Services

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.

While moms may find a trip to a salon luxurious, young kids often have a different attitude about getting their hair cut. They squirm and squeal and refuse to sit still. Have you ever seen a stylist try to snip a moving target? It's not pretty—and the resulting 'do isn't either. Thankfully children's salons pull out all the stops to turn haircuts into a fun experience for families by plying their young clients with balloons, bubbles, cartoons, toys, funky chairs and lots of coddling.

A few years ago we posted about kids' haircutting places in Brooklyn. Today we're focusing on kid-friendly Manhattan salons. Here are seven (hopefully tear-free) spots where kids can get their hair cut in Manhattan.

Our Birthday Party Planning Guide is chock-full of great ideas for fun kids' birthday parties whether you are planning a party at home or at one of the amazing birthday party places all over NYC. We just updated all the posts to make sure they have the latest information. And if you scroll down to the Party Planner, you can search for listings by type of entertainer, party place or service.

In celebration of the relaunch of our Kids' Party Guide we asked some of our amazing sponsors to offer deals for our readers. Even if you're not planning a party right now, check it out: Some of the deals are good for a while and can probably be redeemed as long as you plan the party before the deal expires.

As always, a huge thank you to our Party Guide sponsors, without whom we couldn't put together such a great resource. If you plan your party with any of our sponsors, please tell them you saw them in the Mommy Poppins Party Guide.

Whether it’s good old-fashioned angel food or trendy Southern red velvet, birthday cake is still the highlight of any party for kids. These days, however, the definition of “birthday cake” is expanding to also include cupcakes (amazing what one little episode of Sex and the City can do). Cupcakes are a good party choice because they can be cheaper, easier to serve, and more customizable than regular party cakes—the perfect answer when half your guests want chocolate and the other half crave vanilla. Whichever way you go, consider the following places. They’ll make any birthday party a sweet celebration.

When it comes to most things to do, NYC beats the suburbs hands down. Grocery shopping? Not one of them. Supermarket-deprived neighborhoods, walk-ups and lack of a parking (or even a car) make city shopping a challenge. For a long time FreshDirect has been a game changer for NYC families, but now there's a new option for online grocery shopping. This year, Peapod brought suburban grocery shopping to the City and I put it to the test.

Read on to find out how Peapod's new service in NYC stacks up to FreshDirect and how you can save a lot of dough on your groceries.