“Feeding my baby” is one of the top search topics on Google. On this special bonus episode, we cover the milestone stages of feeding - from baby’s first moments to the toddler years - with Dr. Mona Amin, pediatrician, board certified lactation consultant and the founder of of PedsDocTalk. Whether it’s breastfeeding, introducing solids or food allergies…it seems like every stage of feeding our kids comes with challenges and stress. Tune in as we explore all the common difficulties of each stage a...
Apr 22, 2025•28 min
Samantha is having a great time at the beach building sandcastles with the shovels and seashells other kids have shared with her. But when they ask to borrow her shiny new red bucket, sharing doesn’t seem so fun. With the help of her mom, Samantha turns it around and discovers how a small act of kindness can have big rewards. StoryTime is a refreshingly fun take on everyday moments from the lives of kids (and parents) told with humor and heart. Written in consultation with a leading childhood de...
Mar 24, 2025•6 min
Breastfeeding can be a loving and bonding experience for a new mom. It can also be an emotional journey fraught with misinformation, tons of questions, frustration and guilt. One thing’s for sure - it’s not talked about enough. In this SPECIAL episode, we normalize the conversation, and separate fact from fiction with Emily Johnston, a board-certified lactation consultant and doula, who has helped hundreds of moms successfully navigate the physical and emotional journey of breastfeeding. We’ll a...
Mar 17, 2025•24 min
SPECIAL GUEST! Dr. Laurie Santos, Yale professor and host of The Happiness Lab, gives us her sought-after advice for finding more joy in our lives. Parents will love her fresh take and practical insights for “finding the good” even in the most challenging parenting moments. Then in our Parenting Story of the Day, you will hear from a mom of two who was searching for happiness – until she realized it was right in front of her. Special thanks to Walmart for sponsoring this episode! www.walmart.com...
Mar 03, 2025•23 min
Aaron loves going to the grocery store with his Dad. There are so many fun things to look at on the shelves… and TOUCH. On a recent trip something peculiar happens: While at checkout, Dad discovers 5 candy bars in the bottom of their shopping cart. WHO could have put them there? Can you help solve the mystery? StoryTime is a refreshingly fun take on everyday moments from the lives of kids (and parents) told with humor and heart. Written in consultation with a leading childhood development expert...
Feb 24, 2025•5 min
Ever wonder what a professional chef gives his kids for snacks? Chef Duff, the Ace of Cakes himself, is spilling the beans. From chicken nuggets to strawberries, he talks about the foods his 3-year-old loves, and tricks to get her to try something new. Plus, Jennifer Anderson, dietician and founder of Kids Eat In Color, gives us tips for helping our kids eat better and making snack time less stressful! Special thanks to Walmart for sponsoring this episode! https://www.walmart.com/ You can also w...
Feb 17, 2025•24 min
There’s a new parenting style in town. Not too hard, not too soft. It’s just right! It’s called “Respectful Parenting!” It’s designed to make children feel respected, loved, heard, and valued as individuals. Janet Rotter, child development expert, psychoanalyst and head of The Studio School in New York City, talks with Lynn and Justin about fostering emotional connections with our children, based on the belief that all humans - no matter the age - deserve to be treated with empathy and compassio...
Feb 03, 2025•22 min
Every night at bath time Jackson didn’t want to get in the tub. Sometimes he was busy playing. Sometimes it was because the water was too… uh, wet. One night his mom tried something new – and it worked! But now, how would she get him out of the tub?! This original StoryTime is a refreshingly fun take on everyday moments from the lives of kids (and parents) told with humor and heart. Written in consultation with a leading childhood development expert, our story illustrates healthy ways to handle ...
Jan 27, 2025•5 min
Let’s get outside! This episode explores the positive impact that nature can have on our kids - from physical and emotional health, to sensory development, to understanding risk. We'll “dig in” with one of the foremost experts in the field, Richard Louv, author of the renowned book “Last Child in the Woods,” who shares nature’s benefits and provides practical tips for getting out into the living world no matter where you live. Plus, a special segment about Trees for the Future, an organization h...
Jan 20, 2025•19 min
Structured activities. Monitored playdates. Helicopter parenting. Have we lost the ability to let our kids discover the world on their own? Many believe that free play is a great solution for both child and parent, but what exactly does healthy free play look like for toddlers and young children? Lenore Skenazy, author and co-founder of Let Grow, explains how allowing children to be more independent will give them skills and confidence that will last a lifetime. Then, in our Parenting Story of t...
Jan 06, 2025•24 min
Every parent does it – but doesn’t want to admit it. We compare our child to other children or even their siblings. We also know that our “comparing” comes from a deep place of concern. We worry: Are they hitting important developmental milestones? Is there a problem? Maybe everything will be OK eventually? Lynn and Justin explore this “secret” parenting topic with Dr. Tina Bryson, a psychotherapist, mother, and the co-author of two of the most definitive books on child development and parenting...
Dec 23, 2024•24 min
Little Naya's favorite thing in the whole world is Fresh Raspberry Dazzleberry Ice Cream! One day at the park the unthinkable happens - after just one lick of her precious cone, the ice cream falls to the ground with a splat! Oh no! Will Naya’s day be ruined? Will she get another cone? How will Naya and her Mom handle this big, melty disappointment? Parents and kids will love this story based on an all-too real parenting moment that’s filled with twists and turns, wonderful characters, and fun m...
Dec 16, 2024•6 min
Winning is a big deal to kids – whether it’s on the soccer field or racing their sibling to the car door. And with big competition comes big emotions. So how best to navigate when your child loses – or wins for that matter? Sam Weinman, author of “Win at Losing: How Our Biggest Setbacks Can Lead to Our Greatest Gains” joins Lynn and Justin with practical, healthy strategies for parents to help their little ones deal with competition. Tools that we can all use from the toddler years into adulthoo...
Dec 09, 2024•21 min
“NO! I don’t want to!” Opposition from our kids, we experience it all the time. It makes sense they don’t want to do everything we want them to. However, when they refuse, it often creates a power struggle which we see as a reflection of bad parenting. Lynn and Justin are no strangers to this struggle. In today’s episode, Claire Lerner, a social psychotherapist, author and child development specialist, shares tips to handle those stressful moments of opposition from our children. In our Parentin...
Nov 25, 2024•25 min
Our kids are growing up fast! They are off to daycare or school and start to have their own separate experiences. We are no longer fully a part of their day-to-day lives and when they come home, we want to know everything! But sometimes it's so hard to get our kids to open up and really connect with us. Rhea Lalla, an author and certified parenting coach who has worked with the United Nations and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Schools, tells Lynn and Justin some great ways families can trul...
Nov 11, 2024•23 min
Petunia loves dinosaurs, ladybugs and her dad’s cooking! There is one thing Petunia does not like: when the food touches on her plate. Then one day it happened! Her delicious peas rolled right into her tasty chicken nuggets! That’s right - THE PEAS TOUCHED THE NUGGETS! Petunia was not happy. Dad was in shock. The peas were confused. Would dinner time be ruined? Parents and kids will love this story based on a real parenting moment that’s filled with great characters, music and surprises. Written...
Nov 04, 2024•6 min
Patience and parenting don’t seem to go together - one minute you have it, the next you don’t. Whether it’s patience for your child or your partner, we all want more of it. Lynn and Justin have the perfect guest to help us get our patience back! Today we talk with Dr. Jenny Woo, Harvard-trained researcher/educator, teacher of emotional intelligence and mom of three, who provides the guidance we’re looking for. In our Parenting Story of the Day, Alana Smith shares a highly relatable story about h...
Oct 28, 2024•26 min
When you’re a parent, anytime your child makes a close friend, you do too! Whether it’s connecting with other caregivers at daycare or throwing a joint birthday party with people you barely know, it can be tricky – and rewarding – to navigate adult friendships when the only thing you have in common is that your kids are friends. Social relationships expert, author and TEDx speaker Shasta Nelson guides Lynn & Justin on how to traverse the awkward terrain of making and growing friendships with...
Oct 14, 2024•29 min
StoryTime for Kids is back! With an original episode: “The Story of Two Brothers & Only One Elevator Button!” Jayden and Cayden are brothers who compete over EVERYTHING. So the stakes are high when they both want to be THE ONE who pushes the elevator button first! How will they decide? How will mom handle the situation? Can you feel the excitement… over an ELEVATOR BUTTON?!!! Parents and kids will love this story based on a real parenting moment that’s filled with great characters, music and...
Oct 07, 2024•5 min
Children cry, it's a fact. We hate to hear our kids cry but saying “stop crying” isn’t going to help. In fact, it can be harmful. Rachel Tuchman, a Mental Health Counselor with a speciality in early childhood development, explains to Lynn and Justin that demanding children “stop crying” can squash their emotions and lead to big issues later in life. Rachel provides concrete, actionable advice on what to say instead and how to react when kids cry in public. In our Parenting Story of the Day, Irin...
Sep 30, 2024•25 min
Kids need the arts! Art is so important for a child’s early development. Whether it’s ballet, playing the tuba or finger painting, we should be encouraging our children’s artistic expressions. But how do we get started? Dr. Gai Lindsay, an Early Childhood Educator with a PhD in Visual Arts Pedagogy, breaks it all down in this episode. She explains to Lynn and Justin that you can start by putting charcoal drawing sticks into the hands of a baby! You won’t want to miss her other surprising and ins...
Sep 16, 2024•26 min
How do we get our child from the playground to the car or from dinner to bed without a tantrum? For kids, going from one thing to the other is tough. They get upset and we get upset. But once we recognize that these are daily transitions and they happen throughout our lives, we can work with our children (and on ourselves) to lessen the difficulty and set them up with great life-skills. Dr. Rebecca Schrag Hershberg, Clinical Psychologist and author of the “Tantrum Survival Guide,” joins Lynn and...
Sep 03, 2024•25 min
Buckle up! StrollerCoaster, the top-ranked parenting podcast created by Munchkin Inc. - “Voted Best Branded Podcast 2024 by Digiday ” - is back for Season 4 on September 3rd! We bring you more amazing interviews with cutting-edge experts along with inspiring and relatable stories from parents across the country just like you. Our host Lynn Smith dives deep into the topics you want to hear about: Getting from the playground to the car Easy ways to really connect with your kids Handling opposition...
Aug 26, 2024•54 sec
What a season! True to our name StrollerCoaster has ridden the ups and downs of parenting with laughter, candor, and always—with our best face forward. Enjoy this season finale as we look back at the mind-blowing science of playing outside, handling big emotions gracefully, the physiological experience of kindness, reading to learn as opposed to just learning to read, how-to raise confident kids, how to navigate what’s “not fair!” and how each of these empowering themes played out in real life. ...
Jun 19, 2023•25 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Once upon a time there was a parrot, a snail, a duck, and a wolf! They were all great friends, but the wolf really liked to play tricks on the rest of the gang. Tricks can be funny, but they can also be misleading. Find out what happens when this wolf cries "ice cream!" and ends up learning a very valuable lesson on the importance of honesty. Grab YOUR ice cream, sit back, and relax, as our 9-year old director leads a cast of amazing improv actors in our one-of-a-kind version of the classic chil...
Jun 05, 2023•6 min•Season 3Ep. 16
We know reading is so important to a child’s life, from the stories we tell them as infants to teaching them how to read themselves. But how does reading work inside a child's brain and what effect does it have on brain development? We talk to Dr. David Pearson, a reading expert with 40 years of experience, and take a science-driven deep dive into reading to demystify how it works. Then we hear a story from Emily Varod about the power that books had to help her kids overcome the challenges they ...
May 22, 2023•23 min•Season 3Ep. 15
“Time to go out and play!” It’s something we as parents tell our children when we need a break and they need some exercise. But as we learn in this episode, the benefits go MUCH deeper than that. We’ll sit down with Angela Hanscom, an occupational therapist who noticed a startling trend in her young patients and came up with some solutions that can make a huge difference in every child’s life. Then we hear a story from Ramsey Hootman about how her son’s connection with the outdoors actually tran...
May 08, 2023•21 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Olivia loves to cook with her grandma, especially her delicious mac and cheese. But, today Grandma is making Rock Soup! What ingredients do you need for this rockin' dish? Well you'll just have to listen to find out! Our 9-year old director leads his cast of amazing improv actors as they perform a one-of-a-kind version of the classic children's story 'Stone Soup'. It's full of musical surprises, cool sound effects and unexpected twists and turns! It's "story time" like you've never heard it befo...
May 01, 2023•6 min•Season 3Ep. 13
The Travel Episode! From going to the grocery store to flying with your toddler, we get into what it’s like to take your kids from point A to Point B. Traveling with your family can be a beautiful and enriching experience… or an absolute disaster. To help us make the best choices, we talk to Jessica Averett, a world traveler and creator of Bring the Kids, a website dedicated to family travel. Jessica has journeyed to over 40 countries with her family of 5 and has a ton of great tips and tricks f...
Apr 24, 2023•25 min•Season 3Ep. 12
“It’s Not Fair!” If that’s a phrase that makes you cringe, you’ve got to hear today’s episode. It will change everything. First, Lynn talks with Dr. Jessica Sommerville - a developmental psychologist who has lots of experience with fairness. Then we’ll hear a story from Katie Cloyd - a mom of three whose take on fairness will really make you think! And finally, a relaxing time out to transport you to the Amazon Rainforest for a moment of calm. Enjoy!
Apr 10, 2023•20 min•Season 3Ep. 11
