Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
One-word New Year’s resolutions: The trick to making one you can finally keep. | Spawned Ep 27
This week on the Spawned Podcast, we closed out our year (or, we're opening the new one if you're listening now) with a really good talk about New Year's resolutions: The good, the bad, and the very very broken. First, don't call them resolutions I like Kristen's...
The great Santa debate: The magic of childhood or the end of trust with your children as you know it?
Each year around this time, we sit back (sometimes with popcorn) and we watch the passions ignite and the tempers flare and the tears flow as parents, psychologists, and armchair experts of all kinds debate the merits of Santa. It's amazing how many strongly held...
The dedicated holiday gift help series, Part 2 : Spawned episode 25
On this episode of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we were determined to help you with those hard-to-shop-for adults on your list, so we're giving out tips and dishing our our own favorite gifts from our 2015 Holiday Gift Guide. Plus, we have a good laugh about the...
More coolness from recent weeks…
The hipster baby carrier of the year, courtesy of Keith Haring
The upcoming Keith Haring special edition Ergobaby carriers are being promoted as a celebration of parenting and art. Which they are. But if you know about the vision of this now iconic pop artist, wearing these new carriers says so much more. Keith Haring’s rainbow...
23 of the coolest mermaid party ideas we adore. Fin-tastic!
Mermaids are big with kids. In other news, water is wet. So of course, mermaid parties are big with kids and honestly, with us adults too. In fact, this mermaid trend has legs. (So to speak.) And that means if you're looking for amazing mermaid party ideas for an...
Star-spangled slime: The perfect 4th of July DIY for kids.
My kids are way into slime -- and by "way into," if you're a parent, I'm pretty sure you know exactly what I mean. So of course I wanted to create a 4th of July slime recipe that would appease them. We've tried almost every safe, Borax-free slime recipes we've come...
So smart! A new board game subscription box to keep family game night fresh.
My kids' playroom has a bookshelf with piles of board games taller than me. So yeah, you could say we're fairly avid tabletop gamers at our house. But, even so, we're still always on the lookout for fun new games. If they're really affordable, even better. So you can...
The Rebel Girls are back, and they’re more badass and inspiring than ever.
It's hard to overstate how excited I was about the first volume of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. A whole book full of the biographies of stereotype-busting sheroes? Illustrated with gorgeous portraits from female artists around the world? Heck yeah, I was sold!...
Meet KOOV, a new STEM kit that lets kids build and control their own robot | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from KOOV For kids who love STEM -- and those parents who want to foster their kids' passion -- KOOV is a remarkable educational kit to help kids 8 and up create and control their own robots, bringing their own imaginative designs to life....
Should you really avoid SPF over 50? We’ve got facts, and we’ve got answers.
Growing up as a fair-skinned, redheaded kid, I'm no stranger to the intricacies of SPF labels. Or sunburns. Like lots of us, I always believed that the higher the SPF, the better the sun protection I'd get, but that's not necessarily the case. In fact, the EWG warns...
The new Ken dolls are here, some with big muscles in case you’re thinking of mocking their man buns.
In light of last year's big launch of the curvy Barbie dolls in three curvalicious body types, Mattel is following suit with a whole new series of next gen Ken dolls, A.K.A. "The Fashionistas." Let's just say, they've come a long, long way from the pale, scrawny...
The Night Sky’s custom star maps: The sweet, sentimental gift that’s modern, never sappy.
I'm a mom, you know, which means I pretty much can't help but feel sentimental about the special milestones in my family's life -- my kids' birthdays, preschool graduation, our daughter's adoption day. The thing is: I love finding ways to memorialize these moments,...
8 important tips to help families store medicines safely from the kids | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from the Consumer Healthcare Products Association Educational Foundation While medicines help families feel better and stay well, it's important to keep those bottles safe from curious kids. Wherever you may be. Every year, about 60,000...
The sports bra solution for girls who don’t quite need a sports bra.
It's hard to believe that when we started this site, I was thinking about binkies for my daughter, and now it's like I blinked -- and I'm thinking about bras. Gah! While I wholly admit that the affordable Target made-up-brand-name bras are pretty great, especially for...
These little piggies teach the ABC’s. Awww…
We love these cool new socks because they’re not just practical; they’re also fun and educational.
Dad wisdom: Quotes from 16 of our favorite cool dads
We recently spoke to 16 of our favorite dad bloggers and put together their best Father's Day wisdom and words of advice all in one place. It's absolutely worth a read for these dads' humor, their insight, their sincerity and their wit -- especially this evergreen...
The baby book that will have you wanting to make a baby book.
So new parents in pursuit of Baby Book perfection, you’ve met your match.
A fun board game for summer that our kids can’t stop playing.
Last week, my son and I visited the Innovator's Fair here in Philadelphia and discovered our newest board game obsession: Maze Racers. It combines creativity and building with mazes in a super fun way. Let's just say, we're all addicted. Including me. Related: The...
The one surprising thing that happened when I switched to a natural deodorant.
I'm the kind of person who needs the prescription strength-type antiperspirant, so for me to make the switch to a natural deodorant is a big deal. Granted, it's not the first time I've tried, and while it was pretty successful (yay Primal Paste), I did end up getting...
Everybody in the pool! 10 of the coolest pool floats for the whole family that are sure to make a big splash.
Sure you can bring out the boring inner tubes at the pool this summer, but we say go big with one of the coolest pool floats around. Sure, some of these are a bit spendy, but these 10 inflatables offer fun and lazy lounging for the whole family. Plus, they're totally...
5 incredibly clever ways to transport wine safely to picnics
Summer means picnics, and picnics mean wine! Well, okay -- picnics mean an awful lot of good things, like family and fun and memories and sunshine. But for you wine-drinkers, a nice Rosé or Prosecco can have its own special place in a picnic, and we're all for getting...
A stylish way to zig zag with your cool Chuck Taylors
Time has proved these cool styles never fade.
We’ve found the cutest pool floaties known to man…or bird.
Pool accessories have come a long way since I was a kid. Back then, we made do with inner tubes and foam noodles, but now there's larger-than-life, lounge-able swans and rainbow unicorns. Not to mention huge floating hashtags. But my favorite new pool must-have takes...
9 outrageously cool experience gifts for the dad who has everything | Father’s Day Gift Guide 2017
If there's a dad in your life who's impossible to shop for, Father's Day gifting can present an annual challenge. Well -- challenge for you, but fun for us! That's why we turn to fantastic experience gifts for the dad who has everything. So while we think our 2017...