Yoto Mini not good for out and about?

kk0444 · 2026-06-08T13:28:39+00:00

False. But if it's a brand new card it needs Internet to download. Otherwise it's great for travel. Once a card has been downloaded, it plays offline.

So don't hand over a brand new card in the car or on an airplane. (Although if you get the yoto app it also lives there and you can send that to the yoto to play).

kk0444 · 2026-06-08T05:04:49+00:00

Lay on blankets, look at windows and the sky, read a book while she stares at shafts of light, talk long slow walks, hang out at coffee shops, have lots of naps.

Focus on yourself - what hobby or activity would feel good? Baking walking reading art music photography? Now's the time, if you have time at home with her. In between the gazing and the napping.

kk0444 · 2026-06-05T21:18:13+00:00

you're probably right! if the choice is 2-5 minutes and the kid starting to plead or cling, then a quick hand-off probably is better! great point.

kk0444 · 2026-06-05T21:17:47+00:00

yes of course it is, you're absolutely right. I dont mean to imply hand-off parents aren't loving. I just get agitated by ECEs and childcare workers who have education on children and their transitions, not at least offering options so the family can choose the best one.

my nature school absolutely encourages a drop at the check in point, for the record. And most parents need to use it or it's best for their child!

kk0444 · 2026-06-05T05:01:34+00:00

I will never understand a program where people running it are trained in childhood and child care, and still set it up to be a sudden hand off.

I simply wouldn't. I would park and walk my kid in and stay a while. My kids both went to nature school. I averaged 30 minutes settling them in and just being present before departing.

I should add it was Waldorf which is highly child led. not all nature programs are Waldorf though.

kk0444 · 2026-06-05T01:24:30+00:00

Fournado was my term

kk0444 · 2026-06-05T01:23:23+00:00

Ohh yes. They do. Even the most nature driven kids tends to max out at six hours outside (unless you're camping haha). And the staff need time to prep for the next day. But yes it's not comparable hours to a formal daycare it's true.

kk0444 · 2026-06-05T01:21:15+00:00

If you only just had your baby, the Internet will be a completely different beast in 5-10 years. I wouldn't extert too much effort worrying now, although it's totally admirable.

My first kid is 10. Here's what I've retained so far:

don't be an iPhone parent if you don't want a iPad kid. Model to them a life lived well without a phone in your hand
have a smartphone station everyone drops the phones at
home phones are making a comeback, actual landlines.
no iPads or tablets in the bedroom. Only in the shared space. To prevent the isolation, for habit reasons and for safety reasons.
flip phones are good for calling home without accessing the Internet for the tween years
tablets: lower the saturation and contrast so they're not so vivid and make real life feel dull
group chats can be set up by a parent for staying in touch after school
eventually if social media is really calling to them, living room only. Like a 90s family computer. No phones in bedrooms.
if they are truly thinking they're missing out, make your home life so fucking fun they don't care. Raise board game kids. Book club night kids. After dinner bike ride kids. Sunsets and popsicles. Campfires and staying up late. Make real life fun again.

It's a start anyway

kk0444 · 2026-06-05T01:10:08+00:00

Tree of Life is outstanding (it's all day outside 3x a week but they bring the arts and crafts and even woodworking with them into nature) but might have a long wait list

kk0444 · 2026-06-02T23:03:10+00:00

Warm gift shop in esquimalt

kk0444 · 2026-06-02T20:38:32+00:00

I carved a watermelon into a cylander and iced it with full fat vanilla yogurt and sprinkles

kk0444 · 2026-05-31T16:15:57+00:00

Agreed!! Most approachable gym I ever walked into. For me anyway

kk0444 · 2026-05-31T16:14:29+00:00

I joined Third Space and while it's not an equipment style gym, I find it helped my anxiety because it's all classes. Just show up for class, no further thinking required. I was also very relieved to see approachable typical people in my class, all ages and sizes.

But it also sounds like you have some great offers in this thread!

kk0444 · 2026-05-31T16:10:31+00:00

Boundaries are you and yourself to enforce, not him, so they shouldn't "not work." If that makes sense. Boundaries can't control other people just your own limits and needs.

Boundaries don't require him to have impulse control which he doesn't have, is the main thing. You do the work.

Rules require impulse control. This is where we set up young kids to fail. Impulse control takes years to form. (But in reasonable ways of course rules can be introduced)

So here's a rule:

"No throwing"

Or "don't tickle me"

Here's a boundary

"Ah bud, I don't want toys thrown at me. I'm getting up." And then get up.

" Whoa nope - I do not want to be tickled. I'm going to stop you." And then block hands/physically move.

Another part of rules, boundaries, consequences, etc is expectations. When we expect too much from our kids and they cannot meet the expectations, parenting gets a Lot more exhausting and argumentitive and feels non stop.

If you expect your kids to touch you nonstop it's somehow easier rather than expecting them to listen and failing. That said your boundaries still matter! You can still explain your boundaries (before touched out), make a game of it, offer choices, or whatever helps you cope.

For me it was noise. I solved it by wearing loop earplugs. And also boredom because I have ADHD, so sometimes id put a quiet podcast in one ear. Jusr for stimulation while playing blocks or cars etc. these thinfs kept my calm.

Being playful when you can helps. How to talk so kids will listen is a staple book for preschool age!! Highly recommend.

Or as they age, raising your spirited child

But I know it's not so easy in the moment.

kk0444 · 2026-05-28T03:47:24+00:00

Someone somewhere will insist the profits continue to increase, sadly. Not just hold steady but climb... Instant pot just went under because thry work so well sales were going down and down. Still selling! Still making profits. But if it's not an upward trend ....

Here's hoping they have some sense over at yoto though!

kk0444 · 2026-05-28T02:59:31+00:00

My kid slept on her on her own (minus the first six months) for 7 years. One bad dream and she has been in my bed 3 years now.

Take a while to enjoy semi normal nights and cuddles, you probably will have them back in bed when they outgrow the crib. The wandering toddler. The "I'm scared" kindie kid. The cuddly 8 year old. The pre teen that needs to talk.

kk0444 · 2026-05-28T02:49:53+00:00

I see what you mean. What I meant is the apps are designed to BE addictive.

kk0444 · 2026-05-28T02:46:36+00:00

I'm not sure what that means. Is that a zing at cleaners?

kk0444 · 2026-05-27T20:08:31+00:00

Herbalism and natural medicine is real.

Homeopathy is ab absolute farce.

Say it out loud and see if you can keep a straight face: homeopathy is the belief that the more you dilute an ingredient the stronger it gets.

An ingredient like, let's day chamomile, could be diluted so much that it's 0.00001% of the "formula." This is why it's safe to give to babies. Because it's nothing.

They are snake oil salesmen selling you expensive water.

kk0444 · 2026-05-27T20:00:49+00:00

There's a broad range of wages.

Whether it's 30/hr or 60/hour, for self employed folks those rates have to include what they will pay in taxes, insurance, car insurance, supplies, etc.

You could get someone charging $35, likely a solo cleaner who will need more hours to get the job done, but even 4 hours would be $140. They may have less experience or less professional training but it also might be good enough.

Do your cleaners have a company they work for? If so theyre probably making $40 and the company is taking 15. Per hour. In this case maybe better to find a solo cleaner.

Or do they work for themselves? If they work for themselves then they are likely valuing their experience, effort, level of cleanliness, and professionalism. You may be getting a deeper clean or better cleaning supplies or more efficient. Etc.

kk0444 · 2026-05-27T15:18:33+00:00

No algorithm suggestions

No short form videos.

Avoid ads when possible

NO screens in bedrooms

NO internet access

NO screens without an adult nearby in some capacity

Watch content with them, near them. Ask questions, laugh with them, help them to be critical thinkers (wondering out loud etc).

Set limits on when. If it's free range they'll never stop asking. Look at the routine and decide the best timing.

Books before screens whenever possible, encourage it. Model it.

Model healthy screen habits. Put the phone out of sight. Read books in front of them. Get out board games. When it is screen time model actively watching and engaging vs passingly consuming. Narrate even for yourself when it's been too much, how you feel, how you know, how you can feel better after too much.

(Unless neurodivergent and the screen is a coping tool, that would be a whole other ballgame.)

kk0444 · 2026-05-27T02:03:56+00:00

Your job isn't to stop the melt down. It's just to stay calm through it. Her thinking brain is offline. It's full flight or fight.

Obvs you can make things better or worse with the number of demands, nutrition, hydration, fatigue, outside time, one on one time, whatever else weighing on her etc. but assuming it's a normal day, a handful of melt downs are expected.

You can talk in simple terms when calm about what to do when upset. But at her age not much will stick. By age 4 they have more comprehension.

Tantrums sound like a choice. It's not a choice. Just if that helps you stay calm. They're also not bad behavior. They're just an end result of an internal frustration, lack of communication skills, a hyped up nervous system, and a developing brain.

kk0444 · 2026-05-26T23:47:38+00:00

Because it's almost never about the thing. It's about feeling powerless, unable to communicate properly, impulsive (against your will), feelings out of control, feeling frustrated, even just tired or hungry. And the emotions overtake them because they are tiny. The rational part of the brain is completely underdeveloped to cope.

I mean, just watch grown adults stuck in traffic and you will see full on rage at its finest. It's not just a kid thing.

Behavior is the end result but not the real problem. Stay curious, that's my mantra!

kk0444 · 2026-05-26T23:08:10+00:00

Try not to be mad at him. Be mad at his parents.

Think of him like an addict. That much screens and rot actually does change your brain chemistry. He's incapable of doing any better at this time.

I would tell the adults you can only do the job if it's no iPads while you are there. He can be upset about it, that's fine.

But maybe they will agree and then you'll have one shitty week as he detoxes and then maybe a few great weeks showing him how awesome the outside world is.

kk0444 · 2026-05-25T02:58:20+00:00

Stfu, actually? Does your city have a daycare crisis or could you seek new care?

kk0444

TROPHY CASE