Strategies to Encourage Your Kids to Eat Their Lunch

By Alexandra Gabalda

February 28, 2021

Lunch boxes coming back home full can create a lot of frustration and frictions at home, especially if you are the parent of a child who doesn’t enjoy a wide array of food. The good news is that there are easy strategies that you can use to encourage kids to eat their school lunch.

Mathilde Cerioli, Positive Discipline Educator for Little Dragon, has 4 easy steps to teaching our kids how to be responsible for their lunchbox. This is an efficient first step towards a healthier relationship with their lunch. Read them all, and don’t forget to download your FREE printable before your leave!

1. Put the Kids in Charge of Their Lunchbox. Encourage your child to carry their lunchbox to and back from school. Whether you’re taking the car or walking to school, their lunchbox can be their responsibility. They can start doing so at a really young age, it will help them take some responsibility for their lunch. As they get older, you can also encourage them to empty their lunch bag and wash their containers (or place them in the dishwasher) when they get home.

2. Involve Children in Making the Menu. The first step to teach your child how to make their own lunch is to talk with them about what constitutes a proper lunch. You can introduce them to the different foods they will need and give them options to choose from. By giving choices, it is not up to them whether or not they get vegetables for instance, but they get to decide between carrots or cucumber, broccoli, or peas. You can also plan a trip to the grocery store and let them pick a new fruit or veggie they are ready to try. See useful resources below to help you start the conversation.

Remember, the main goal of lunch is that they get the fuel they need to learn, focus, and stay active all day. So, if you have a broccoli hater on your hands, the lunchbox is probably not the right place to convince them to try some. Prefer a moment during the week when they will be more relaxed and will have more time to make new experiments.

3. Teach Them How to Prepare Their Lunch. Did you notice how easier it is to throw away leftover pizzas you ordered, rather than food you spent 45 minutes cooking? That’s because you know the energy that went into making it. So, why not make the kids take part in the process the same way?

Children can start being involved in making their lunchbox early on. Younger children can help put the food in the container, while older ones can start peeling and cutting food. It is more time consuming to cook with children, so it does not have to be something you do every day. But, you could decide together on a day when children help. However, do not expect your child to know how to do things, use a positive parenting tool ‘Climb the Ladder’ to do so! First, you start doing it and they watch, then you do it together, then they can do it by themselves. This will take several days for some skills.

4. Ask Them about Their Lunchtime. Invite problem-solving when the lunchbox comes home mostly untouched. Children might not eat as well for many different reasons, some they might have not even identified themselves yet. Is lunch too long to eat and they don’t get enough time to play? Do they have a wiggly tooth and carrots are too hard to eat? Is there a food item in their friend’s lunchbox that they would like to try? Then, talk with them about how to change whatever is keeping them from eating. Maybe pack something more nutritious that is faster to eat? Maybe cut the carrots a different shape so they are not bothered by their wiggly tooth?

Resources to Help You Get Started:

Lunchbox Packing Tips: 5 Basics you need to know before you get started with lunch packing.

Teaching Kids: 4 Easy steps to teaching your child to be responsible for their lunchbox.

Get inspired. Visit Teuko.com and see what other kids actually eat.

This post originally appeared on Teuko Blog.

Photo: August de Richelieu via Pexels

Alexandra Gabalda

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Teuko is the first platform that empowers families to simplify lunch packing. Using Teuko, they can find and share kid-approved lunchbox ideas, recipes, and tips, all in one place. Teuko is transforming the lunch packing experience by boosting inspiration and motivation week after week.

Meet Prehistoric Creatures in Your Living Room with This New App

by Erica LoopFebruary 25, 2021

You don’t have to venture outside your house to take a trip to the museum––turn your living room in a prehistoric playland! With the new Museum Alive app, David Attenborough will take your family back in time using the latest Unity AR technology.

Now you can use your iPhone to do more than scroll through IG or post pics of your kiddos on Facebook. If you have an iPhone 8 or up and use iOS 13 or iOS 14, you can blast into the past.

The Museum Alive app is a continuation of Attenborough’s BAFTA-winning Museum Alive film. Using AR (augmented reality) and spatial audio technology, the app magically transports users into a prehistoric experience.

Choose one of three photorealistic fossils to explore: A 300 million-year-old five-eyed fish-like Opabinia, a flying Diamorphodon dinosaur or the sabre-toothed Smildon. Use your phone’s camera to see the world through the eyes of your chosen prehistoric creature and learn about prehistoric life.

Creative and Technical Lead at Museum Alive production studio Alchemy Immersive, Elliot Graves, said in a press release, “We’re so proud to launch an app that can genuinely contribute to educating and inspiring children using immersive technologies. At a time when so many children are disengaged with learning, we really hope the excitement of bringing fossils to life in the home will provide a novel experience that showcases the potential of immersive story-telling within education.”

Graves continued, “We are particularly proud of the app’s visual quality and our distinctive approach to 3D menu design. Above all, though, David Attenborough’s captivating stories bring an infectious liveliness to this immersive experience that instantly makes it cinematic. You just won’t forget what it’s like to have a Sabre-tooth tiger prowl across your floor before pouncing on its prey – and we can’t wait to share what it’s like.”

Of the original 3D Natural History Museum Alive film and experience, Attenborough said, “It’s really exciting to take these stories and bring them to a new young audience via a digital platform which allows you to explore these extraordinary extinct creatures in a way people have never been able to before. I hope that it will make people think about these extinct creatures differently.”

Find Alchemy Immersive’s Museum Alive app in the App Store here!

—Erica Loop

Photos courtesy of Alchemy Immersive

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Did the Tooth Fairy Forget to Visit? These Kits Will Save the Day

by Karly WoodFebruary 1, 2021

February is a busy month for the Tooth Fairy. Not only is she keeping up with all those lost teeth, but she’s celebrating Children’s Dental Health Month and Feb. 28––National Tooth Fairy Day!

In honor of this special time of month, Hold the Magic wants to give parents a way to provide a more meaningful experience beyond finding a few coins under the pillow. The website has everything you need to bring your family’s tooth fairy to life!

Hold The Magic wants to make losing teeth and an encounter with the tooth fairy more than just about money, and more about keeping childhood wonder alive with tiny gifts and stories that deliver lots of memories and a little bit of magic.

Each set is imported directly from Fairyland with gifts for three Tooth Fairy visits in each set. You’ll find a gold bag that holds a miniature treasure, a tiny Tooth Fairy letter in a sparkly envelope with a positive life lesson and of course, Fairy Dust to sprinkle lightly.

You can shop the entire selection of gifts at holdthemagic.com for $29 each. Overnight shipping is always an option, because you never know when your little might lose a tooth!

––Karly Wood

All photos: Courtesy of Hold the Magic

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8 Life-Changing Parenting Hacks You Need to Try

by Jamie Davis SmithJanuary 20, 2021

These mom-tested tricks are guaranteed to have you saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?” From clearing clutter to crafting shortcuts and ensuring you always get a bite of your kid’s treats, these hacks will get you off the struggle bus. Share them with your favorite moms!

1. Institute a Mom Tax
Almost as soon as babies learn how to eat, parents want a bite of their baby’s food. This desire gets stronger as babies grow into toddlers who eat the pizza, ice cream and cookies parents often forego because they are watching their budgets, minding their waistlines or because the birthday party host did not invite the adults to partake. Unless parents establish early that Mom and Dad always gets a bite, attempts to take even a morsel may be met with strong protests. The answer is instituting a Mom Tax (or Parent Tax) early and often. Once kids come to expect that Mom will always tax their treats by taking a bit for themselves, they may even begin to offer a bite of their own free will. And nothing tastes sweeter than that.

2. Tame the Toys
A trip to Target, let alone a toy store, can easily turn into a minefield if toy parameters are not set early. Reaching, grabbing, begging starts young. One of the easiest ways to assure a child you really, truly understand that they want a certain toy is by taking a photo of it so you remember what their heart desires. Your child is likely to quickly forget about the toy, and if they don’t, you have a ready-made wish list once their birthday or the holidays roll around.

3. Picture It
The old adage that the days are long but the years are short is true. Take pictures of it all, not only the first steps and birthday parties, but the everyday routines and moments. Get kids used to the camera early and often. If you don’t, they can feel as though they have to perform every time the camera comes out, resulting in all of your photos featuring strange faces or cheesy, fake smiles. You can learn helpful tricks, like how to take great photographs with any camera, with inexpensive guides like Fearless Indoor Lighting ebook from Click Photo School. Make sure you have a consistent photo vibe that will not only look good on Instagram but will also look great on your walls and, one day, in a wedding montage. Find a photo style you like, whether you edit your photos on your phone or computer, from Pretty Presets for Lightroom.

4. Toss Carefully and in the Dead of Night
Your child is undoubtedly a prolific artist who creates one masterpiece after another. You, or they, probably want to keep every museum-worthy drawing. They will protest loudly should they find one of their unbelievably valuable scribbles in the trash. The secret is to carefully toss these treasures after bedtime and to strategically place them under other rubbish so the drawings will not be spotted. However, if losing that artwork will also break your heart, there are a few options to preserve it: Fill an Artkive box with your child’s artwork and then send it off. Soon you will get a book filled with your child’s professionally photographed artwork to treasure forever. Or, take photos of your child’s best artwork and create your own personalized Shutterfly book. If you want to create your own mini-museum at home, snag an Articulate picture frame that allows parents to easily swap out artwork.

5. Don’t Be Afraid of Shortcuts
Do you want to the kind of parent who does crafts and whips up creations in the kitchen but don’t have the time, energy or inspiration to pull it off? Take a deep breath and take these prep-work shortcuts. Craft kits come in lots of themes, like these dinosaurs and glow-in-the-dark rocks kits from Creativity for Kids. In the kitchen, let someone else do the baking with a Color My Cookie kit that comes in ready-to-decorate themes from fire trucks to Valentine’s Day with everything included. Baketivity is a hassle-free option to get kids more involved in the kitchen with (nearly) all-inclusive kits and easy, color-coded directions for baking everything from cupcakes to whoopee pies. It’s okay to not plan every activity from scratch. In fact, you will probably be a more present parent if you don’t.

6. Make the Must-Dos Easy
Life with kids isn't all sunshine and rainbows. There are things that must done get no matter how hard, like cleaning and taking care of sick little ones. Invest in getting these things done as quickly and painlessly as possible. Saving a few dollars is usually not worth the stress of having to spend a weekend cleaning or holding down a toddler to have their temperature taken. Some examples: If you ever wished there were a magical machine that could vacuum and mop at the same time, you are in luck. The Bissell Crosswave does both well so you can get the cleaning done faster and move on to more fun tasks. When your child has a fever, try an OAXIS no-contact thermometer. For under $50, it's a good way to have peace of mind that you can take your child's temperature without a fuss, even while they are asleep. Keeping an eye out for new gadgets that make tedious tasks faster will pay off when your stress level falls. These small tricks can add up to a lot of saved time. Check out these health & safety innovations for babies & toddlers.

File these hacks for when your child gets older. Your future self with thank you....

7. Set a Flexible Schedule for the Tooth Fairy
It is very exciting when a child loses their first tooth. And their second. Parents anxiously await their child falling asleep when those first couple of teeth are lost, but by the fourth or fifth tooth, the Tooth Fairy may lose her shine. Once that happens, distracted parents may forget to leave a dollar under their child’s pillow at night. This will undoubtedly result in disappointment and tears, but not if parents tell their children from the outset that the Tooth Fairy will come sometime during the week each tooth falls out. Building in some wiggle room is smart, even if it turns out you are one of the rare parents who never needs it.

8. Visit Santa Early
Inexperienced parents may put off a trip to see Santa or delay getting that all-important letter to the North Pole in the mail. Do not wait until the week of Christmas to do this. Even if your child has been set all year on what they want, it is almost guaranteed that once they see the man in red himself, they will have a change of heart. This means either a disappointed child on Christmas or a stressed parent scrambling to find an out-of-stock toy or or paying for overnight shipment. While we are planning for Christmas, don't be afraid to let your child know that your family's Elf on the Shelf will visit for only a week. Your child can still have all of the magic without you stressing about coming up with tons of different places for the Elf to hang out.

—Jamie Davis Smith

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Losing the Tooth Fairy & Other Celebrations

By BriAnna Olson

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

December 13, 2020

In the midst of special needs, and speaking for us specifically, autism, there are many events that you lose that you thought you’d know. This week we were reminded, yet again, of just that. Beckett finished his busy day of school and therapy, and settled into his evening routine in his safe space, at home. We’re big on veggie straws around here, so he grabbed his “talker” and requested them by pressing the “chips” button. Now as parents often do (shocking, I know), my hands were full. washing dishes, and cleaning counters, etc and my response to his request wasn’t instant. Mom life. But this child of mine looked up at me, irritated in true 5-year-old fashion, and I noticed a larger gap between two teeth. I pulled in a gasp, and reached for his little chin. Yep. Sure enough, my littlest love lost his first tooth. No idea when or even where. All I know is sometime that same day it popped right out.

Some may be thinking, “It’s a tooth. We all lose them.” But my heart aches a bit. It’s not just about the tooth. It’s about the loss of the adventure. The celebration. The enjoyment. Autism ultimately robbed us of the experience of this “first.” Of so many. Whether it would be a big deal to my child or not, it is to me. We don’t know where his tooth went. If it’s laying around in the car, or here at home, or even school. We don’t know if he swallowed it. Or if he even noticed it was loose, or now missing. Which then erases the opportunity to really celebrate with the “tooth fairy.”

For us now, there’s no cute letters to be written. Or “glitter trails.” Or money exchange. Because our son doesn’t have a care in the world for what “it means.” What it represents. He has no want or need for currency. The concept is too abstract right now. And that in itself, I suppose, is a small blessing in disguise. Because his wants are simple these days. Joy is sprung from the “little things.”

Something as simple as plastic spoons are the current fascination. And it’s nothing short of adorable. But the majority of the sadness, for me, comes from my boy not even noticing the change. He doesn’t know just how big he’s getting. How right before our eyes, he’s growing up, at the speed of light. And though it makes my heart sing, with each passing milestone, I can’t help but mourn. I mourn the loss of the “norms” we thought we would celebrate. Like the over-the-top excitement surrounding trick-or-treating, or opening holiday gifts, or the “Tooth Fairy” retrieving baby teeth.

But as time passes, I can’t help but be grateful for my boy’s demeanor. His heart. His joy for life. No matter what day it is on the calendar, or what change comes about for him, he’s my happy boy. And I think that’s going to be more than enough. That makes for a truly beautiful life.

This post originally appeared on To Infinity & Beyond Words.

BriAnna Olson

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

BriAnna is a stay-at-home mom to her Disney loving, son Beckett (5), and wife to her Navy Veteran husband, Cameron. Beckett is Autistic and non-verbal, so BriAnna created her page, "To Infinity & Beyond Words" to shine a light of love on their world of special needs. Their family of three call Nebraska home, and call themselves blessed.

13 Creative Tooth Fairy Ideas for Parents

by Allison SutcliffeNovember 4, 2020

There are so many pressing questions for parents to answer when it comes to the tooth fairy and tradition. How much does she leave? What does the tooth fairy do with the teeth? Does she have a day job? We’ll leave the answers up to you, but if you’re looking for ways to add magic to this memorable moment in your kid’s life, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to find your inspiration.

Shop in Fairyland

The Tooth Fairy is always looking for ways to make things more magical. Hold The Magic is all about inspiring magic and stories (no money required), with adorable tiny gifts that are Tooth Fairy approved. Each gift includes supplies for three Tooth Fairy visits and a gold bag that holds a miniature treasure, a tiny Tooth Fairy letter in a sparkly envelope and Fairy Dust.

Cost: $29.95 per kit

Online: holdthemagic.com

Leave a special token

A keepsake leave behind makes your sidekick’s encounter with the tooth fairy even more magical. In addition to the traditional cash stash she leaves, drop the tooth fairy’s own pressed penny coin as a extra treat. Parents can choose from two different finishes, and a hole punch location if you want to turn this keepsake into a wearable memory. Cost: $4.00 Find it on Etsy

Open the door to imagination

Fairy doors are all the rage, so why not install one for the Tooth Fairy to use? Hello Little Cloud’s fairy door has everything you need to create a magical experience for your sidekick. The included ladder, wand, fairy dust and key make it easy for your kiddo to prep for the tooth fairy’s arrival. And the poster strips that won’t damage your walls are just for you.

Cost: $30

Find it on Etsy

Leave behind cute clues

Your winter elf leaves messes. And your family’s leprechaun drops gold coins in the trap. So it only figures the tooth fairy would leave behind some trace too. We love these shimmery little footprints you can stick just about anywhere, if you’re looking to up your tooth fairy game. They come 10 to a pack.

Cost: $3.50

Find it on Etsy

Make money magic

Peter Pan fans know it takes a pinch of fairy dust to fly. Leave some behind on a dollar bill to really make your kid’s eyes light up. Find out how to turn make believe into reality at tenkidsandadog. We guarantee your kiddo won’t easily part with this special keepsake.

Hang it up

Help your Little know where the tooth fairy can find him with this hand-sewn door hanger designed by Pins and Seams. Each one has a little pouch, which means mom or dad doesn’t have to sneak in to find a pillow in the dark. And it doubles as an extra incentive for your kiddo to get up and at ‘em in the morning.

Cost: $12.50

Find it on Etsy

Make a wish

If your kids are anything like ours, they’re firm believers in the give/get exchange rate. So if they leave a tooth, they’ll expect something in return. When they wake up to find this fairy wand bracelet with a simple poem composed by the tooth fairy, they’ll know they’ve gotten the big end of the stick. Parents can go with the gold wand pictured, or customize their kid’s card by adding a name and charm of their choice.

Cost: $2.86

Find it on Etsy

Fold in special touches

Bypass the long raging debate about just how much parents should leave under the pillow, and focus on the presentation instead. A carefully crafted origami design tucked under a pillow is always more magical than a dollar bill stuffed into a pillow, no matter what the occasion. Try your hand at folding a heart, butterfly or how about a crane to leave in exchange for one clean, pearly white tooth.

Make her mark

Imagine waking up after losing your first tooth to find your tooth gone, a little something special left under your pillow and—look!—a stamp that magically appeared on your hand. If she wasn’t convinced before, she will be when she wakes up to find the tooth fairy’s signature stamp that appeared magically overnight. Thanks goodness for sound sleepers!

Cost: $12

Find it on Etsy

Make it official

If proof is what your little skeptic is looking for, make like a cashier and leave a receipt for him to find. Parents fill in the important details on this official looking document that includes a sweet reminder to brush, before silently slipping one under the pillow. Our favorite part? They can help you fill in those blank baby book dates when you finally get around to it.

Cost: $2.99 for a set of 10

Find it on Etsy

A noteworthy option

When your kid wakes up and finds a special pint sized note the tooth fairy left behind just for him, he’ll flip. And with this pack of 20 personalized letters it’s easy for you to make his day, even if you’re short on time. Need letters for more than one kiddo? No problem, there’s more than one series to choose from at this shop, which means they’ll be none the wiser.

Cost: $6

Find it on Etsy

Go big from the start

When that first tooth starts to wiggle, add this adorable kit to your Etsy cart. It includes tooth-themed trinkets and baubles for your kid to play with, as well as a jar of fairy dust, the tooth fairy rules and a simple note from the night visitor herself. It all comes in a drawstring bag so you can keep everything together. And parents can personalize the kit.

Cost: $10.78

Find it on Etsy

Give it glitz

Follow the lead of mom-blogger, Lisa Moore of Moore Minutes who suggests leaving gold coins, and some fairy dust to match, under your kiddo’s pillow. Call your bank ahead of time to find the golden Sacajawea or Presidential dollar coins and then stock up. Sure, they’re legal tender, but your gap-grinned kiddo may prefer to hold on to these special fairy coins.

—Allison Sutcliffe

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New “Llama Llama” Book to Debut This November

by Karly WoodSeptember 17, 2020

Llama Llama is back with this 37th book and his tooth is wiggling! The beloved character brought to life by author Anna Dewdney is embarking on a new journey and he’s taking readers along as he experiences his first loose tooth.

Llama Llama Loose Tooth Drama combines Dewdney’s own text with JT Morrow’s illustrations in the timeless way fans have loved for years. Llama Llama is a little nervous about losing his tooth, but he never expected it to all of a sudden be gone! What will happen and will the Tooth Fairy still come?

With rhyming text and humorous prose, the story helps kids everywhere handle losing their first tooth with excitement instead of fear. The beautiful picture book is one to add to your collection and enjoy for years to come.

You can pre-order the new book now on Amazon, with a release date of Nov. 17.

––Karly Wood

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Why I Think We Should Go Back to Simpler Times

By Missy Woodruff

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

September 14, 2020

It might surprise most people to know that through most of human history we were hunter-gatherers. For tens of thousands of years we travelled in small bands of “Sapiens,” foraging for our food.

In fact, it wasn’t until the “Agricultural Revolution” about 12,000 years ago that we decided to settle down and became farmers instead of travelers.

History calls this decision “progress,” but I think it was a questionable call. Here’s why we were better off as hunter-gatherers:

We were healthier

Imagine a giant open-air health club with a kick-ass cafe and no parking issues. You may be surprised to learn that such a place exists, and it’s called, “nature.”

It’s true, and for thousands of years we used to travel through “nature” unencumbered; like a bunch of hipster chefs out foraging food for their trendy gastro-pubs.

As hunter-gatherers, we were usually on the move, and didn’t stay in one place for more than a few days or weeks. Our travel was dictated largely by the annual migration of animals and the seasonal growth cycles of plants.

We ate whatever we could forage, and that wide variety of foods resulted in a very nutritious diet. Typical hunter-gatherer meals might have included a diversity of fruits, vegetables, edible roots, nuts, meat and fish. (Yes, it was the “original” paleo diet!)

All that nutritious, low-carb food combined with hours of “foraging” exercise each day meant that our ancestors were in tremendous shape, and the obesity rate was probably zero.

Not only did they probably look like (hairy?) CrossFit athletes, but they were really smart too!

We were smarter

You might scoff at the idea that people were smarter 20k years before Siri and Alexa, but hear me out.

All that foraging made us a lot smarter. Can you imagine the breadth of knowledge it would have required to be a successful hunter-gatherer? Just to survive you’d need an extensive, hands-on education in biology, botany, geography, and meteorology.

Hunter-gatherers were true, “Renaissance men” (and women!), with each person learning dozens of practical skills like making tools and weapons, navigating, mending clothes, starting fires, and tracking animals.

In today’s society, most of us specialize in one niche area and depend on the narrow skills of many others to survive. I mean, how much do you really need to know about the earth to sell insurance or design websites?

Sure, as a society we’ve never been collectively “smarter” and more “advanced” than we are today, but as individuals I say we were in our prime as hunter-gatherers.

We were happier

When we put down roots and became farmers, an interesting thing happened. We stopped living in the present, and started worrying about the future.

Thoughts of foraging for our next meal turned to anxiety about harvests months or even years in the future. We worked harder and acquired more possessions, but we fretted that we might lose them if a single crop failed.

When we stopped traveling, we put ourselves on a road to nowhere. Like Sisyphus, we began perpetually rolling a boulder uphill, only to watch it roll back down again.

To this day it seems like the more we chase “progress,” the more despondent we become. If things have improved so much, why are we so damned depressed?

OK, I’m “cherry-picking” some facts (that’s a little “foraging” pun for you!)

Could I really live in a world that had sabre-tooth tigers, but no flushable-toilets?

Maybe not, but I can’t help think we have a lot to learn from our foraging ancestors. Lately even peanuts and gluten seem to be telling us that we’re doing something wrong, so maybe we should listen.

When we were hunter-gatherers we didn’t have to contemplate our right to “the pursuit of happiness,” because it seems we had already found happiness in the pursuit!

Missy Woodruff

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

I'm Missy, a mother of three and a middle school drama teacher at a private school. I'm obsessed with my Vizsla (dog), traveling, and the musical Hamilton. I also enjoy writing and sharing fun parenting stories, which is what brought me here.

These Moms Share How They’re Surviving Teething

by Kenzie KramerAugust 26, 2020

When little teeth start to appear, it usually means more tears for baby and less sleep for you. Whether they’re cutting their first tooth or getting that final molar, Camilia Teething Liquid Doses can help ease the pain, and even helps with other teething symptoms like minor digestive disorders! Read on to hear why three moms who are navigating teething love this simple, stress-free solution.

Red Tricycle readers can get a coupon to save $2 on Camilia Teething Liquid Doses at Walmart! Get Your Coupon!

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A post shared by Ana Gambuto (@anagambuto) on Aug 20, 2020 at 12:18pm PDT

NYC mom Ana Gambuto went through teething with her daughter not too long ago, so when her youngest, Beau Beckett, started getting his chompers she knew to turn to Camilia Teething Liquid Doses. With plant-based active ingredients, no benzocaine and no preservatives, she can feel good about the ingredients that are helping her family have more giggles and fewer tears!

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A post shared by Siobhán Alvarez (@simply.siobhan) on Aug 20, 2020 at 4:23am PDT

When Siobhán Alvarez’s son Grey cut his first four teeth at the same time, she knew she needed teething relief stat. With Camilia Teething Liquid Doses, Siobhán doesn’t have to worry about numbing agents that can affect baby’s gag reflex and latch ability, or mask symptoms of something more serious. She also doesn’t have to worry about calculating how much to give him, since the doses are pre-measured!

Red Tricycle readers can get a coupon to save $2 on Camilia Teething Liquid Doses at Walmart! Get Your Coupon!

Disclaimer: Claims based on traditional homeopathic practice, not accepted medical evidence. Not FDA evaluated.

Believing in the Tooth Fairy Is Good For Your Little One’s Oral Health

by Jennifer SwartvagherAugust 21, 2020

How does your family celebrate a lost tooth? Placing your little one’s tooth under their pillow to wait for a visit from the Tooth Fairy cam help promote good oral hygiene. This National Tooth Fairy Day, Delta Dental reminds families of the role the Tooth Fairy can play in teaching children about oral health.

A new survey from Delta Dental reveals that 80% of households with children receive visits from the Tooth Fairy, and these visits are motivated by a desire to give children something to be excited about, according to more than half of caregivers polled. In addition, 45% of caregivers report that having the Tooth Fairy visit gives them a reason to celebrate and 42% said it makes their child feel special.

Beyond celebrating a lost tooth, a visit from the Tooth Fairy instills good oral health habits in a positive way according to one third of respondents. Delta Dental has created a trove of oral health education materials centered on the Tooth Fairy. We encourage families to enjoy the resources, activities, and games together to learn more about oral health.

According to the Original Tooth Fairy Poll, the Tooth Fairy’s average cash gift increased 30 cents for a lost tooth, for a total of $4.03 per tooth.

Delta Dental has been analyzing the Tooth Fairy’s U.S. annual giving trends since 1998. The newly disclosed value of a lost tooth has more than tripled since its inception when the value of a lost tooth was $1.30, and now reaches its fourth highest payout in the history of the survey.

The Original Tooth Fairy Poll has typically mirrored the economy’s overall direction, tracking with the trends of Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500) for 15 of the past 18 years. Last year, a single lost tooth was valued at $3.70 and this year’s survey shows upward growth to $4.03, an increase of nearly 9%. Over the same time period, the S&P 500 also experienced growth, with a 22% increase, reaching its highest average since the inception of the Original Tooth Fairy survey.

“The Tooth Fairy is one of health care’s most powerful tools for teaching children about their oral health,” said Jennifer Elliott, Chief Marketing Officer, Delta Dental Plans Association. “By celebrating a lost tooth, children begin to learn the importance of their oral health in an engaging and fun way. At Delta Dental, we continue to provide tools for parents, families and communities to educate young Americans about the importance of their oral health and our 22nd year of this survey shows our dedication to keeping the Tooth Fairy an active part of oral health education.”

The Original Tooth Fairy Poll was conducted between December 30, 2019, and January 11, 2020, among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 parents of children ages 6-12.

For more information about the Delta Dental-sponsored survey and oral health tips for infants to pre-teen, visit Original Tooth Fairy Poll.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Delta Dental

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