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 the Day, Allison Schwalm talks about how daughter struggled with separation anxiety until she found a unique playgroup. The first day she dropped her daughter off, something magical happened.

You can also watch this podcast on YouTube and reach us at [email protected]. 

Lenore Skenazy / Free Range Kids / IG / FB / X / YT / LinkedIn 

Lenore is an American speaker, syndicated columnist, reality show host and author who co-founded Let Grow, an organization advocating for free-range parenting, with Professor Jonathan Haidt, Daniel Shuchman, Dr. Peter Gray. She assisted Haidt with two chapters on his instant #1 New York Times bestseller “The Anxious Generation” and is the author of “Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry.”

She was featured in the award-winning documentary film “Chasing Childhood” which features psychologists, activists, and leaders of the free play movement who fight to bring back the untold benefits of a less curated childhood.

"Chasing Childhood" Documentary

To learn more about the film, where to stream it, and how to host a screening in your community, please visit: https://chasingchildhooddoc.com/

StrollerCoaster: A Parenting Podcast is created by Munchkin Inc., 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 STROLLERCOASTER15 for 15% off regular-price items! (expires 4/13/25)

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Trees for the Future

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 – The New York Times bestseller “The Whole-Brain Child” and “No-Drama Discipline.” Dr. Bryson gives us the practical guidance that every parent needs when we dare to compare. 

Then, in our Parenting Story of the Day, we’ll hear from a mom who noticed that her son was different from other kids. What did she do? She embraced it.

You can also watch this podcast on YouTube and reach us at [email protected]. 

Dr. Tina Bryson / IG / FB / LinkedIn / YouTube / X / The Way of Play Book

Dr. Bryson is a psychotherapist, speaker, mother and the Founder/Executive Director of The Center for Connection (“CFC”), a multidisciplinary clinical practice; of The Play Strong Institute, a center devoted to the study, research, and practice of play therapy through a neurodevelopment lens; and The Center for Connection and Neurodiversity, a wing of the CFC devoted to celebrating neurodifferences and providing brain-based occupational therapy across the lifespan.

She is also the co-author (with Dan Siegel) of two New York Times bestsellers, “The Whole-Brain Child” and “No-Drama Discipline” each of which has been translated into over fifty languages with “The Whole-Brain Child” selling over a million copies.

You can also watch this podcast on YouTube and reach us at [email protected].

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

You can find all your favorite Munchkin products – including the Night Owl Stroller and the WildLove products at Munchkin.com. Use the code STROLLERCOASTER15 for 15% off regular-price items! (expires 4/13/25)

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IFAW

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 music. Written in consultation with a leading childhood development expert, our story illustrates healthy ways for parents (and kids) to handle tricky situations.

Watch the animated video of this and other Season 4 episodes on YouTube at Munchkin / StoryTime Podcast / https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaelLV1d0H9cvT9MY7ZAfGaLEiVUPny_5

StrollerCoaster StoryTime is created by Munchkin Inc, the most loved baby lifestyle brand in the world. 

Subscribe now and never miss an episode!

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

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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 adulthood.

In our Parenting Story of the Day, we hear how Kelsey Demers, a mom of seven, uses family game night to teach her children bigger life lessons–resilience, critical thinking, and the value of spending real “facetime” around the family table. 

You can also watch this podcast on YouTube and reach us at [email protected]. 

Sam Weinman / IG / FB / LinkedIn

Author Sam Weinman was inspired to pen “Win at Losing: How Our Biggest Setbacks Can Lead to Our Greatest Gains,” because his two sons both struggled with losing. Wanting to show them that losing has real benefits, he started on a journey to talk to people—famous and otherwise—about how they handled a notable loss, and what they learned from it. 

Weinman is the digital editorial director at Golf Digest and also covered golf and the NHL for The Journal News in Westchester, N.Y. He wrote for numerous publications including USA Today, Golf World, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN the Magazine, and Sports Illustrated. He has been honored with multiple awards in the Associated Press Sports Editors and Golf Writers Association of America writing contests. 

Kelsey Demers / IG / TikTok

Kelsey and Adam and their seven kids love to play board games! So much so they created the website TheTableTopFamily.com to help everyone find the perfect game to inspire their family to spend more quality time together. They believe that there is nothing more fun than spending an evening together laughing and connecting over the shared experience of playing a game.   

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

You can find all your favorite Munchkin products – including the Spring 2-in-1 Bouncer – at Munchkin.com. Use the CURRENT CODE STROLLERCOASTER15 for 15% off regular-price items! (expires 4/13/25)

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Trees For the Future  

“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 Parenting Story of the Day, Ginny Luther was at her wits-end with her defiant son but was able to turn things around in a surprising way.  

You can also watch this podcast on YouTube. 

Claire Lerner / IG / FB / LinkedIn

Claire is a child development specialist with over 35 years of experience working with children and families. Trained as a clinical social worker and psychotherapist, she began her career as a child and family therapist and was asked to lead the parenting education work at Zero to Three. For over 20 years, Claire led the organization’s effort to translate the science of early childhood for parents and professionals—to empower them to nurture children’s development through resources and training on a wide range of topics including: early brain development, positive parenting, and understanding and coping with challenging behaviors. 

Ginny Luther   

Ginny is the author of “Blue Star Grit: A Mother’s Journey of Triumph and Tragedy Raising a Defiant Child into an Exceptional Leader.” Since 1994, she has been the proud owner and operator of Peaceful Parenting LLC, a successful business whose mission is to help create peace within families and classrooms. Ginny is also certified by the International Network for Children and Families to provide communication courses, seminars and workshops that promote cooperative, healthy relationships between adults and children.

StrollerCoaster: A Parenting Podcast is created by Munchkin Inc., 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 https://www.munchkin.com 

Use the CURRENT CODE STROLLERCOASTER15 for 15% off regular-price items! (expires 4/13/25)

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Trees For the Future  

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 truly connect when they all come together at the end of the day. 

In our Parenting Story of the Day, Sarah Philpott shares an extremely emotional story about a scary close call and what it taught her about staying connected with her kids. This story is unforgettable.

You can also watch this podcast on YouTube and reach us at [email protected]. 

Rhea Lalla / IG / FB 

Rhea Lalla is an author, emotional intelligence specialist and certified relationship and parenting coach. She was the Founder of Build Great Minds which was created to help cultivate a child’s emotional, intellectual and creative mind to achieve success in all areas of life. 

Rhea designs and delivers K to 12 EQ Curriculums for parents, teachers & students for schools globally including The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Schools as well as EQ Training to the United Nations, Children's Aid, JP Morgan and Google.

Sarah Philpott / IG / FB

Sarah is a farmer, writer and mom of four with a Ph.D from the University of Tennessee. An award-winning author “Loved Baby Book,” about pregnancy loss, her most recent release “Moo, Moo Nap, Nap” is the perfect story time read. 

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

You can find all your favorite Munchkin products – including the UV Diaper Pail and WildLove products featured in this episode – at https://www.munchkin.com  

Use the CURRENT CODE STROLLERCOASTER15 for 15% off regular-price items! (expires 4/13/25)

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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 in consultation with a leading childhood development expert, our story illustrates healthy ways for parents (and kids) to handle tricky situations. 

Watch the animated video of this and other Season 4 episodes on YouTube at Munchkin / StoryTime Podcast / https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaelLV1d0H9cvT9MY7ZAfGaLEiVUPny_5

Subscribe now and never miss an episode!

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

Follow Munchkin / Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest 

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 how a simple trip to the store turned into a toddler juggling act and a true test of her patience. 

Dr. Jenny Woo / IG / FB / YT / X / Li 

Mother of three, Dr. Jenny Woo is a Harvard-trained educator, EQ researcher, founder/CEO of Mind Brain Emotion (incubated out of Harvard Innovation Labs) and creator of award-winning card games and mental health tools to help children and adults build emotional intelligence and communication skills. Teachers, psychologists, parents, and teens have used her product line in more than 50 countries. 

In addition to her MEd from Harvard, MBA from UC Berkeley, and PhD from UC Irvine, she also spent several years as a Montessori school director and seven years as a human capital consultant at Deloitte and executive coach at Cisco Systems. Dr. Woo is a keynote and TEDx speaker and an author who teaches Emotional Intelligence and Management Fundamentals at the University of California-Irvine. 

Alana Smith 

Alana is a nurse anesthetist, author and boy mom who shares her takes on all things motherhood and marriage at Holy Moly Motherhood on Facebook and Instagram. Her books on preparing kids for surgery can be found here.

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

You can also watch this podcast on YouTube and reach us at [email protected]. 

You can find all your favorite Munchkin products – including the Milkmakers Lactation Cookie Bites featured in this episode – at https://www.munchkin.com  

Use the CURRENT CODE STROLLERCOASTER15 for 15% off regular-price items! (expires 4/13/25)

Follow Munchkin on Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest  

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 other parents.

In our Parenting Story of the Day, writer/humorist Jessica Delfino tells us how she forged unlikely bonds and rewarding friendships on the playground, which she calls “a dating app” for finding parent friends.

Shasta Nelson / Podcast / Book / IG / FB / YouTube / X / LinkedIn 

For over 15 years, Shasta Nelson has been translating the science of human connection into actionable practices that leads to greater belonging in our communities and work culture. Her expertise has activated organizations such as Google and LinkedIn to intentionally create and accelerate high-trust and resilient relationships.

Shasta is the author of three books about how to build healthy relationships including “Frientimacy: How To Deepen Friendships For Lifelong Health and Happiness.” She is also a two-time TEDx speaker, contributor to the Harvard Business Review and has been featured in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, TIME magazine and on the Today Show.

Jessica Delfino / Blog / YouTube / IG / FB / X / LinkedIn / TikTok

Jessica Delfino is an award winning comedian, writer, musician and mom who tries to balance her time between “momming” and performing. Her book “Dumb Jokes For Smart Folks” was a #1 Amazon bestseller.  

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

You can find all your favorite Munchkin products – including the Spring 2-in-1 Bouncer featured in this episode – at Munchkin.com. Use the CURRENT CODE STROLLERCOASTER15 for 15% off regular-price items! (expires 4/13/25)

Follow Munchkin on Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest  

Trees for the Future

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 surprises. Written in consultation with a leading childhood development expert, our story illustrates healthy ways for parents (and kids) to handle conflict and competition. 

Watch the animated video of this and other Season 4 episodes on YouTube at Munchkin / StoryTime Podcast / https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaelLV1d0H9cvT9MY7ZAfGaLEiVUPny_5

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

Follow Munchkin at Instagram  / Facebook / Pinterest