Parenting Tips

Although the average age for first-time mothers in the U.S. is mid-20s, many New York City women are on a different schedule. In the city, it's not uncommon to see thirty- and fortysomething moms proudly pushing strollers down the streets—often double ones. Becoming a mom later in life has many potential advantages, like maturity and financial security. But there are challenges too, like connecting with your peers. Sure, you can make plenty of mommy friends on the playground, but if you're hoping to meet other parents who grew up on Sesame Street before Elmo, you may want to join a specialized playgroup or meetup.

We previously posted about general parent groups in NYC. In honor of Salute to Moms 35+ Week, which runs May 13-19, we've rounded up some of New York City's best resources for mothers with a bit of life experience under their belts.

We recently wrote about Exerblast, the new family adventure gym that gets kids (and grown-ups) moving in a whole new way. But sometimes getting to a gym isn't in the cards. I realized my family needed to find ways to integrate movement and exercise into our everyday lives. That's why I decided to check out Sneaky Fitness, a book by Missy Chase Lapine (of The Sneaky Chef fame) and Larysa DiDio, a fitness expert.

Read on to find out what I thought of this book, and a list of 25 easy indoor exercise ideas that you can do with your kids at home.

We’ve been avoiding writing about back-to-school anything. That’s because we’re always annoyed by all of the back-to-school craziness that seems to start sometime around the end of June, plus we don’t want to admit that summer really is coming to an end. But we can’t put off reality any longer: Come September 8, New York City public school students return to their classrooms, and some charter and private schools start even earlier.

If you’ve already stocked up on everything you need in terms of supplies and clothes—we envy you. But in case your family is like mine and you’re only now getting around to your back-to-school buying (meaning it’s too late to do it online), we figured we’d share our favorite local places to shop for inexpensive clothes and supplies year-round. We’re sure you’ve heard of some of these spots—is there a parent left in the U.S. who doesn’t know about The Children’s Place?—but sometimes one person’s “duh!” is another’s revelation. Plus, we’re giving away a Children’s Place gift card and we’ve got the scoop on a number of upcoming festivals where you can pick up free back-to-school supplies.

Sleep-training books are all well and good, but sometimes a sleep-deprived parent needs an actual person to swoop in and save the day. Natalie Nevares, founder of the of family-coaching service Mommywise, did that for my family.

When I initially called Natalie, I was planning on writing a post rounding up multiple sleep-training specialists in New York City. However, Natalie alleviated my family's sleeping issues so easily and quickly, I didn't feel right recommending anyone else. Plus, she travels, so no matter where you are in the five boroughs, she'll bring her skills to you.

Since Sunday is Father's Day, I know what I'll be doing: Hanging out with my wife and sons, hoping I can convince them to see Green Lantern instead of Mr. Popper's Penguins.

Being a dad means even Father's Day is a bit of a compromise. But if you need a reminder that these days will end sooner than you think, watch the moving documentary The Kids Grow Up by Doug Block, which premieres on HBO on Father's Day.

Like me, Block is a NYC dad, and his film chronicles the life of his only child, Lucy, who's about to leave for college. My sons are still in elementary school, so the movie examined uncharted territory for me. Here's how I felt about the flick.