When it comes to supplements for kids, most parents are left asking the same questions: Are they safe? Are they regulated? And how do I know what’s actually inside the bottle?

In this episode of The Educated Parent Podcast, Dr. Leah Clionsky sits down with board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Shetal Amin to unpack what every parent needs to know about supplements for kids and pediatric supplements.

With shelves full of gummies, powders, and capsules promising better sleep, improved focus, calmer behavior, and stronger immunity, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Many families turn to supplements for kids as a first step before considering prescription treatment. But are all pediatric supplements created equal?

Dr. Shetal Amin explains:

• Why supplements for kids are not regulated the same way as prescription medications are

• How to evaluate the safety and quality of pediatric supplements

• What third-party testing actually means

• Why “natural” does not automatically mean safe

• How marketing and social media influence decisions about supplements for kids

• The red flags to watch for when evaluating pediatric wellness products

You’ll also learn how to avoid common pitfalls, including proprietary blends and products that sound too good to be true. If you’ve ever felt uncertain about choosing pediatric supplements, this episode will help you approach the process with clarity and evidence in mind.

Most importantly, this conversation is about confident parenting. Making informed decisions about supplements for kids requires asking good questions, understanding the science, and knowing when to involve your pediatrician. Dr. Shetal Amin shares practical guidance so you can practice confident parenting without fear, pressure, or guilt.

Whether you’re considering a multivitamin, a sleep aid, or another type of pediatric supplements, this episode will give you the tools you need to make thoughtful, informed choices.

Tune in to learn how to navigate supplements for kids safely and confidently.

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When your child is angry, it can trigger something deep inside of you. You might want to defend yourself, shut it down, or react quickly. In this episode, I walk you through how to respond in those heated moments using evidence-based parenting strategies that protect your relationship instead of escalating the conflict. I also explain how to calm a child down when angry while staying calm and confident, even when the words coming at you feel sharp.

In this episode, I cover:

• Why it is developmentally normal when your child is angry, and what anger is actually communicating

• Exactly how to respond when your child is angry without invalidating their emotions

• The difference between allowing anger and allowing disrespect

• Practical steps for how to calm a child down when angry without losing your authority

• How to stay calm and confident so you can model emotional regulation

• How these strategies reflect true evidence-based parenting and build long-term emotional skills

Learning how to respond when your child is angry is one of the most powerful shifts you can make. When you approach these moments with evidence-based parenting, and practice staying calm and confident, you teach your child exactly how to calm a child down when angry in healthy ways for the rest of their life.

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Episode 37: Teaching Kids Emotions and Identifying Feelings for Fewer Blow Ups

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Watching your teen experience their first heartbreak can feel absolutely gut-wrenching as a parent. You want to fix it. You want to make the pain disappear. And at the same time, you may be flooded with memories of your own teenage breakup experiences that still live in your nervous system. In this episode, we talk about how to show up in a way that actually supports healing instead of creating more distance.

I’m joined by teen mental health specialist Charity Chaffee to talk honestly about why a first heartbreak hits teens so hard, why a teenage breakup can feel world-ending, and how parents can support teen mental health without minimizing feelings or becoming overinvolved. This conversation is all about learning how to stay connected through pain, using validating emotions as the foundation for trust and emotional safety.

In this episode, we cover

• Why a first heartbreak is developmentally intense and why teens experience a teenage breakup differently than adults

• How to support teen mental health without rushing the healing process or trying to fix the pain

• The difference between dismissing feelings and validating emotions in a way that builds long-term resilience

• Common parenting reactions that unintentionally make a teenage breakup harder to process

• How validating emotions helps teens feel safe opening up instead of shutting down

• What parents can model to support teen mental health after a first heartbreak

If your teen is struggling after a teenage breakup, this episode will help you understand what they actually need from you and how validating emotions can strengthen your relationship during one of the most vulnerable moments of adolescence. Supporting teen mental health through a first heartbreak is not about fixing the pain. It is about staying present, steady, and emotionally available when it matters most.

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Read the full show notes HERE!

Episode 13: How to Help an Angry Child Calm Down Without Losing Your Cool: The Key to Connection Before Correction

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Play dates are supposed to be fun, but so many parents tell me the same thing: play dates are stressful. You worry about how your child will act, whether they’ll feel left out, or if things might go sideways in front of another parent. In this episode, I wanted to give you concrete tools to help play dates feel calmer, smoother, and actually enjoyable for everyone involved.

I’m joined by Maria Hammond, Ph.D., a specialist in communication development and parent-child relationships. Maria runs social skills groups for young children and brings a thoughtful, practical lens to helping kids build social skills through everyday interactions. Together, we talk about why successful play doesn’t mean perfection and how small shifts in preparation can make a big difference.

In this episode, we cover:

1. Why play dates are stressful for both kids and parents, and how anxiety can shape expectations
2. How to build social skills by planning play dates witha clear structure and realistic goals
3. Why going into a play date with a “mission” helps kids feel more confident and engaged in successful play
4. How environment and expectations impact successful play, especially for shy or sensitive kids
5. When and why it’s better to leave a play date while it’s still going well
6. How parents can support build social skills without hovering or overcorrecting

If play dates have ever left you feeling tense, discouraged, or unsure of what went wrong, this conversation will help you reframe what success really looks like. With guidance from Maria Hammond, Ph.D., you’ll walk away with practical strategies to support successful play, reduce stress, and help your child build social skills in a way that feels manageable and developmentally appropriate.

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Listen to Episode 16: How to Stop Meltdowns Before They Start By Managing Expectations and Parenting Without Power Struggles

Read the full show notes HERE!

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Eating out with kids can quickly turn into a battle over screens. If your child expects a phone the moment you sit down at a restaurant, you are not alone. In this episode, I walk you through how to reset expectations, change screen time habits, and build sustainable screen time boundaries without turning every meal into a meltdown.

I explain why this pattern develops, why it is so hard to undo once it starts, and how to step out of it using evidence-based, realistic strategies. This episode is full of positive parenting tips to help you feel more confident and prepared the next time you go out to eat with your child.

In this episode, you will learn:

1. Why screen time habits form so quickly at restaurants
2. How to reset expectations before you even walk through the door
3. Practical ways to build and hold screen time boundaries without escalating behavior
4. What to do when your child pushes back and how to respond calmly
5. positive parenting tips to make restaurants less stressful and more connected

If you are tired of relying on screens at meals and want a plan that actually works, this episode will help you take the first steps toward screen-free restaurant experiences that feel doable and respectful for everyone.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Read the full show notes HERE!

Episode 16: How to Stop Meltdowns Before They Start by Managing Expectations and Parenting Without Power Struggles

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If choosing extracurricular activities leaves you feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, and stuck in constant mom guilt, this episode is for you. Many parents in a busy family feel pressure to do more, sign up for everything, and keep up with what other families are doing, even when it does not feel right. In this conversation, I want to help you step out of overschedulingand into confident decision-making that actually supports your child and your nervous system.

In this episode, I sit down with Rachel Fein, a licensed child psychologist and board certified behavior analyst, to talk about how parents can prioritize extracurricular activities without burning out. Rachel Fein brings both clinical expertise and real-life parenting experience to this conversation, helping parents rethink mom guilt, pressure, and what children truly need to thrive.

Together, we break down how overscheduling happens so easily in a busy family and how parents can make intentional choices that support connection, emotional regulation, and physical activity for kids without sacrificing family wellbeing.

In this episode, we discuss

1. Why overscheduling is so common in a busy family and how it quietly fuels mom guilt
2. How to evaluate extracurricular activities through the lens of family values instead of outside pressure
3. The difference between meaningful physical activity for kids and activity overload
4. How to recognize when mom guilt is driving decisions instead of your child’s actual needs
5. Practical strategies for setting boundaries around extracurricular activities without feeling selfish
6. Why protecting downtime matters just as much as physical activity for kids
7. How confident parenting reduces overschedulingand supports healthier routines for the entire busy family

This episode is a reminder that you do not need to do everything to be a good parent. When you let go of mom guilt, reduce overscheduling, and make values-based choices, you create more space for connection, regulation, and joy for both you and your child.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Episode 15: Should You Keep Pushing Your Child to Succeed or Back Off? With Kristin Mervich

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If you feel disconnected from your child, overwhelmed by behavior struggles, or unsure how to rebuild closeness without adding more to your plate, this episode is for you. I am going to show you how just 5 minutes per day can meaningfully change your relationship with your child and help you feel more grounded in confident parenting.

In this solo episode, I walk you through one of the most powerful positive parenting tips I teach as a PCIT specialist. This simple daily practice comes straight from evidence-based parent-child interaction therapy and has helped hundreds of families strengthen their relationship with your child without punishment, power struggles, or long complicated routines. I also share how I use this exact strategy in my own home when things start to feel off.

In this episode, we talk about:

1. Why 5 minutes per day of focused attention can transform your relationship with your child
2. How this approach supports confident parenting even when behavior feels challenging
3. What parents often get wrong about play and connection, and how to fix it
4. The specific positive parenting tips that make these five minutes actually work
5. How letting your child lead builds emotional safety and strengthens your relationship with your child

If you are looking for realistic positive parenting tips, want to feel more confident in your parenting choices, and are hoping to improve your relationship with your child without burning out, this episode will give you a clear place to start. Five minutes per day really can make a difference, and I want to show you how.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Read the full show notes HERE

Listen to Episode 29 with Julia Lair: Why Praising Children Matters More Than You Think: How to Praise Your Child with Julia Lair

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If you have ever worried about how diet culture is shaping your child’s thoughts about food, this episode is for you. Sehrish Ali helps us understand how helping kids build a healthy relationship with food feels harder than ever when diet culture is everywhere, and child eating habits are constantly judged.

In this episode, I sit down with Sehrish Ali, a psychologist and certified eating disorder specialist, to talk about how parents can protect a healthy relationship with food while raising kids in a world dominated by diet culture. Sehrish works closely with families and brings practical, compassionate insight into child eating habits, body image, and the subtle ways parents unintentionally pass down food rules. This conversation is full of real-world parenting resources you can start using immediately.

In this episode, we cover:

1. How diet culture shows up in everyday parenting and quietly influences child eating habits in ways parents often miss
2. What a healthy relationship with food actually looks like for kids and why perfection is not the goal
3. The language parents should stop using around food and bodies to support healthier child eating habits
4. How to model a healthy relationship with food, even if you are still unpacking your own experiences with diet culture
5. Practical parenting resources that help parents prioritize connection over control around meals

If you are looking for evidence-based parenting resources, want to reduce the impact of diet culture, and hope to support long-term child eating habits that feel calm and sustainable, this episode will give you clarity and confidence. Listen to the full episode with Sehrish Ali to learn how to support a healthy relationship with food for your child and for yourself.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Read the full show notes HERE!

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In this episode of the Educated Parent Podcast, I sit down with Kristin Mervich, a fellow clinician and parenting expert, to talk about how toxic masculinity shows up in subtle ways in families and how evidence-based parenting can help us raise emotionally healthy boys. We explore emotional literacy as a core skill for kids and parents, and why trusting yourself is essential when outside voices get loud. This conversation is grounded in evidence-based parenting, real-life experience, and confident parenting practices that support boys' emotional development without shame or fear.

In this episode, I talk about:

1. How toxic masculinity can quietly interfere with emotional literacy in boys and what parenting experts see happening in families every day
2. Why trusting yourself as a parent is critical when teaching boys emotional literacy through evidence-based parenting
3. How confident parenting helps boys express emotions without fear and reduces the long-term impact of toxic masculinity
4. The role of a parenting expert in helping families apply evidence-based parenting strategies that strengthen emotional literacy
5. How trusting yourself and leaning into confident parenting creates space for boys to grow into emotionally aware and resilient humans

If you want practical insight from a parenting expert on evidence-based parenting, emotional literacy, and trusting yourself while raising boys in a culture shaped by toxic masculinity, this episode will leave you feeling more confident in your parenting choices and more grounded in your instincts.

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A pep talk for parents who feel intense pressure to create perfect holiday magic, even when things are falling apart behind the scenes. If the expectations around the holidays are making you doubt yourself, a pep talk is here to support confident parenting and remind you that real connection matters more than perfection.

In this solo episode, I share a very honest parenting story from early motherhood where my attempt at creating holiday magic completely unraveled. I use that experience to offer perspective, reassurance, and positive parenting tips for parents who feel overwhelmed, discouraged, or worried that they are not doing enough. This episode is both a pep talk and a reminder that confident parenting does not require everything to go according to plan.

In this episode, I talk about

• Why the pressure to create holiday magic often makes parenting feel harder and more stressful

• How a pep talk can help reset your mindset when a holiday moment goes wrong

• What kids actually remember when parents feel pressure around holiday magic

• How letting go of perfection supports confident parenting during the holidays

• Simple positive parenting tips that help parents recover when plans fall apart

• Why confident parenting is built in small moments, not perfect ones

If you are craving reassurance, perspective, and positive parenting tips during a season full of expectations, this episode is for you. Press play for a pep talk that helps you release the pressure of holiday magic and lean into confident parenting instead.

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