Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
Have youth sports gotten out of control? | Spawned Episode 107
With 13-year olds getting recruited to play sports in college and a New Jersey lawmaker warning parents to not get physical at youth sports for fear of jail time, we had to tackle the topic of youth sports and whether they've gotten out of control. Not to mention,...
Should you quit Facebook? Spawned Episode 106
With the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal and Zuckerberg testifying, we're seeing lots of talk about Facebook privacy issues these days. Especially in our Facebook feeds. Very meta! From sticking around and tightening up your security settings to hitting the road...
Is it okay to say “autistic?” And other things people need to know about Autism | Ep 105
With World Autism Day fast approaching, for many of us who don't have children with Autism in our family, we might let this important day slip off our radar. However, given the number of children on the Spectrum, there's a good chance that even though your child might...
More coolness from recent weeks…
These brand new shark and mermaid baby sleep sacks make the coolest baby shower gift of the year.
Our readers went pretty crazy over the original Blankie Tails mermaid and shark tail blankets for kids (and uh, adult kids), making it the #1 post on our site that entire year. (Hey, you all have good taste!) Since then, this indie, mom-run company has kept things...
13 really creative DIY Father’s Day gifts that kids can help make. Oh, the sweetness! | Father’s Day Guide 2018
What can we say? Creative DIY Father's Day gifts that kids help make are heart-melting. And while we know for a fact that dads love all of the Father's Day gifts that their kids and grandkids pick out for them (and especially the gifts from our Father's Day Gift...
A new board book celebrating all kinds of babies and all kinds of families | Sponsored Message
This is a message from our sponsor. Books always make the most wonderful baby and shower gifts, and now there's a new board book that needs to be on every shelf in every nursery. Who? A Celebration of Babies is all about babies...and love. Babies love their Dadas,...
9 swanky Father’s Day gift ideas for a stylish 21st century man cave | Father’s Day Gifts 2018
If you know a dad who is lucky enough to have a man cave, next in our Father’s Day Gift Guide we've got some man cave gift ideas that can help take his manly oasis to the next level. I think it’s important that a man have his own space to listen to his own manly...
The top 10 most affordable safe sunscreens for kids, from EWG’s 2018 safer sunscreens guide
Every year, I browse the Environmental Working Group's report on the best safe sunscreens for kids and babies. This list measures popular brands against the EWG's standards, including everything from worrisome ingredients to false marketing claims. But even though we...
12 wonderfully creative photo gifts for Father’s Day | Father’s Day Gift Guide 2018
I've always felt that creative photo gifts for Father's Day make some of the best gifts of all. Because for busy dads -- and okay, moms -- ordering prints or printing photos tends to get buried on the priority list. If you want to go beyond a photo in a frame (though...
Mom, I’m bored! Clever ways to keep kids busy all summer long | Spawned Episode 112
You know it's coming. The dreaded "Mom, I'm bored!" which is why we're getting a jump on our kids (for once). We're sharing tons of clever, easy ideas to help keep the kids busy this summer. From scavenger hunts to family book clubs, even tips on how Liz makes her...
21 creative Father’s Day gifts for the man who has everything, including great taste | Father’s Day Gifts 2018
As much as we love finding fun, funny, sweet, and sentimental Father's Day gifts for you each year, one thing we really love doing is helping our readers solve problems. Like, gift problems. Like, finding the perfect creative Father's Day gift for the man who has...
How to make money and save money with the best online consignment shops | Spawned Ep 111
Earlier this year we wrote up a comprehensive post comparing six top consignment and resale shops online. And with the change of seasons, we're ready to get our summer wardrobes without spending a fortune. And hey, we even want to purge some of what's taking up space...
Mike’s bike from Stranger Things and Schwinn is only the best gift ever.
While we eagerly await the third season of Stranger Things, there are a few things we can do to ease our separation anxiety from the show. We can dress like Dustin. We can bake Christmas lights cupcakes. And now, we can even buy our very own limited-edition Stranger...
Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy is coming. And Leia and Rey are just the beginning.
Today, Star Wars is breaking the nerd internet (of which I am a proud part) with the announcement aboutStar Wars: Women of the Galaxy. Considering it's authored by Amy Ratcliffe, the managing editor of Nerdist, a StarWars.com contributor and the host of the Lattes...
14 of the best personalized Father’s Day gifts to make him go awwwww | Father’s Day Gift Guide 2018
Yes, it's nearly Father's Day, and we're kicking off our annual Father's Day Gift Guide with some of the very best personalized Father's Day gifts around! We're always so excited to share our favorite gifts for dads, grandpas, stepfathers, and father figures of all...
3 options for more eco-friendly water balloons for less mess, less risk to animals
During the summer, my kids have a love affair with water balloons — and why not? They're fun, they cool you down, and your whole purpose is to throw and break them. Bingo! The only problem? Post-water balloons, the yard looks like the remains of a latex factory...
Today’s fantastic Memorial Day sales mean tons of cool summer clothes and accessories for a steal
You have a lot going on this Memorial Day, but let's just go ahead and add something else to your to-do list: Shop the Memorial Day sales. Because, friend, there are a lot of deals you don't want to miss. From kids' clothes and accessories they can use all summer long...
What you should know about the thousands of missing, abused and exploited immigrant children in the USA, and what you can do about it.
Last night, I attended the Friday night sabbath services before my niece's Bat Mitzvah. As the Rabbi asked us to quietly send a prayer or good wishes to anyone hurting or in pain right now, all I could think of was the incredibly difficult ACLU report about the...
Stylish embellished slide sandals for summer, now up to 40% off
I've always been a chunky heel kind of girl, even with summer sandals. Yes, even my Tevas have a platform. But I have come to the realization they're just not that practical for me, and well, comfortable, at least over long periods of time. That's why I'm jumping head...
11 cool modern growth charts for kids who can’t stop, won’t stop growing
Now that my son's vertical, I've been on the hunt for cool, modern growth charts to track his changing height. Because while pencil markings on the doorframe are cool and all, I'm trying use a growth chart and to put off drawing on the walls until he's at least two....
10 of the most awesome RBG t-shirts to celebrate the force that is Justice Ginsburg.
This weekend, I had a lovely experience in my local Brooklyn coffee shop, bonding with two complete strangers over our matching RBG t-shirts. It's not all that surprising -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg has become quite the rock star and role model these days. And with the...
Feminist Baby is back and more empowered than ever in this new board book
As a fan of the original Feminist Baby board book, I was pretty stoked to see the title character rocking the pink-and-blue-gender-binary boat again with Lauryn Brantz's sequel, Feminist Baby Finds Her Voice. While the first hilarious volume introduced us to the...
How to turn your passion into a career: Tips from Heather Cabot of Geek Girl Rising | Spawned 110
Do you have a dream, a hobby, a passion, or a problem you want to solve and you think it could be a viable business? Do you want to know where to start and where the opportunities are? Or maybe you just want to hear about entrepreneurial women who are shaking up the...
20 of the absolute coolest mermaid gifts for kids. And uh, maybe adults.
I've had the best time searching for the coolest mermaid gifts for some of the mermaid obsessed kids in my life. After all, the mermaid trend shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. So this summer we're diving in with head-first with 17 cool mermaid gift ideas from...