasn't a percentage. It was a pattern.
When we looked at how parents describe the tradition in their home, something clear emerged. Only 10% of parents said the tradition was about an exchange of money. For 90% yes money can play a role but it’s the magic of it all children AND parents only. 75% described the tradition as pure childhood magic.
That last group is important. These are parents who already understand that the Tooth Fairy moment is about more than a coin. They want to do more. They just need something to make 'more' easy enough to actually happen.
Why this moment matters more than ever
We built My Forever Tooth Fairy because of a specific window in a child's life.
Between the ages of roughly five and ten — middle childhood — children are still able to genuinely believe. Not pretend to believe. Actually believe. This is when the Tooth Fairy is real, when a letter from a fairy sparks imagination, when a glitter trail on the windowsill is absolute proof that something magical happened in the night.
Every letter written. Every tiny footprint left in glitter. Every tooth carefully saved in a keepsake box. These are small acts of extraordinary love. And they become the memories that last.
The Magic is You
At My Forever Tooth Fairy, we designed our gift set around one idea: that the magic of the Tooth Fairy tradition is worth maxiising. It should be easier to create, more beautiful when it happens, and meaningful enough to keep.
Our gift sets help children understand that every lost tooth passes a special superpower — kindness, courage, creativity, joy — to their Tooth Fairy, who grows stronger with every visit. The message at the heart of everything we make is simple: The Magic is You.
Because our survey confirmed what we always believed. The magic was never really about the money. It was always about the moment.
