Parent Talk

La Cañada Mom Wins Nobel Prize (Really)

Submitted by Li Starr on Tue, 10/16/2018 - 7:51pm

Want to inspire your kids to do their math homework, or maybe visit JPL, La Cañada's Jet Propulsion Labratory? Maybe this amazing mom, who is a professor at CalTech, has a son who also works at JPL, and just won a freakin' Nobel Prize, will inspire your little ones to get more excited about STEM stuff (and might just inspire you to think big, too).

Postpartum Support Resources for New Moms in New York City

Submitted by Rose Gordon Sala on Tue, 10/16/2018 - 9:30am

In those final sleepless nights before your baby is born, you might lie awake thinking about what to put in your hospital bag, who will watch the dog...or, heck, whether you really love the name you picked. But the arrival of that baby brings on a whole new onslaught of questions.

Is he getting enough milk? Why won’t she sleep more than 45 minutes at a time? He cries so much….is it an allergy? When will I get this under control? Where can I find a mellow mommy and me class? WTF is that stabbing pain in my pelvis? And once the wave of eager visitors subsides, and you and/or your partner heads back to work, the questions tend to stack up. Who to ask? Where to find help?

Lucky for you, we NYC Mommy Poppins moms have a few babies between the lot of us (we’re not going to say just how many). We've compiled a list of resources that have been helpful to us over the years, from postpartum therapy and lactation consultants to parent support groups. And don’t forget to peruse our Baby and Pregnancy Guide for more NYC resources. Hang in there: It does get easier. Especially if you know where to get a little help.

Are Daycare Kids Better Behaved? This Study Says Yes

Submitted by Elaine Paoloni ... on Mon, 10/15/2018 - 10:01am

Torn between a nanny, daycare, or staying home with your kids? Choosing childcare can be a difficult—and deeply personal—decision for any family, and of course involves a number of factors, from costs to the length of your commute. A new study out of France suggests that daycare might offer some significant advantages in terms of our kids' development.

Researchers at Sorbonne Université in Paris followed nearly 1,500 kids from the womb to age 8 as they either attended a center-based daycare or were cared for by a nanny or family member. The daycare kids, particularly those who attended at least a year before the age of three, were less likely to have problems with peers and other emotional and behavioral issues, according to the researchers.

The Gerber Baby Photo Search Is Happening Now on Instagram

Submitted by Rose Gordon Sala on Thu, 10/04/2018 - 9:08am

Think your kid is the cutest? Well, baby food maker Gerber just opened its annual Gerber Baby photo contest, so it’s time to take your best shot.

Parents can enter newborns to children up to age 4 in the photo search contest that selects a child ambassador for the brand. Simply post a photo of your cutie to Instagram with the hashtag #GerberPhotoSearch2018 between October 1 and October 20 to join in the fun. Remember to make your profile public, so Gerber can see your photo.

Magicians to Puppies: 12 Great LA Party Entertainers Who Make the Party

Submitted by Roberta B on Wed, 09/26/2018 - 4:23am

Like the people who throw them, birthday parties have evolved. Grandma might point out that she managed just fine without ponies or puppeteers, but that doesn't mean we have to. The truth is that a good party entertainer can make a budget party in the backyard or local park feel like the event of the season. If you're that mom who's never at a loss to entertain a dozen 8-year-olds, our hats are off to you (and please contact us about writing a party piece!); for everyone else, here are 12 party entertainers who we think are really neat.

Kids Age 10 and Up Are Now Eligible for IDNYC

Submitted by Jody Mercier on Fri, 09/07/2018 - 10:00am

Big news for tweens (and their parents!): IDNYC, the municipal identification card, which comes with a ton of family-friendly benefits, has lowered its minimum age for eligibility to 10 years old. This means middle schoolers are now eligible for the FREE ID.

When the IDNYC program was Initially launched in 2015, the minimum eligible age was 14. Read on for more details on the application process, and the reasons why you should book your tween's appointment now.

52 School Lunch Ideas for Lunches Kids Will Actually Eat

Submitted by Roberta B on Mon, 09/03/2018 - 1:05pm

Chances are that by now you've had some healthy, well-packed lunches delivered back into your hands virtually untouched at the school end of the day. There should be a special name for the heartbreak one endures at the words "I told you I hate peanut-butter and jelly," when not only is this the first you're hearing of it, but you spent extra money on organic jelly and freshly ground peanut butter. And if not PBJ, then what? Well, we've got 52 answers to that question!

Language Immersion and Bilingual Options in LA's Public Schools

Submitted by Roberta B on Thu, 08/30/2018 - 1:28pm

There are a things kids can do better than adults: cartwheels and crawling under beds, for example. And then there's learning languages. Kids have a huge capacity for learning languages that will never be as powerful and flexible later on as it is in the early years, and an increasing number of parents are taking advantage of that window by sending their kids to bilingual and dual immersion schools (and preschools). Southern Californian families are lucky to have an unusually wide variety of public school options to support raising bilingual kids. At a time when gifted programs, arts programs, and extracurricular classes have been cut from public school budgets at an alarming rate, parents can still seek out an extra enriching curriculum by choosing language immersion.