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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

 “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...

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...

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...

“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!

Is it too early to teach manners when kids are just learning to ask for what they want? Is there a point where it’s too late to teach manners and the habits are already ingrained?  And WHY do manners matter? Today Lynn talks with Zack Bush, best-selling children's book author, father of three, and co-writer of The Little Book of Good Manners. Then we’ll hear from writer, director, producer, and parent Laura Mullin, whose work on manners with her daughter resulted in triumph, relief, and a...

How can you feel lonely when you have your baby with you all the time? It’s not only possible, it’s common. People just don’t talk about it, but we will! And don’t worry, we’re not going to tell you to just go and find a playgroup. We go much deeper than that for an incredibly satisfying conversation with expert Dr. Juli Fraga, and then we laugh and nod in understanding as we hear brilliant storyteller and mom, Nell Frizzell, tell us about her loneliness journey. There may even be a Sylvester...

If you ask any parent out there, raising confident kids is a number one priority, but when you think about it, it’s really hard to quantify how to give confidence to children. Is it about encouragement? Independence? Striking a balance between the two? It’s complicated but don’t worry, we have answers for you. Today we sit down with parent, TED speaker and Harvard Business Review contributor Suzanne Brown about the little things we can do to instill confidence in our kids. Then we hear an...

What does it even mean to bond with your child? What do you do if you can tell it’s not happening? Lynn bonds (see what we did there?) with nationally recognized experts Dr. Gabrielle Mauren and Dr. Michelle Wiersgalla through their conversation on building relationships with our kids. Then we learn even more when we hear from mom Jen Malia who went from a strained relationship with her son to a meaningful connection. Lastly, we’ll whisk you away for a relaxing time out!

The Rabbit is feeling pretty confident that he can beat the turtle in a race... UNLESS he were to get distracted by his phone right in the middle of the race! 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 'The Tortoise & The Hare'. It's full of musical surprises, cool sound effects and unexpected twists and turns! It's "story time" like you've never heard it before! Perfect for kids! And parents too!

In our selfie culture, it’s crucial that we teach our kids to care about each other and to connect with other people. How do we do that, and how can kids become empowered with assertive kindness and not be pushovers? Are people just born kind, or do we learn it? Lynn explores all of this and more by speaking with Leon Logothetis - TV host, speaker and author, best known for his series “The Kindness Diaries” (now streaming on Discovery Plus.) Then, we hear a powerful story from Cassandra...

There’s tons of mom blogs and websites for moms, but what’s happening in Fatherhood? What have been the hardest changes (besides diapers)? What didn’t Dads expect? First, Lynn hears the latest from Brian Anderson, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Fathering Together, and his community of dads. Then, we hear a funny, real, and heartwarming story from Glen Henry, founder of Beleaf In Fatherhood, on how his world turned upside down when he became a stay-at-home Dad. Make sure to stay until...

There you are being your fabulous parenting self when your child suddenly gets furious. Or frustrated. Or surprisingly quiet. What are they feeling and why? Is there a way to quickly decode and translate so they feel understood and we feel sane? Turns out, there are several techniques you can try! First, Lynn talks with child development expert and education journalist, Deborah Farmer Kris to learn ways to better help you AND your child understand their emotions. Then we hear from...