This post may contain affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Our tiny front hall is populated by dozens of shoes.
Here’s a small-space solution — this shallow cabinet from Ikea will fit just about anywhere. Store shoes and other necessities right by your door — there’s even a recessed top where you can put things like your phone and sunglasses. Buy a few sets to stack or mount side-by-side for even more storage space.
The Trones shoe/storage cabinet is $39.99 for a set of two. It also comes in black.
Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
Seafinch says
I have installed this cabinet in four houses through our military moves. It’s been indispensable. My sister has a teeny house and even installed one on the end run of her kitchen cabinets for canned goods and in her bathroom on the small vanity next to the toilet for supplies. She also has one set in her entrance way. It’s extremely low profile, versatile, and useful.
anon says
We have a different Ikea shoe cabinet and it’s amazing. Our entry-less house would be a mess of shoes without it.
So Anon says
There has been some discussion on the board lately about the utility of having a kiddo go through a full eval for ADHD/ASD/other issues when the child seems to be doing ok in school. I wanted to report back because I just went through this process with my 9yo daughter. She is a kid who adores school and does very well, but we have been struggling with some behaviors at home. I knew something was going on in the realm of autism/ADHD but I wasn’t exactly sure where the challenges were. I received the full report and walk through last week. It was so helpful and insightful. I feel like I can pinpoint the challenges and change my parenting to specifically address her challenges. I am on the fence about pursuing therapy v. OT for her challenges. I plan on getting a 504 in place. While her challenges are not impacting her school now (4th grade), I can see this changing as she approached middle school.
Anon says
I love this, thank you. I have a kiddo where something just ticks “differently,” but feel like I have been chasing/treating symptoms for years. I finally bit the bullet, and am proceeding with a full evaluation in April. He loves school, does well, and teachers are mystified when I ask if there is an issue at school. I’m actually really excited to better understand how his mind works, so that we can work together with him. Same exact thought – I think school is going to get increasingly difficult for him as it gets more regimented, and I love that we will go into his later elementary school years with a helpful guide for him.
Anne-on says
+1 to this. We had our kiddo evaluated twice in elementary school (ADHD and then ASD) and we always talked with him about how it was to help us (and him!) better understand how his brain works so he can figure out strategies to make school/life easier for him. We’ve mostly done sensory integration therapy vs. ABA (that’s a whole other can of worms – I strongly dislike ABA but others feel differently). It has been helpful for us to discuss early and often that this is personal medical information he doesn’t have to share BUT that there is nothing at all ‘wrong’ with him, his brain is just wired differently than some other people’s brains. I also talk openly with him about my own ADHD and strategies I use and how it would have been so helpful if I’d been diagnosed at his age. Also the earlier you can model and teach executive functioning skills the better!
anon says
Agree wholeheartedly. Get the evaluation, and do it early. Some things aren’t an issue until, well, they are. And then you’re playing a waiting game. Kiddo is considered 2e (ADHD) and has a 504 plan. There are times when he needs barely any support, and other times when he needs every item on that list despite getting high grades. I’m glad we have it.
Anonymous says
What was the process?
Pogo says
yes please tell us more! Did you just pay out of pocket to a neuropsych eval? When I’ve looked into it, that’s what seems to be the best route – looking for the ped to refer and go through insurance means long waits, and the school won’t refer until there are problems (this is anecdotal, please correct me if others have had different experiences!)
Anne-on says
In our case the waitlist in our state was insanely long (18 months) for a ‘free’ eval, so we paid out of pocket in order to get services at school sooner. The schools won’t offer services till you have a formal eval. Insurance covered a bit of it (not much, mostly I hit my out of pocket deductible in one shot). It was $3k for the ADHD evaluation. For the ASD eval I used the same clinic and they offered us a discount as an ‘add on’ for another $1k. One tip I heard is to look for clinical studies at a nearby hospital – they’ll often do an evaluation for ‘free’ in return for participating in an ASD study.
Nonny says
Has anyone done a private evaluation in DC and have recommendations? Kiddo has been on the list at children’s well over a year and it doesn’t seem to be moving…
Anonymous says
The Chesapeake Center in Bethesda and Orchid Center a little farther out in Ellicott City are both highly recommended in the DC area for ADHD. We had some miscommunication with the Chesapeake Center and were scheduled with a psychiatrist whom DH and I didn’t mesh with and who launched right into recommending a bunch of drugs before any doctors ever even spoke with my son, which put a bad taste in my mouth. To be fair, when I gave that feedback to the schedulers, the Clinical Director was absolutely lovely and offered a consultation that was ultimately very helpful and led to a decision to “wait and see” for a bit longer before pursuing the full eval. I have heard from several friends and acquaintances who absolutely love their services, so I think we were an outlier.
Anonymous says
For DC, Georgetown Psychology didn’t have a long wait but you have to pay upfront to get on the list ($5500) which is probably why.
So Anon says
For us, I started asking around for recommendations for a private neuropsych who focuses on girls. I paid out of pocket, so I didn’t need a referral or preauthorization or anything. Also, going the out-of-pocket route meant that it was much much faster. It took 1.5 years to get my son seen through the approved insurance provider. This took about 3 months. My daughter did a full day of testing, and her teacher and I completed assessments.
anon says
We also went private, our ped had a list of private/public options. We paid ~$2K in NC and actually went through our large State research university in the triangle. Wait was about 3 months- 2-3hr evlals + 1-1.5 hr for ASD and ADHD.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Curious as to what behavior issues you noticed at home? Is it something that you would expect in a younger kid but thought she’d grow out of as an older kid, or something that got worse? It’s hard to know what’s typical for an age group vs. what requires intervention, especially when there is nothing from teachers or other adults. And was the evaluation through your ped?
Anon says
I responded above that we are scheduled for an evaluation in a few months.
My son is in 1st grade. He has always been very sensitive to loud noises and gets overwhelmed in a crowd (I wish we had put him in a Montessori preschool, as the play based preschool his younger brother loved was too loud and chaotic for him). Conversely, he has a really hard time slowing his body down, especially when he is tired or hungry. He crashes into things — like, if there is a wide open room with two chairs in it and nothing else, and you ask him to walk through the room, he’ll change his path to make sure he bumps into the chairs.
He is very musical and is frequently humming. He has played the piano by ear since he was 3 or 4. He is extremely athletic, but really struggles to stand still for any length of time.
He does not have a hard time focusing in school, though, and is very quiet and reserved in a classroom.
As he has gotten older, he struggles a lot with anxiety and fears — thoughts get stuck in his head, and he has a really hard time even hearing about someone getting hurt, but devours historical fiction, especially to learn/understand WW1 and WW2.
So, definitely has some sensory stuff going for which an OT was absolutely helpful, but I’m struggling to understand if there is something else that is at play here. I suspect ADHD or ASD, or ???? No idea. I’ll report back in June.
Anon says
I’m curious. Why do you think those things are abnormal for a kid?
Anon says
Yeah all these things sound pretty normal to me. It’s an unpopular opinion but I think kids are really over-diagnosed these days. People have quirks. Some people are sensitive or anxious or shy or loud. These are personality traits. Not every quirk or personality trait is a disorder.
Anon says
The intensity of his physicality and his fears are outside the range of normal for a kid his age. He has also said to me that he struggles to control his body at certain points, and he doesn’t like that feeling, which is frankly all I need to hear to help him get resources to better understand why. His fears are keeping him from doing certain normal activities, which he also has told me bother him.
Anon says
I fall on the other side of the spectrum. If it were up to me, I think all kids deserve a full evaluation on how they learn. There’s not necessarily a diagnosis at the end of it, but it does explain how you learn — It look me until I was 40+ to understand how I learn. I could have stuck with higher levels of math if I had learned “how” I learn earlier, and gone on to pursue the science degree I really wanted.
But even a diagnosis isn’t a bad thing — it just helps YOU better understand who you are, it doesn’t change you. My brother wasn’t diagnosed with ASD until he was an adult, but he appeared to be a pretty typical kid who just had some “quirks” — while absolutely struggling without knowing WHY all through high school. He would have had a much happier and better childhood if he had received a diagnosis and the additional support as a kid. It’s not like he would have gone to a special school or classes – the support he would have received honestly would have been marginal, but would have made a huge difference. I honestly don’t know why people are afraid of diagnoses or support – why not help kids understand who they are and how they learn?
anon says
I agree, Anon at 11:20. Seems like every kid I know is in some kind of therapy for totally normal behaviors. Kids need to run around and play outside, not be shuttled to OT appointments just because they do things that are weird to grownups
Anon says
I think a lot of people conflate “normal” and “average.” They’re not the same at all. There’s a huge range of normal, and a kid can be “normal,” while being very far from average. Our ped discussed this with us in the context of walking, but I think it applies to lots of other things. For example for walking, normal is 8 months to 18 months, but something like 98% of children walk by 16 months, so a child who is 17 months and not walking is developmentally “normal” while still being behind virtually all their peers. I’m glad we have a ped who is low intervention and only fixated on what is a normal developmental timeline, not where the child is relative to peers. Personally I feel like my child is quite a bit more sensitive and anxious than average, but (so far anyway) not outside the normal range of development.
Anon says
anon @ 12: 13, I responded at 10:44 and 11:25, if you think the answer to “my kid is struggling and asked for help” is more outside time, then, to be perfectly honest, I feel really badly for any kids in your care, and very genuinely hope they don’t need more support at any point in their lives. I have a close friend who has had crippling anxiety her entire life, but won’t seek help for it because her MD father so badly shamed people who sought help. It has significantly impacted her personal and professional life.
Anonymous says
I have three kids. One of them is very similar to this poster’s. His proprioception is off. But more than that; it’s the intensity that I have a hard time parenting. He feels everything so deeply. Not saying that’s abnormal, necessarily but also I don’t think one member of the family should cause all the others to walk around on eggshells constantly. That’s why I’m pursuing evaluation: to help him be happier and help us be a happier family.
anon says
Hey anon no need to feel badly for my daughter! She’s very happy running around and being a child while yours is at therapy being forced to control is body.
So Anon says
I’ve seen this argument play out with both of my kids. They can’t be ___ or that we are pathologizing “normal” kid behavior. Maybe both of my kids would be fine without the interventions that they have/will have – maybe. But I have seen the positive impacts that the interventions had with my oldest autistic son.
I do know that anxiety may be normal, but it is not healthy and life is so much better when anxiety is not running the show or in control of a home. And anxiety driven by autism is vastly different and needs different treatment from other types of anxiety. I now know that my daughter’s processing speed drops from in the top for her age group with simple tasks down to the bottom of her age group when complexity is introduced. For me, that means that I proactively break-up complicated tasks into smaller bites that many children her age do not need. I now know that her motor-visual planning is a challenge, so unlike many kids, tying her shoes is really hard. She melts down with similar tasks because intellectually, she knows what needs to be done but her brain has a hard time coordinating her eyes to her hands.
All kids have struggles, sure, but all struggles are not the same. It is like saying we are all a little autistic/ADHD; it isn’t true and diminishes the very real struggles that those who are autistic or who have ADHD encounter. Its not a matter of will power or trying harder or laziness. It is a real struggle that can be helped with specific strategies.
Anonymous says
If your kid’s issues are solved by more time running around outside, then those issues are not ADHD or ASD. It’s very easy to blame these diagnoses on bad parenting until you are actually living the he11 of being that parent. On the other hand, I also believe that the “therapy for all!” attitude is harmful to kids who actually have serious issues, partly because it trivializes the issues (in the same way as “emotional support animals” delegitimize actual service dogs) and partly because it diverts resources and makes waiting lists very long for the kids and families who need help the most.
Anon says
In our society now, therapy and a diagnosis is seen as the gold standard of care, but there are other (and totally legitimate) ways to ensure kids and families thrive. So many people have tunnel vision… all roads lead to therapy and mental health conditions. It feels like a frenzy among parents. I do have people I love and care about on the spectrum and I wish them all the support in the world, but I also think some parents need to relax and stop over analyzing everything their kids do.
anon says
Honestly a couple of years ago I had some similar feelings about behaviors in the range of normal being pathologized and people being too quick to over diagnose… and now I have two girls diagnosed with ADHD. I had noticed things with both that made me question a bit, but I dismissed a lot due to them being young and attributed a lot of things to just “normal” anxiety. Eventually with my older daughter I ran some of the comments she had made and things I had observed by our ped, who recommended an ADHD eval. With my younger daughter, I long figured she was “just” very highly spirited, eventually along with sensory processing disorder, but her activity level and impulsiveness just became more worrisome from a safety/injury perspective as she got older vs getting better.
I’ve gotten some pushback from family and friends along the lines of they’re kids, it’s normal! But at least from my experience, it’s often a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Like any one or two issues on their own are easy to dismiss or explain away, but when you put them all together and live with that all the time, it starts to become clear there’s something going on. But family and friends are often just seeing or hearing about individual things here and there, and often not aware of the full picture.
Spirograph says
The turn this thread took is disappointing. We all want to do what’s best for our children here, and since no two children and no two families are alike, and the complexities that factor into decisions can’t possibly be captured in a post someone dashes off on an internet forum, I hope we can all agree that there’s a wide acceptable range of how to approach that.
ElisaR says
here here Spirograph!
So Anon says
I completely agree that it is hard to tell. I think what I was seeing was pretty normal at 5/6 but started to seem not developmentally appropriate as she hit 8/9. One tell for me what that she would utterly come apart and melt down when things were not “perfect.” She would become hyperfocused on a task and it had to be done an exactly precise way or else the rest of the day was ruined. It felt like she had a timeline that she expected everyone else to adhere to, but we didn’t know what that timeline was nor was it aligned to what was actually going on. She needs constant reassurance about what is happening when, the plan for the day, etc. When she melted down, she would lash out and try and hit me. After these events, I would ask her how she was feeling, and she would respond that she didn’t know what I meant. I would ask whether she was feeling anything in her body (tight chest, upset tummy, heart beating fast) and she would become upset because she didn’t understand the question. Two things that seem normal but in the overall picture are not: She will only wear certain fabrics and has a limited palate. That may seem fine but she would refuse to get dressed if her preferred clothes were not available. She is very serious and does not engage easily in social situations.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Thank you, So Anon, for sharing. This is helpful. I’ve heard that a lot of providers wait until 6 or 7 to test for ADHD, because before that it’s hard to say what is ADHD and what is immaturity/the age, especially for boys. I’ve noticed a huge change in my older kid from K to 1st grade where a lot of tough behavior (meltdowns, hitting, screaming) at home mostly went away. But he still has his moments when I wonder.
Anonymous says
I have a girl that is 7 and is one of those borderline cases. She has a lot of behavior like So Anon’s daughter, but she’s also the youngest kid in her grade by a lot (thanks redshirting) and missed most of preschool due to COVID.
I think she will either grow out of it or get worse in the next year or so. She’s already grown out of a lot of her old less than desirable behaviors but still has an explosive temper at home, extremely stubborn (in a family of stubborn people) and is super fidgety at school. She hates to read, has trouble moving between activities if they are not on her timeline, etc- but we are working on that and it seems to be improving. She’s been way better about forming friendships and being a good friend this year, as well as being responsible- we got her a pet and that helped a lot.
Before spending $5k to get her evaluated we are going with an approach of using adhd parenting strategies, getting plenty of exercise (she loves swimming) and keeping an eye and a good line of communication with her teachers.
Anon says
Who do you contact for an evaluation? I hear that advice a lot but am not sure what sort of professional to contact (my sons are 5 & 7, I suspect ADHD and/or anxiety). They do great in school, but at home it is a lot of meltdowns, impulsivity and intense behaviors
Pogo says
“meltdowns, impulsivity and intense behaviors” saaaame. I struggle like many to think, is he just an intense, energetic kid who grows out of it OR could we be doing more to support him?
I am definitely thinking of his uncle (DH’s brother), who wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until adulthood, and who struggled in school, was aimless after college, moved back home, bounced around jobs until he finally found something that clicked – I don’t want my son to feel like he has to pursue some standard neurotypical path if it’s better for him to just go straight for what makes sense for him!
Anon 10:37 says
Yes, same here (I’m Anon 10:37). I don’t want to pathologize their personalities, which is why I’ve mainly been observing/mulling things over for a couple years and focusing on broadening my parenting toolbox. And I am seeing some improvements with age/maturity. But I’ll give some more details.
My older one has always been intense. His moods go 0-60; he goes from seemingly fine to hitting, screaming, throwing himself about, etc. He also has a lot of worries, and stomachaches/vomiting that seem to go with the worries. Parenting him is still a very physical and exhausting experience, and I thought we’d be past that at 7.
My 5 yo has long, drawn out meltdowns that turn destructive, feels criticized easily and feels he’s “bad” and rejected when he is disciplined. Also, he is very distractible, transitions are tough (I’ll watch him start to put on his shoes and the next thing I know he’s off playing and the shoes are back on the floor.) He talks slowly and loses his train of thought. A very sweet kid who plays well independently, is a great friend, and is very focused on activities of his own choosing, but intense when he’s set off.
Also, my SIL has 9 kids with a few ADHD/anxiety diagnoses mixed in, and based on conversations with her I’m thinking an eval couldn’t hurt.
Pogo says
Yup. I hear you – similar behaviors which are certainly along the range of normal but very physically demanding at times, particularly as he’s gotten bigger.
When I was a POOPCUPS I definitely thought “wow does everything think their child is some kind of special snowflake that needs to be given extra attention?” when I saw posts in my local moms group about all the IEPs and 504s and evals. But, now that I have a kiddo who is older and still very challenging I get it! You just want the best for your kid. Like truly, maybe my kid is just stubborn and high energy and he’ll grow out of it and that would be awesome – but if not, I just want to be able to help him be his best self.
Anon for this says
I had my eldest child evaluated over the summer became while they had zero issues at school and as a parent I would enthuse about their positive qualities to anyone, they are also an intense kid to parent. Lots of similarities to what others have mentioned above. Also nothing outside the “normal” range, but definitely not average. We have 3 kids and 1 takes up far more mental parenting energy than the other two combined. The evaluation was worth it’s weight in gold for exactly what someone above said-it helped us as parents understand how our kid’s brain was wired and helped us adjust our parenting strategies appropriately. We had spent YEARS trying to broaden our parent toolbox to limited success because, as it turns out, many strategies are directed at “average” and they just didn’t work well when applied to my kid. Just having the evaluation and the data back has relieved a lot of parenting stress for both me and my husband (who went into it skeptically but 100% agreed with the value by the end). Our very sensible, not one to get overly stressed, pediatrician was fully supportive-her view is that it is always helpful to get that kind of peek into a kid’s mind. It’s basically like getting an instruction manual for your kid (her words). Of everything I’ve done to build my parenting toolbox, getting the evaluation is by far the thing that has had the most value. I also suspect ADHD for my kid and while it wasn’t formally diagnosed because the behaviors don’t present at school, it’s documented that they do at home and I’m glad we have this baseline in case anything comes up in the future. We paid out of pocket for it and for anyone in the Bay Area, went through Children’s Health Council (which also offers financial aid). I truly cannot recommend the process highly enough for anyone who is considering it.
anon says
Gah, we have an unexpected snow day. Cue the guilt about not being fully present for my kids, or for my work. Luckily I don’t have anything super pressing. Any time this comes up, I swear I have flashbacks to the spring of 2020 and trying to do the impossible.
Anne-on says
If it makes you feel any better in a ‘misery loves company’ way I totally forgot my kid has a half day and now have to take my afternoon calls on my phone/on mute as I mistakenly told my husband nothing much was going on today so he should go into his office. Ooops…
Anonymous says
Same here, but at least it’s a 1/2 day. Seems to be an every Thursday thing lately, too.
Anonymous says
If they are elem, pop a movie in then send them outside to play in the snow later. Better yet pay them $10 to shovel.
Pull out a craft from the closet and let them be. Call a neighbor and get another kid over to play with.
If they are in Daycare then I am truly sorry, that sucks!
Anon says
Movies and neighbor kids work for older daycare age kids too (3+ or so).
anon says
I know this is super well-intended but finding something for them to do is not the issue. It’s the unexpected interruptions and the kid noises that take my brain out of work mode and into mom mode. During the pandemic, I really, really struggled mentally and emotionally with that piece and it seems to be no different now that my kids are older and can semi-fend for themselves.
CCLA says
Yeah, it’s no doubt miles and miles easier than when they were super little, and I very much appreciate that I can take a 90 minute call without interruptions now. But things still come up that totally distract or interrupt. Even my super responsible 6yo needs some attention, ideally to be served lunch (though she can fend for herself if really needed), maybe there’s a crash happening in the play room where a fort collapsed and everything is totally fine but it happens mid-zoom and I have to figure out is someone injured or just playing…I’m just constantly operating at like 80%, which is functional but inefficient and stressful.
Anonymous says
God, I don’t want to be overdramatic but it does feel like PTSD. For me 2020-21 was worse as my husband was back in person and our son was only in school 1-2 days a week.
Pogo says
it’s not dramatic. It is PTSD. We all suffered trauma during the pandemic.
Spirograph says
ugh yes, any time I have to work & mom simultaneously give me anxiety for the same reason. If you have nothing pressing, I’d just tell work you’re out for the day and give yourself the mental break of one role at a time.
separately, though, I’m jealous you have snow. It’s warm and rainy here in the DC area; we have only had a couple flurries all wither, and it’s really bumming me out. This Midwestern transplant needs 4 seasons.
Anon says
I’m in the Midwest and we only had one real snowfall this winter. My kids have been so disappointed! It’s warm and rainy here today too.
Anon says
3 is hard. Twin 3 year olds are trying to kill me, especially because they are developing at different paces right now. I think that’s awesome, but what it means in reality is that I feel like I have been living with a very extra, extra 3 year old for a very long time. Please tell me it gets better soon? They are 3.5, I would say that they are 75% of the way potty trained (she is completely, he except for #2), they can “kind of” get dressed on their own, and I can get through a full meal in a restaurant about a quarter of the time without having to bail. Please by my crystal ball, and tell me what life looks like in six months.
Anon says
*be my crystal ball, that is. I know there are a lot of twin moms out there, and I’m just hoping that this summer when they turn 4, it will start to feel like a turning point of having “preschoolers” more often than “toddlers.”
Runner says
Twin mom here! Four just….dropped the intensity for us. And all of the sudden they became good playmates? Or at least they got to the stage where they are learning how to relate to each other and really developing a relationship, which is super cute and super fun. I’d say at four my girl just became…more cooperative? And verbal, which really helps. I love four because they are still babies in some ways, so different than adults, but there is a lot of grown up behavior that just helps. Like being able to climb into car seats, change their own clothes (sometimes!), etc.
Anon says
I don’t have twins, don’t even have two kids, but age 3 was hard and 4 was SO MUCH BETTER. My kid potty-trained very late, was late to some gross motor stuff like learning how to ride a scooter and was on the late/spirited side of emotions and emotional regulation, so a lot of stuff converged in the months before her fourth birthday that made life easier, and it really felt like a fog lifted right around her birthday. She turns 5 this weekend and I’m super sad about it because 4 was so much fun. Definitely did not feel that way when we were saying goodbye to age 3 ;)
Anon says
Helpful — thank you. The fog analogy is great. That’s exactly how I feel — like I’ve been slogging with irrational toddlers forever, and I just want to hang with these awesome bigger kids that I occasionally glimpse through the tantrums.
anon says
four is better. four and a half is much better. six is AMAZING. you’ll get there soon!
Pogo says
For us 5 is much better – so much more independent and able to reason with. Totally depends on the kid tho – my 2yo has started on the tantrums, but he can be redirected so easily. Or, he might say something like “My wanna watch Peppa” and I’ll say “We don’t have video before dinner, do you want to help mommy?” and he just goes “OK mommy” vs my older kid who would have screamed for 10 minutes and thrown a full-body fit at that age. I found the preschool age so hard because they are still toddler-level in maturity but BIG and smarter.
Anon says
Yeah I think a lot of what was hard about 3 was that they look and talk like kids, not toddlers, so the toddler-type behavior like screaming fits is harder to deal with. At least I’m pretty sure that was the case for me and my kid.
Boston Legal Eagle says
3 is the worst. I would take any age over 3. I know I know, wait till I have teenagers, but for now 3 is my least favorite age. My sweet younger kid went into full on whiny irrational tantrums at 3/3.5. While this didn’t flip overnight the second he turned 4, I’m already seeing a much more pleasant child, who is still adorably little in the way he talks and hugs us.
Anon says
Whenever someone says they loved age 3 I instantly distrust them.
Anon says
yea my MIL told me she used to always say that she wanted her kids to be 3 again and i don’t understand why. for us, that age is 2. or perhaps the first 3 months of them being 3 they were a delight. twin mom here and honestly certain things about 4 are much better – and i really do feel like they are developing a special relationship with each other which is fun to watch, but one has had a major potty regression, and we still get lots of tantrums/BIG feelings and it is harder than the tantrums at age 2, which for us, were less frequent. i know the fall and start of kindergarten is going to be a disaster for us, so idk which age i prefer yet. 4 is definitely better than 3, but is still hard.
anon says
We had a long phase at ages 1.5-2.5 where our kid was a Houdini who loved to escape and run full bore into moving traffic. It was terrifying. Having a three yo who would stop and come back was a huge relief.
Anonymous says
Any recs for a good toddler play table? There are some that are 200+ but I am wondering if the ikea one for 60 is just fine too
anonM says
Ehhhh….Pro/cons. We got the ikea table and realized quickly we had to stain/seal the wood, which we didn’t mind but I’m sure is a deal breaker for some. (If you go ikea, definitely stain BEFORE you put it together….Do as I say not as a I did hahaha). It held up for a while really well, but my kids are really rough on things and the surface of the table got so destroyed it wasn’t good for coloring on anymore. I’m sure kids who are more gentle would be just fine, but if your kid(s) are rougher I’d spend more for something sturdy. But, we did still repurpose the ikea table by gluing down some dollar store lego sheets and making a “lego” table. It’s plenty sturdy for that purpose. In retrospect, based on how often we use it, I would have splurged on a nicer one or coordinated it as a group Christmas/birthday gift.
CCLA says
We liked the sundvik for the early toddler years; it seems to be a little smaller than some other ones. Our kids are 4 and 6 now and it’s past time for replacement, the older one is far too big for it, but they both still love to use it anyway. Bigger table is on the list of things we need to order. But for ages 18mo to about 4 years it was perfect and has held up great.
CCLA says
Fwiw we didn’t seal the sundvik, it comes painted white and I think was super cheap
anonM says
I have a comment stuck in moderation.
I’d invest in a nicer one than ikea, esp. if your kids are rough on things. First, it is unfinished so you will have to stain/seal it (do so before assembling!). My kids are really rough on things, but the top of the table ended up with scratches and holes that made it hard to clean or color on. We’ve repurposed it as a lego table, and repainted a hand-me-down PBK table (the other family had it for 18 years and two kids). In retrospect, I would have invested in a PBK one. The one we got handed down is still very sturdy and refinished nicely. (If you’re handy, refinishing a solid PBK one would be a great option!).
Anonymous says
In the grand scheme of problems, I know this is a small one, but I need to vent: I learned last night that my washing machine door latch is broken. I went to start on my great laundry mountain so that clothes will be clean to pack for a trip this weekend aaaand… can’t use the washer. We ordered the replacement part and it will be here early next week, but guess who now gets to spend her day off tomorrow at the laundromat. *sigh* thank goodness none of my kids wet the bed last night.
Anne-on says
That stinks, I’m sorry. I had to use our local coin op for a few months during a renovation – my suggestion is to download a good ebook and take the opportunity to catch up on some reading. On the plus side being able to use 3-4 machines at once does make it much more efficient!
Anonymous says
The good thing about a laundromat is you can do multiple loads at once. You won’t be there all day, just long enough for 1 load and then the folding time! This is one of the things I like about living in a building with shared laundry. I can do 4 loads at once.
Anonymous says
Reading time & simultaneous loads are the silver linings I’m reminding myself of. All in all, it’s not TOO different from how I was going to spend the day, I just wanted to lounge on my own couch and read my book, then fold multiple loads of laundry while watching bad TV without anyone around to judge.
(The broken latch remains an annoying mystery, though. It must have been fine on Tuesday when the housecleaner washed the sheets. I guess I’ll blame the cats)
Pogo says
This is one of my triggers too – we’ve had more and more W&D breakdowns as they get older (I think they’re from like 2006). Every time I just want to cry, even though it is totally reasonable to go to the laundromat.
Last time I actually fixed it myself after watching a Youtube video, but in the process semi-flooded part of the basement and DH was NOT happy.
Runner says
I’m the one who posted a week or so ago about wanting to do a big trip with kiddos (both four). So a friend suggested….Barcelona! And now we are booked and we have a 24 hour layover in Iceland! Would love suggestions for both places, we have an Airbnb in Barcelona that’s a ten minute walk to the beach and a short metro into town, and will be staying there the whole time. And love suggestions on the jet lag!
Anon says
4 is a great age for a first trip to Europe! And Barcelona is a great city with kids. With respect to jet lag, I find going east easier than going west, although apparently that’s an unpopular opinion? For Europe (from US eastern time) we normally all go to bed very early local time on the first night (depends on how much sleep we get on the plane/how early we get into the hotel room but usually somewhere around 6-7 pm), and generally sleep through until the next morning. Sometimes DH or I will wake up in the night and read for a bit, but our kid consistently sleeps through. The next day we’re pretty much adjusted to Europe time, but we make it a point to get outside early and spend a lot of time outdoors because natural light helps your body adjust. Melatonin can also be useful, although we haven’t needed it for Europe.
anon says
For jet lag, I’ll note that Barcelona prefers late dinners. I’d just keep the kids mostly on East Coast time and let them stay up late for dinner. We did a 10 day trip with preschoolers without significantly shifting our internal clocks and it worked out remarkably well in both directions.
Anon says
Re: keeping kids up late, it’s know your kids. I know people who do it with great success, but my kid wakes with the sunrise regardless of what time she goes to bed and is relatively high sleep needs, so keeping her up late in the local timezone would result in a very cranky and sleep-deprived kid. We’ve traveled in Spain several times, and yes, the fancy places and most authentic places don’t open til late, but we’ve always been able to find decent meals at restaurants that open by 6 or 6:30 pm. We’ve also had luck doing our big meal at lunch and just eating something like sandwiches for dinner.
Anon says
For those of you have your kids in some kind of weekend or evening religious education like Sunday school, do you view this as less optional than other activities? Generally our approach to activities with our 5 year old is that she doesn’t have to sign up for anything she doesn’t want to and if she asks to sign up for something she needs to finish the session we paid for (barring extreme circumstances) but after that she can quit. We did Sunday school for the first time this year and my kid doesn’t hate it, but she says it’s really boring and she’d rather stay home and play. I don’t think there’s anything objectively bad about it, they have a very fun curriculum filled with music, crafts and reading, she’s just a kid who will always choose free play (pretend play or running around outdoors) to structured activities. Every week it’s a big struggle to get her out of the house to go, although she does fine once she’s there. She’s in ~40 hour per week daycare, so this isn’t necessary for socialization or to teach her how to function in a school-like environment. DH thinks we should let her quit at the end of this school year, per our regular activity policy. But I view this differently than regular activities and think it’s worth continuing even if she doesn’t love it. We’re a minority religion (Jewish) and I think the connection to the local Jewish community is important in our very Christian area (small town in red state) and I want her to learn about her heritage. I know there’s no “right” answer here and ultimately DH and I have to resolve this between ourselves but I’m curious if anyone has been in this situation and how you handled it.
Anon says
In your case, I would not insist on attendance every single week. I think that’s too much for a child who isn’t enthusiastic about it and that weekend activities can be too burdensome for kids who are in 40-hour daycare. What about going once a month to maintain the connection without as big a time commitment?
OP says
I’m pretty sure we can’t do that; they want kids to be there most of the time and it’s expensive enough and a big enough time commitment on our part that I don’t think I’d want to sign her up planning to only send her once a month. Although I will say that between illness and vacation she’s probably only attended an average of twice per month this year. But this winter was unusually bad for us in terms of illness, hopefully next year will be better.
Anonymous says
Going once a month isn’t how you participate in a community.
Anon says
I don’t agree. A monthly commitment can be a great thing for community.
anon says
I also see Sunday School as something different than a regular kid activity. This is one thing I’m okay with requiring, especially if the issue is just that she’d rather be doing something else. Unless there’s something objectionable happening or I don’t like the lessons being taught, you can give up your preferred activities for one hour a week. That said, our Sunday School and church service overlap, and if our kids would rather sit with us in church than do SS one week, that’s a fine tradeoff.
Anon2 says
We have a similar low-key activities policy, with the exception that if it’s important to us as a family, we make the kid do it. For example, swimming lessons. Learning to swim is important to us. Similarly, our faith is very important to us, so the kids do not have a choice about religious education. (Truthfully I think most kids would opt out of RE.) We even prioritize RE above other activities – aka if something conflicts with RE or Mass, the other activity gets skipped.
DLC says
What’s the end game? We sent our child to religious ed (Catholic) until her first communion and then let her choose whether to keep going. She declined.
I also sent my kids to Sunday Taiwanese school for a while because I thought the connection to my heritage was important. But they didn’t love going, and I realized that I wasn’t really reinforcing any cultural influences or traditions at home. And if I didn’t care enough to celebrate Lunar New Year or the Moon Festival at home or participate in the Taiwanese community in my area, then I can’t really expect my child to gain any kind of sense of cultural heritage from one Sunday a week at Taiwan school. I just kind of resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to ever feel “Taiwanese” enough and that was just where we were.
OP says
End game is a good question. I would love for her to become a bat mitzvah (at age 13) but that requires Hebrew school, which is a much bigger time commitment that is more school-like beginning in mid-elementary school. Knowing our kid, we’re not going to get there without a battle, and I’m not sure it’s a battle worth fighting, especially if she’s struggling at all academically in regular school, which is definitely a bigger priority for me and DH than anything religious. And DH and I didn’t have bar/bat mitzvahs ourselves so I can see her feeling like it’s really unfair that she has to do it.
And yeah your second paragraph resonates. We’re trying to do more at home but I have doubts about this too.
Anonymous says
I think if your faith is important to you, you push it with her. Great it like an extension of school, not an activity.
Does she have friends at Sunday school? Could you make it more appealing by doing a pre-class meetup or go ahead to the playground after?
I would also model what *you* do to develop your faith.
At some point later, I’d give her the option of opting out, if your family is okay with her decision. Are you religious enough that you expect her to have a bat mitzvah? If so, Notes the time to start the habit of learning about her religion.
Spirograph says
I see (Christian) Sunday School as different from a regular activity in that it’s not optional for the kids on days that I want to go to church. We don’t go every Sunday, but it’s my decision, not the kids’. My understanding from Jewish friends and family and other friends who have strong ties to their ethnic heritage & its local community is that the type of Sunday School OP is describing is really more of cultural education/immersion. If I had a cultural or religious heritage that wasn’t well represented in mainstream American culture and wanted my kids to maintain connection to that, I would view it as mandatory. It’s a totally different thing (to me) than signing up for gymnastics or soccer.
Anon says
i am also jewish and sunday school will be a non negotiable for me. right now my kids are in a jewish preschool so they aren’t in sunday school, but will start next year. i see you mention that you are in a small town in a red state, so i’m guessing there aren’t other options for programs? and that the issue is more that it is structured as opposed to having free play. how many hours a week is it on Sundays? my kids having a connection to judaism is also very important to me, but i also don’t want them to hate their religion. has she become friendly with any of the kids there? is there any way to foster any of those friendships outside of sunday school so that she is also excited to see her friend? is there a way to talk to the person running the school about your conundrum to see if they can build in some free play within the structure? are there other ways to incorporate judaism into your lives? you say she is in ~40 hour a week daycare, so will she start K next year? where I live sunday school doesn’t really start until K
OP says
Yeah no other programs locally. It’s 2 hours on Sunday mornings, so it doesn’t conflict with secular activities/friend birthday parties because everyone is in church then so nothing is scheduled for that time. Yes, she’ll go to K next year. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the structure of the program. They do apparently have some playground time in the middle. It’s really just that my kid doesn’t want to do *anything* except play (and yes, I know this will likely be a problem in K but I’m trying not to cross that bridge before we get to it). The classes are very small (2-4 kids) and the kids in her class are all quite a bit younger than her, so I don’t think she really sees them as friends although they get along fine. But I don’t think lack of friends is the biggest issue. She’s just a kid who would much rather play alone or with a kid she doesn’t know well than do a structured activity with her bestie.
Anonymous says
it’s only 2 hours on sundays and i’m guessing doesn’t take place over the summer? i say stick with it, or perhaps pause for the first semester of K and resume mid year. i have twin girls in prek so can relate to the age. perhaps since it is such a small program you can talk to the instructor/director and see if they have any ideas/suggestions. perhaps she will like it more next year when she isn’t just with younger kids. i also encourage you to find other ways to incorporate judaism into your lives in a way that is appealing to your daughter. if you don’t already get PJ Library you should subscribe even though many of the books are terrible, but they will give you up to $100 to host an event for a few families to do something around a jewish holiday or shabbat or something.
Anonymous says
It’s not optional in my house. Everyone goes to church and kids go to Sunday school. In my church confirmation happens at 12/13- I won’t make either of my kids get confirmed or continue attending after that.
Anonymous says
I think it depends on the quality. We are Christian. Sunday school at our church is frankly pretty lousy and doesn’t provide much of a substantive religious education. We do not make our daughter attend because it would be counterproductive and drive her away from the faith, which was my experience as a kid. We did require her to attend a good confirmation class but let her choose for herself whether to be confirmed. We also require her to participate in youth choir in lieu of youth group or small group, again because it is a good program that serves its purpose well.
Pogo says
Not optional to us because that was how we were raised and we want to raise him in our religion. I mean, my kid says regular school is boring and he doesn’t want to go, but we make him go to that, right?
I think it’s totally a family decision and no right or wrong. I will say that with most Sunday school you hate it when you’re younger but when it gets to the point of doing youth group/camp/retreats, that’s when it’s fun.
Spirograph says
this. My parents took the “Sunday school is mandatory, confirmation is not” approach. I’m the only one of my siblings who actually got confirmed. As adults, my siblings are pretty vocal in their opposition to organized religion, but they stuck with the church choir and youth group all through high school because they were fun.
anon says
+1 to all this. I also have personally experienced in my life (and seen in our faith community) how much our teens and young adults value the relationships they’ve formed over years of being part of this church, and that comes from regular engagement starting at an early age. I was a child of the church – I didn’t have a ton of extended family and so my church was where I built my closest relationships outside my immediate family. Those are still enormously valuable to me and I want that for my kids.
Anonymous says
We didn’t start requiring Sunday School until kiddo was 7. We go to church weekly unless we are out of town or sick. She goes to church with us. She tried Sunday school a few times before 7, but she didn’t get much out of it or like it all that well. Once she got old enough that we thought she’d get more out of it, we began requiring it. We’re lucky that there was some turnover at our church that resulted in Sunday School being more appealing around the same time. I’d be hesitatnt to require it until you think she is truly learning from it…but I also agree with the commenter above that participating in faith activities together is really important starting as young as possible.
Anonymous says
Also Jewish. Religious school at our synagogue is not optional in our family even though our child also attends a Jewish school for regular school and we’re not orthodox or anything. This is how our children will develop their peer group in our own religious community, which will also function as a support system for bar mitzvah (can’t imagine bar mitzvah without all my friends around!). We live in an area with very few Jewish people and I want our kids to have a community at our own synagogue beyond their school friends- for me, having that separate group of friends from my school friends became incredibly important by middle school/high school. Our religious school is also parent taught so it serves as a main community building opportunity for adults with kids, too. I want our kids to be connected to our synagogue community beyond just attending services occasionally; want them to be prepared for bar mitzvah and beyond (in our synagogue teenagers play a huge role in a lot of functions, reading torah on Shabbat, leading sections of high holidays devices etc), and want them to gave their own cultural peer group. I’m very happy to talk offline if uid like.
OP says
Thanks for your thoughts. I think one of the sticking points – touched on above – is that DH and I aren’t really religious ourselves. We’re both 100% ethnically Jewish but grew up with no religious education and families that didn’t celebrate holidays other than Hanukkah and Passover. We don’t belong to a synagogue or attend religious services. I like the idea of our child having more of a religious education than we did, and even more importantly, having that cultural connection to her heritage and the few other Jewish kids in our town, but it does feel like we’re being sort of hypocritical (? maybe that’s not the right word…) by expecting her to do more than we do.
Anonymous says
Not quite the same, but in case this is helpful: My husband attended Catholic school in elementary and likes to say that he made “an informed decision” to reject religion, but he goes along with church because he sees value in the moral compass it can provide for kids and because it’s important to me. My kids know that daddy is skeptical of The Church as an institution, doesn’t really like church, doesn’t join us every Sunday, and when he does, doesn’t follow along in the service much (he sits and stands but does none of the congregational responses and sings only Christmas hymns). They apparently don’t see any hypocrisy in him backing the requirement that they go to Sunday School when he’s doing the bare minimum.
Similar to ElisaR, we tell the kids that this is a decision we’ve made as parents, but they can choose differently when they’re older. Sometimes they grumble about going to church because they’d rather be home playing video games, but they enjoy Sunday School once they get there.
ElisaR says
this is a hot topic in our house too! I have settled on “Mommy and Daddy have decided that church is important to our family. This is not an optional activity like soccer, we have decided that is what we are going to do. Maybe when you are older you will make a different choice.”
Anonymous says
We put our 3.5 year old in Hebrew school this year because a friend his age was going, but he really doesn’t like it and we’ve chilled out on making him go. We figure we will try again next year. I do plan to continue to try with him because I agree that learning about our Jewish heritage is important.
anonM says
I don’t have any advice, and have struggled with my own religious beliefs, but appreciate the religion and cultural perspectives everyone is sharing. Thanks all.
EDAnon says
We have our kids go almost every week. We aren’t perfect about it and if we had a huge day of birthday parties or something, they stay home from church. But we won’t let them quit until they’re older. The moral education is important to us. Like swim class, which they also can’t quit until they hit a certain level.
Anonymous says
Do you discuss report cards with your early elementary children? Ours doesn’t have grades exactly, but advanced/proficient/not yet developed in like 35 different areas on the rubric (each subject broken into different skills), plus commentary. Ours seems to know that he got one, but I’m thinking the commentary will make him self conscious and I’m not sure I want him to be talking about being “advanced.” (And we are already working on areas for development, like being able to take space and calm down at recess, so thinking that may make him self conscious too.). On the other hand I definitely saw my report cards as soon as I started getting them (3rd grade), although they had way less info.
Spirograph says
Our report cards are sent home with the kids, so they see them, but no, we didn’t really discuss them. My kids are in 1st, 2nd and 4th grade, and letter grades start in 2nd but there are still like 35 different areas. There are no teacher comments, that’s all saved for parent-teacher conferences.
My 1st grader told me that all the P’s stand for “professional” and I got a kick out of that. There was nothing on any of the report cards that was surprising or upsetting to me or that I felt warranted further comment. My 2nd grader was marked “advanced” in reading level (compared to “on grade level” or “developing”) and was being a little obnoxious about it to both siblings who were “on.” We shut that down, but otherwise just told the kids good job, signed the envelope as required, and went about the rest of the evening.
Anonymous says
3rd grader- yes. They are still in the equivalent of “check” and “check plus” and only get them twice a year. She got all “check plus”s last year and her comment from the teacher was excellent. I shared that with her.
This year she got good marks but her teacher commented that she doesn’t participate much, so we talked about that. It’s already changed.
My 1st grader got to see hers too. Her teacher comments were lovely and helped reinforce messages from home (it’s important to show up on time and ready to learn, etc). She didn’t really care as much but seeing that they count the absences for some reason made her stop complaining about going to school every day :).
AwayEmily says
Definitely not. I do a quick skim to make sure there’s nothing that needs my attention and then toss them.
Anon says
+1
Anonymous says
I read my K-er the positive comments about her willingness to participate in class discussions and how well she was doing sounding out words. All in the spirit of praising the action I want to see. That said, her first report card from the year said she was below average in math (has since caught up), and no, we did not discuss that with her.
Anon says
Same. My kid is still in pre-K so we have parent/teacher conferences, not report cards, but we discuss both positive and negative behaviors and offer praise/suggestions as appropriate. We don’t share feedback about intelligence or aptitude, even though so far it’s been pretty generic (average to slightly above average).
anon says
Exactly this. However, we are dealing with behavior issues so that conversation is ongoing as always.
Anonymous says
OP- it occurred to me to ask the teacher her recommendation and she already responded somehow! She noted at this age level they aren’t written with the student as the intended audience, but fine to share themes or she can chat with him too if desired.
Pogo says
Yeah we ‘share’ in the sense of like, ‘oh that’s fun to practice writing on your tablet! Ms Teacher said it might be harder for you because youre a lefty to write your letters so practicing would be a good idea!’ But we don’t say ‘Ms Teacher said your handwriting needs improvement’.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Ours are online and I don’t think my 1st grader is even aware. I’m mostly looking for the social/getting along with classmates ones, and he’s doing well there.
Anonymous says
Yeah, I have zero concerns, just that kiddo seems interested. But may not actually want him to know. With the teacher’s response I think we can echo themes Iike being glad he sticks with hard tasks .
Anonymous says
This seems so silly but I can’t decide what’s polite. My twins got invited to a birthday party. Do they each need to bring a gift or is a joint gift ok? The twins are two, birthday girl is turning two, fwiw.
Anon says
As a mom of a singleton, I would only expect one gift per family, but we had twins attend my kid’s recent party and they brought two gifts. But the kids are a lot older (5). I think at 2, one gift is plenty.
OP says
This was my thought. When they’re older I’ll have them choose gifts for their friends but at 2 they don’t even know there’s a party. We’ve also been at this day care for two weeks so I was surprised to get an invite at all but I think the mom was trying to be inclusive.
Anon says
so when my twins were younger, i generally got one gift when attending a party and usually spent a bit more. now that they are 4 and are very aware of what happens at parties, we bring two gifts because i want them to each be involved in the giving and i know the host is often paying for each of them to attend.
Anonymous says
If you were hosting and everyone brought one gift for your two kids would that feel ok?
AwayEmily says
Personally I would be thrilled if people brought one gift for my two kids. can we implement that rule at Christmas too?
Anon says
I don’t think that’s analogous. What you’re describing is forcing kids to share their present in a way that what OP is describing doesn’t.
But fwiw we just went to a twin birthday party and the mom said she was totally overwhelmed by the number of presents and wished people had just brought one gift for both. They had 19 guests, so 38 (!) presents.
Anon says
twin parent here – and I commented above at 1:10 pm, it is very age dependent. younger kids totally fine to bring gift for twins to share and we usually also only brought one gift from our family, but spent a bit more. older kids, kind of hard to share certain things, like no they cannot share one pack of stickers, but can share one board game.
NYCer says
OP’s question is the opposite though. Bday kid is a singleton and OP’s kids are twins. So the one bday kid either gets one present or two presents.
No personal experience, but I think that for a 2yo, one joint present from OP’s twins seems ok.
Lily says
I think one gift is fine, but I might make it a bit nicer than if only one of your kids were going (like spend $30 on the gift, if you would normally spend $20). I don’t think it’s a big deal either way, but doing that would make me feel good about it. Also, once your kids are older, it would be nice for them to each be able to pick out a gift for their friend to show their individuality/individual relationship with that friend. I don’t have twins but get the sense that it’s important for them to have opportunities to express their individuality. But at 2, that’s not really a factor with picking gifts.
anon says
I would bring one gift but maybe spend a little more, especially if it’s at a place that charges by head. And you can afford it, of course. If you can’t, no big deal.
Anon says
just confirming that for a Kindergartener, the LL Bean regular size backpack is the way to go as opposed to deluxe or junior?
Anonymous says
Can confirm.
Mary Moo Cow says
We went with the Regular size with the idea that it would last at least 3 years. Turns out we need the space for K, for extra pair of clothes, the three ring binder that comes home every day, the lunch box, the occasional sweatshirt, etc.
Ifiknew says
I actually bought the junior when she was 3 and she still uses it in kinder but she only has her lunch in it most days and manages to stuff her jacket in too and the occasional single book. it’s working fine honestly..
anon says
Yup, the regular size will be perfect. Junior is too small. Deluxe is really big.
Anon says
Confirm (my kid is 4’1″ and 75 pounds as a kindergartener). The junior we used for preschool would not be big enough for her change of clothes, lunch box, required snack box and daily folders. The original is perfect. I put her in a (loaded) deluxe for a trip and had to deal with passive-aggressive commentary from strangers about how that backpack was bigger than she is and wasn’t that too heavy even though my child regularly carts a gallon of milk or case of pop in each hand unloading groceries and is generally stronger than many of the adults I know.
Anonymous says
Ugh we got Covid and now can’t visit my dad this weekend and he’s having heart surgery. Ugh.
Anon says
I’m sorry! But better you know now and not give a recent surgerical patient Covid, right? I hope everything goes smoothly for him.