u/BB-ATE

We just got the woom for my kiddos 5th birthday. Also started with the strider. She figured out pedaling on day one and is now cruising around.

It’s still new to use but we ended up going with woom because we liked the dual brakes, tire tread (we often bike on surfaces other than pavement), ease of assembly, and overall quality. My husband is a mountain biker and he thought this was a good first pedal bike. Plus, it comes with a 10 year warranty. So far it’s been worth the cost. We got her the Woom go3. 

I recommend them. Ours has fallen, been dropped, and more. Highest drop was when it fell out of the truck when we opened the door. Plus, depending if you get one with a wrist strap or shoulder strap, kiddo has a way to strap it to them. 

My kindle is about the same age. I decided to do the 2026 signature. I had $200 on gift card anyways and was going to get the 2024 but I figured the latest tech will just give it a longer life span and fit my budget. So I guess my answer is, if it’s in budget, get the 2026. If it’s not, the 2024 will do just fine. 

I knew my kid would want to play with the tonies instead of listening so I went with the yoto. She is now 5, has it for 3 years and still loves it. Everyone I know that has a tonie is upgrading to a yoto when their kid hits about 5.

My daughter had the same skills going into preschool. It’s so much more than academics though. It’s about learning how to listen, follow instructions, developing friendships, learning how to be a citizen of a school and so much more. While the academics are important, it really ends up being secondary to the social skills and preparing them for grade school. 

I was not stoked when my mom got my kiddo the leapfrog 2-in-1 laptop but let me tell you that it is one of the most used toys years later. It is part of pretend play, learning, and more. I also know someone who’s youngest used it to learn the alphabet on his own. 

Not a mom but Jenn Lueke has transformed my meal planning and how my family eats. It’s been such a game changer. I will say I love to cook but loathe meal planning. she really makes it easier for me. She is jenneatsgoodfood on IG. 

We have a late October kiddo. I made the decision to go with the weekend after Halloween so we didn’t have to compete since there is already so much going on. Plus if you are in the states, the time change goes into effect that night so even Sunday could be tricky for some. 

We read and watched a lot of Daniel tiger. There is an episode/book where he goes to school that was helpful. You learn the “grownups come back” song. 

Touchpoints: Birth to Three was so helpful. It’s by Dr T. Berry Brazelton. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738210498/?bestFormat=true&k=touchpoints%20brazelton&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k0_1_17_de&crid=2OKWPFJ66EPJV&sprefix=touchpoints%20braze

Also want to add monsters, bad guys, etc are a normal developmental stage. Our daughter is going through that too. We are reading the book TouchPoints and have found it very insightful about this phase. Basically, at this age they are starting to become aware of the world around them and how they fit in that world. So it could just be the transition of school and developmental change at the same time making things difficult. 

Here is the book link if you are interested:  https://www.amazon.com/Touchpoints-3-T-Berry-Brazelton/dp/0738206784

3 school days and 1 birthday party later (though thinking it was school and not the party). We’ll see if she even makes it to school tomorrow. 

Honestly, I would wait. My kid at 3 wasn’t really into her bike. She didn’t start getting into until after she turned 4 and now at almost 5 she flies around on her balance bike.

She is also a cautious kid. We got her a scooter and that really helped build her confidence in going fast and zooming around. We have a micro kickboard and it’s been a good investment. 

I picked the yoto because it seemed like the content was for all different ages. It’s something she has been able to grow with. Plus the mini is so easy to travel with. Also the MYO feature has been wonderful and making cards/playlists has been easy. Her favorite cards are MYO cards (Arthur and work it out wombats podcasts). 

We thought we would and found many products on Amazon, Etsy, etc that could allow us to measure the kid, document it and then take it with us if we moved. Ultimately, after almost 5 years, it’s just not something we do. Our kid gets measured at the doctor and that’s good enough for us. 

We use the yoto and tv with limited access. For the TV, Friday is movie night. We take turns picking. For tv watching, it’s roughly an hour to so a week. It’s usually anything on pbs kids or a few discovery channel shows my kid likes (Expedition Unknown is the current favorite). We reserve the iPad for road trips or airplanes. 

Create hiking paths to a creek. Hang out in the creek. Mow about 10 hours a week. Let the rest be for nature. We get deer, turkey, bobcats, all different kinds of birds, bats, etc. 

Buckle up. Our first year our kiddo got sick just about every month. Nothing too severe. Mostly just stuffy nose, maybe a cough. Had a fever 2-3 times. Good news though, the next year was better. She only got sick about 4 or so times over the school year. She is now in pre-k and we’ll see how it goes.

Also, don’t feel guilty. Look at it that you are actually helping her build a strong immune system. 

We love a cooperative board game. Count your chickens (round up the baby chicks before the fox gets them, teaches counting, working together) is a favorite. At almost 5, we now play a lot of Castle Panic Junior (save the castle before the monsters knock it down, identify colors and shapes). Both are cooperative games. 

We also love Dragons vs Unicorns and Squishyland to learn numbers, shapes, letters, letter sounds,etc. Squishyland has skills that start at pre-k up to 3rd grade I think. 

Then there are the classics, Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, and Don’t Break the Ice. Most of these games are now made with different characters if that will entice your kid to play. 

And memory games are still a hit. We got one from eBay that is Arthur (from pbs kids) themed that we love. 

Oh and Zingo is a lot of fun but it’s not a turn taking or teamwork game. It gets a little cut throat, however it’s a hit with the grandparents and kids alike so it’s worth mentioning. We usually get it out at family gatherings. 

We first read this book, Fingers Are Not For Sucking:  https://www.amazon.com/Fingers-Are-Sucking-Annie-Young/dp/B0CR8T854B

And then distract, distract, distract. Try to get out of the house. Go somewhere new or special. Have play dates, library story time, whatever you can do that is not places. Skipping nap worked for us so it was easier to fall asleep at bedtime. We also made sure her favorite stuffie was in bed and she got extra cuddles and back rubs the first few nights. 

We had a finger sucker and out the device on around 3.5. First though we went to the dentist and he confirmed it was time. He also was gentle and told her it was time too and shared how his kids overcame the finger sucking. It took us about 60 days on mostly consistent use but she kicked the habit. The first 30-40 days she wore it most of the time. After that it was just during sleep. Now a year later, her mouth/bite has really improved. Best of luck, the first week is the worst but it gets better as you stick with it.

Almost 5 year old is still rear facing and not even close to maxing out yet. I tell people that broken hips are better than a broken neck. That usually shuts them right up. 

Everyone told me not to buy newborn sizes. That baby will only be in them for a short amount of time. My kid was in them for 3 months. I just had to buy more once she was born. It was not a big deal between having them delivered and people buying some in store for us. However, I wasn’t terribly picky about what baby wore since it was still covid times and we weren’t going out much so it was lots of plain white onesies or pajamas. 

My child started preschool just before turning 3. Her teacher told us to expect about 10 class days (she only goes 2 days a week) for the kids to adjust. Drop offs the first 4 class days were tough but got better. She really warmed up by the 4th week and was smiling in pictures and playing with the other kids. 

So if it’s rough to start, it will get better.

Also, I knew I would be too emotional to drop her off so I say good bye at home and have my husband handle drop off. The first day is always a walk to class but then after that it’s curbside drop off, which honestly makes it way easier for everyone. 

We moved from Phoenix to south central KY for similar reasons a few years ago. We considered MN but I grew up with harsh winters and my AZ native spouse hadn’t. The idea of long winters with little sunshine and short days scared us away. KY has mild winters and I will take a KY summer over a Phoenix summer every time. 

We also really appreciate not being in the rat race that is Phoenix. We live on 30 acres that cost us less than our house near desert ridge. 

If you think you can deal with long, dark, winters, it will likely be worth it.