StrollerCoaster: A Parenting Podcast

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 insightful ideas.  

In our Parenting Story of the Day, Quiana Cooper-Jarrett shares an inspiring story about how she and her daughter connected over music at one of the most amazing venues in the world – Carnegie Hall. 

Let's get artistic!

Dr. Gai Lindsay / Blog / Instagram / Facebook

Dr. Lindsay has a Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education, School of Education, Faculty of Social Sciences, Art is Experience: An Exploration of the Visual Arts Beliefs and Pedagogy of Australian Early Childhood Educators. She is a senior lecturer in The Early Years Bachelor of Education degree program at the University of Wollongong in Australia. 

Before entering academia, she worked as a preschool teacher, director and early childhood consultant for 23 years and this work inspired her determination to be an academic who impacts the quality of early childhood teaching.

Carnegie Hall’s Family Resources 

StrollerCoaster: A Parenting Podcast is created by Munchkin, the most loved baby lifestyle brand in the world. 

You can find all your favorite Munchkin products – including the Float High Chair featured in this episode – at Munchkin.com. Use the code PODCAST for 15% off regular-price items!  

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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 Justin for an insightful conversation about easy and actionable ways to transition children from one activity to another. 

And in our Parenting Story of the Day, Marie Holmes shares the touching story of how she and her son got through the really big transition of changing schools. 

Dr. Rebecca Schrag Hershberg

A mother of two, Dr. Shrag Herschberg is a leading clinical psychologist, parent coach and author of the “Tantrum Survival Guide: Tune In To Your Toddler's Mind (and Your Own) to Calm the Craziness and Make Family Fun Again.” She is the former Director of Training and Quality for Healthy Steps at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, an infant and toddler preventive mental health program that gained national and international attention for its integration of early childhood professionals within primary care pediatrics. She also held an assistant professorship in the Department of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Instagram @rebeccahershbergphd 

Marie Holmes is a parenting reporter with Huffpost and can be found on X @holmes_marie.  

StrollerCoaster: A Parenting Podcast is created by Munchkin, the most loved baby lifestyle brand in the world. 

You can find all your favorite Munchkin products – including the Night Owl Stroller featured in this episode – at Munchkin.com. Use the code PODCAST for 15% off regular-price items!  

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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:

…and much more!

Make sure you are subscribed so you don’t miss our first episode on Tuesday, September 3rd.

Coming soon - new episodes of StrollerCoaster StoryTime for Kids! A short form podcast with a modern take on your favorite children's stories and original tales chock full of surprises, cool sound effects and unexpected twists and turns that are perfect for listening with your kids.

StrollerCoaster: A Parenting Podcast & StrollerCoster StoryTime for Kids are created by Munchkin, the most loved baby lifestyle brand in the world. 

You can find all your favorite Munchkin products at Munchkin.com. 

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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. 

We share what we’ve learned, what’s worked and what we are planning to try next... 

Enjoy this unfiltered look at How We Have Changed as Parents (and how we are greasing the tracks for a smoother ride.)

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 children's story 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'.

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 face from day to day.

 “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 transformed him for the better. This one gives physical activity an entire new level of importance!

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 before! Perfect for kids! And parents too!

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 for packing the family up and heading out on an adventure. Then we hear a feel-good story from Dustin Moore about how he and his wife got an unexpected surprise on their first flight with their newly adopted baby. This one is going to get you excited for new adventures with your kids!

“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!