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

How to Make a Free Photo Booth for a Kids' Party

Submitted by Anna Fader on Thu, 01/28/2016 - 10:00am

A few props, a backdrop, a free app, and you're ready to party.

For the past few years, I have dreamed about having a party with a photo booth. Not only does it seem like a fun party activity, but the guests end up with great favors: The funny photos that show everyone together, having a blast. You can rent a photo booth from a local company, but the prices start in the high hundreds and go up from there, so I looked into different options for DIY photo booths.

After much research, my photo booth solution ended up being incredibly simple and free, and it was a huge hit at my last gathering. We got terrific pictures of all the guests, but the biggest surprise was how great having a photo booth was for the kids. We had children ages 3 to 12 completely occupied, snapping away, leaving the grown-ups to eat, chat and mingle.

While this easy DIY photo booth works for grown-up parties, I think it's a particularly great addition to a kids' party. The only downside is, if you want the kids to do anything else, it might be hard to pull them away. Find even more fun and easy birthday party ideas like this in our Guide To Kids' Birthday Parties.

Girls Birthday Party Ideas: An At Home Beading Craft Party

Submitted by Anna Fader on Thu, 01/28/2016 - 8:56am

This fall we did an at home beading party for my daughter and I found this to be one of the most fun, versatile, inexpensive and easy to organize birthday party ideas we have ever done. A beading birthday party is a great idea for girls from preschool age to teens and it's a great idea for NYC kids because it's easy to do even in a small apartment and in New York we have easy access to all the wholesale beading stores where you can pick up all kinds of fun beads.

Host an Ice Skating Birthday Party at One of these Seven City Rinks

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 01/25/2016 - 5:15pm

I'll never forget the year I tried to do an ice-skating birthday party on the cheap by taking a bunch of kids to the rink at Bryant Park and then herding them over to a diner afterward for dessert. If I had known we could have a regular ice skating party for less than $350 I probably wouldn't have this nervous tic whenever I hear a Zamboni.

Read on for the real deals on ice skating parties all over New York City. We've even dug up all the hidden fees you might not have calculated so you can truly compare the costs at these seven ice skating rinks.

New York City Crafts: Four Places for Beading Fun or Birthday Parties with Kids

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 01/25/2016 - 12:43pm

Beading is a really fun craft activity for kids of all ages and grown ups, too. In fact, it can be a great moms night out. Basic beading doesn't require any skill, but still gets your creative juices flowing as you piece together your own creation from a selection of beads.

We've written about hosting a beading party at home but there are several city spots that will host your party for you, too.

Five Last-Minute Birthday Party Ideas for Kids in New York City

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 01/25/2016 - 7:27am

Lest you harbor a notion that I, as "Mommy Poppins," am some uber-organized, type-A, helicopter mom, let me dispel that myth for you right now with this story about my daughter's 10th birthday party. Yes, double digits, big deal birthday...and the morning of the party, what had I prepared? Nothing.

10 New York Values NYC Kids Could Teach Ted Cruz

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 01/18/2016 - 12:00pm

Last week Ted Cruz accused the Queens-born Donald Trump of having “New York values” and the Internet went crazy. He meant it as an insult. Senator Cruz seems to think that New York is made up of a homogenous type of person who is ultra-liberal, uber-rich and values wealth above all else. Maybe he’s never been to New York.

As parents raising our kids in NYC, we have to admit we agree with one part of the GOP presidential hopeful's sentiment: New Yorkers are different from others. We won't dispute you there, sir. But here's what you missed. One of the big draws to raising kids in New York City is that they will possess New York values.

We can count many more, but here are 10 values every NYC kid has that maybe Ted Cruz could take a note on.

Baby Gym: Activities You Can Do With Infants at Home

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 01/01/2016 - 10:53pm

Susan Izatt is an Early Childhood, Infant and Toddler Development expert and the Director and Co-founder of now-closed MoonSoup Early Childhood Studio. With years of experience playing with and teaching babies, Susan certainly knows how to get babies moving and make it fun. She agreed to share some activity ideas that parents can easily do at home with their babies excerpted from her upcoming book New Moms & First Time Dads. Thanks, Susan!

City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival 2016

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 01/01/2016 - 1:09am

It's February and that means it's time for City Bakery's annual Hot Chocolate Festival. For every day in February, the popular Flatiron eatery City Bakery will be spicing up its delicious cocoa with a different flavor. And since it's a Leap Year, that's 29 days of hot chocolates that need to be sampled.

City Bakery is already a kid-friendly spot, but it's also nearby the wonderful Books of Wonder and lots of other family attractions in Flatiron like the Lego Store, the recently opened Dylan's Candy Bar and of course the Union Square Playground that it makes for a great winter outing. Maybe hit of the new MoMath Beaver Run exhibit pre- or post-hot cocoa?

Looking for more to do this month? Read our February GoList for great NYC family events all month.