Anna Fader

Founder & CEO of Mommy Poppins
Anna was born in Park Slope, spent her early years in the West Village. By the time she graduated high school, she had lived in 4 of the 5 boroughs. Growing up in NYC in the '70s meant the streets were her playgrounds. Museums and avant garde music venues were the kid-friendly activities. And living downtown taught her the importance of creating community for families in NYC.

Now, raising her own two children in the city, she tries to create the same sense of magic and community she felt growing up, despite today's more commercialized version of kid-friendly New York.

She started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to share a more artsy, educational, uncommercial, community-oriented vision of raising kids in New York City. Today Mommy Poppins is relied on by millions of families as the authority on the best things to do with kids beyond New York City: from Boston to Philly, Los Angeles, Houston and travel guides for dozens more cities and destinations.

Latest posts by Anna

Pokemon Go Is the Most Awesome (and Dangerous) Mobile Game Ever

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 07/11/2016 - 9:00am

To say the July launch of Pokémon Go has been a phenomenon would be to vastly understate it. Few mobile games have ever launched to so much anticipation and so many immediate downloads. And, it’s obvious why it would. Pokémon Go takes mobile gaming to a whole new dimension.

The idea of Pokémon Go is to turn your real-life environment into a Pokémon world through augmented reality technology. Players collect Pokémon as they move around, and, through their phones, Pokemon appear right in their real world. The Pokémon, and Poke Stops, are scattered all over the map, so as you travel through life you will find and catch more. When players get to higher levels, they can train and battle their Pokémon as well.

Pokémon Go has already had a huge impact on my kids. Some of it is super good, but there are also some trends that are very concerning. Here’s what parents need to know about what to love and what to fear about Pokémon Go.

Rainforest Adventure Awaits at Ecotourist Gem in Honduras

Submitted by Anna Fader on Sat, 06/11/2016 - 12:30pm

Imagine eating breakfast while toucans soar from tree to tree just feet from your perch. By day, you hike the same trails that cougars roam at night. And your evening activity is prowling the resort paths spotting kinkajous, tree frogs, and spiders as big as your fist. This is not a canned jungle-themed ecotourism resort experience; this is the jungle. And you are in it.

Off the radar for many, Honduras offers 300,000 acres of protected rain and cloud forests and beautiful Caribbean waters with one of the last unspoiled coral reefs. The Lodge and Spa at Pico Bonito, named for the national park it sits in, is one of the independent properties trying to draw more ecotourism to help ensure that the amazing natural resources, and the stunning array of wildlife that live in them, persevere.

NYC Toy Stores for Special Needs Children

Submitted by Anna Fader on Sat, 05/14/2016 - 9:17pm

As anyone who's gone toy shopping in NYC knows, the choices are endless. For parents of children with special needs, shopping for toys brings on a whole different bunch of considerations. I've learned this whether buying or receiving toys as gifts for my two children who each received Early Intervention services.

Whether you're shopping for your own special-needs child or the child of a friend or relative, here are some New York City toy stores that carry outstanding products for children of all abilities. There are no chain stores here, just excellent independent shops where you'll get personalized attention (if you want it) from a knowledgeable staff who has seen and heard it all.

Families Flip for Club Med Punta Cana Relaunch

Submitted by Anna Fader on Thu, 05/12/2016 - 10:00am

Club Med invented the all-inclusive resort, so it’s no surprise that it offers some of the most popular family-friendly resort destinations in the Caribbean, as well as around the world. The all-inclusive resort has become so preferred by families, and the competition so fierce, that resorts keep upping the ante to make their experiences more and more enticing. That’s a big win for families, who get to enjoy the ever-increasing amenities of these resorts. Club Med is meeting the challenge with the relaunch of its all-inclusive family resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with cool circus experiences and boutique-hotel styling. I was invited to check it out and was wowed by the new offerings.

Arcade Age Exhibit Is a Blast From Your Video Game Past

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 04/29/2016 - 10:00am

For parents and kids who love video games, there's a new must-do. The Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, Long Island, is now home to a retro video game exhibit where, for a flat fee, you get a 90-minute window to play as much Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Mortal Kombat II as you can.

The Arcade Age exhibit consists of over 50 authentic video game machines from the 1980s. Atari, Midway and Sega are in heavy rotation here. You'll find popular throwbacks like Dig Dug, Pole Position, Missile Command and Breakout that will defintiely take you back. It's also fun discovering some of the more eclectic games you may have missed and your children certainly have never heard of before now. Read on for more on our recent visit.

Why Painter's Tape Is Your Friend and 133 More Parent Hacks

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 04/11/2016 - 11:00am

Do automatic-flush toilets scare your preschooler? Do you always forget to put a spare onesie in the diaper bag? Do you go crazy trying to get the crumbs out of your car’s cup holders? These are the types of real problems parents face every day. Who would know the solutions better than other parents? The just released book Parent Hacks: 134 Genius Shortcuts for Life with Kids written by Asha Dornfest, founder of the Parent Hacks website, and her community of parent hackers has the answer to these issues and, well, 131 more.

Parent Hacks is a decade of the cumulative knowledge of sleep-deprived parents. What I love about it is its down-to-earth take on everyday frustrations and issues. Because the advice comes from real parents, many of the solutions rely on clever tricks using everyday things you find around the house, rather than pricey products. It's frugal, real advice—and often hilarious, including the fun illustrations by Craighton Berman. There are a lot of hacks dealing with poop and other gross situations parents find themselves in, making it a great choice for those with babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

We love this book so much that Mommy Poppins is helping to throw it a party. Read on to find out more about probably the most useful new parenting book around and how you can join us for a fun celebration if you are in NYC.

A Nerdy Day Out in Japantown NYC Tweens Will Absolutely Love

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 03/07/2016 - 4:00pm

It can be hard to find things to do with tweens in New York City. They're too old for little kid activities, but not really into the culture that older teens tend to favor. Our tween only begrudgingly participates in most family outings, so I decided to design a day totally focused on his interests, which, not surprisingly, are pretty much limited to video games, computers and comic books. What was surprising was how much fun we had.

Within a few blocks of the Astor Place 6 train stop, in a section of the East Village dubbed Japantown or Little Tokyo, are a number of over-the-top fun spots for kids. Packed with funky Japanese-themed collectible stores and awesome eateries, plus some old-school video game and comic spots, we found tween utopia all within a few blocks. We rounded the day out with Japanese snacks for an itinerary that had our usually picky kids over the moon and was just as much fun for the grown-ups.

Kids' Mystery Party: Games and Ideas for a Kid-Friendly Murder Mystery Party

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 01/29/2016 - 9:00am

When my son declared he wanted a mystery party for his 10th birthday, I turned to the Internet to research party games and ideas. Happy surprise, the No. 1 Google result for “kids mystery party” is my friend Liz’s hilarious post comparing the type-A Pinterest-perfect mystery ideas she found online vs her own totally type-B mystery party.

While anyone who has been to my always-messy apartment will attest I am definitely not a type-A mom, when it comes to birthday parties, I love to go all out with really creative activities that always leave the kids saying, “That was the best party ever.” Let’s face it, kids don’t care if your paper goods are fancy; they just want to have fun.

So, in response to Mom-101's post, I took up the challenge to create an A-is-for-Awesome kids' mystery party that anyone could throw without a MFP (Masters in Fine Pinterest).