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I f*ked up bedtime as an uncle, so I went into 3-day founder mode

So, I completely f*ked it up as an uncle a couple years ago.

My niece Lola (3yrs) came to visit and I was putting her to bed and she asked for a book. I realized I had zero books for kids. I must say I was fast because I found a promotional toy magazine and ended up "doing something".

Next year same story, so when I was getting ready to go out and buy her a book it got me thinking: I work in tech, why don't I build an app so she chooses whatever she wants to have a story about and the app does it?

So I got 3 days on founder mode to do a quick MVP:

  • She had to be able to choose things easily (I got this good at first, and saw it's a dealbreaker).
  • The app should create a story based on that (good enough).
  • There should be images about each page (good, but obviously the worst part).

The experiment went more-or-less good, because she liked it but it had the issues of a 3-day job.

Since then I went back and forth testing it with my neighbors, coworkers, my friends, Lola's friends and parents I meet, and I solved the main issues people say:

  • screen time: I added pdf download so you don't have to read it in your tablet if you don't want to.
  • adapt to devices: maybe you want to create the story with your kid in your phone and print it later, now it's better
  • multiple languages: you can live translate the story, so if you want your kid to learn other languages, this is a good way to start.
  • image consistency: honestly, this killed me. Lola kept asking who was the character (and she had chosen them!!) but I realized they HAD TO BE THE SAME.
  • Build your own character: I think this is the coolest feature of all, she loved it when she created a character that looked like her and was in the stories.

So I feel I've came up to having a pretty solid version I'd love pro-feedbackers like you to test it. So if you’re a builder and a parent (or a Cool Uncle/Aunt like me), I’d love for you to test it with your kids and be brutal.

What sucks? Please, be brutally honest about it.

I set up a code for the IH community: INDIE40PARENTS (gets you 40% off if you want to use it properly, but I'm mainly here for the feedback).

Check it out at: lolaloos.com
What am I missing?

(As a PM I never got this experience and I have this love & hate feeling for having babies and kids as testers, it's weird and extremely challenging, so I might talk about this in another post)

on April 6, 2026
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    This is honestly a great origin story — and the “Lola test” is probably better validation than most user interviews 😄

    The image consistency + “build your own character” insight is huge. That’s the kind of detail most AI story tools miss, but for kids it completely breaks immersion if it’s off.

    One thought — you might lean even harder into the parent + kid together angle. Not just a tool, but a shared activity. That feels like your strongest wedge.

    Curious — are parents coming back for repeat usage, or is it more of a one-time “try it once” right now?

    Also, I’m running a small project (Tokyo Lore) where we highlight unique builds like this and get them in front of a focused group of early users.

    Since you’ve got a real emotional hook + strong use case, this could stand out well — especially while the round is still early.

    It’s a $19 entry, includes a structured analysis + entry into a live round (winner gets a Tokyo trip — flights + hotel).

    Happy to share more if you’re interested 👍