Toddler Purgatory

The list of typical parenting fears is longer than a CVS receipt, and for us, researching this episode didn’t exactly make that list shorter. Turns out there are big-picture hypothetical fears, most common before the baby actually arrives; there are societally imposed, nightly-news sort of fears; and for most of us, a few more “I know this sounds crazy but” fears, which we have made up all on our own.

It’s hard not to want to bubble wrap our kids until college… but since there are probably some negative side effects to that as well, in this "best of" episode from 2021, we discuss how to manage our relationships with some of the most common parenting fears.

Here are links to some writing on the topic that we discuss in this episode:

Connie Mattiessen for BabyCenter: Top 5 parenting fears and what you can do about them

Paul Donahue: Parenting Without Fear: Letting Go of Worry and Focusing on What Really Matters

Dr. Minne Fekkes et al: Effects of Antibullying School Program on Bullying and Health Complaints

Special thanks to our sponsors for this month:

AprilAire is Healthy Air, with professional-grade solutions filling millions of homes. To find out more about the AprilAire Healthy Air System®, visit www.aprilaire.com/laughing

DockAtot is the premium lifestyle brand made for the modern parent, with elegant cushions, swaddlers, and more. Get 15% off at dockatot.com with the code LAUGHING.

Honeylove shapewear is the secret sauce you need for your everyday wardrobe. Get 20% off at honeylove.com with the code LAUGHING. 

Metabolic Reds is a delicious superfood blend. Go to getreds.com/toddler to get a FREE bottle of Metabolic Greens with your first order. 

Misfits Market is an affordable online grocery service that makes shopping easy, quick, and fun.Visit get.misfitsmarket.com/LAUGHING30 by Dec. 31st to get 30% off your first order.

Ready, Set, Food! helps prevent food allergies in children. Go to readysetfood.com/todpurgs & use code TODPURGS for 30% off your first order. 

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When did kids' birthday parties become such a big to-do? Why do we celebrate birthdays in the first place? What sound does a clown make? Blaire's and Molly's sons are both turning six within five days of each other, so listen in as they party plan and take a trip down memory lane about their own birthdays growing up.

Blaire and Molly discuss:

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Joe Pinsker for The Atlantic: "The Strange Origins of American Birthday Celebrations"

Megan Cooley for The Spruce: "How to Plan a Kid's Birthday Party: The Ultimate Timeline"

Julie Hoag: "7 Tips to Survive Hosting a Kids Birthday Party"

Crystal Ponti for Filter Free Parents: "This Is Why None Of Us Really Love Kids’ Birthday Parties"

Special thanks to our sponsors for this month:

AprilAire is Healthy Air, with professional-grade solutions filling millions of homes. To find out more about the AprilAire Healthy Air System®, visit www.aprilaire.com/laughing

DockAtot is the premium lifestyle brand made for the modern parent, with elegant cushions, swaddlers, and more. Get 15% off at dockatot.com with the code LAUGHING.

Honeylove shapewear is the secret sauce you need for your everyday wardrobe. Get 20% off at honeylove.com with the code LAUGHING. 

Metabolic Reds is a delicious superfood blend. Go to getreds.com/toddler to get a FREE bottle of Metabolic Greens with your first order. 

Misfits Market is an affordable online grocery service that makes shopping easy, quick, and fun.Visit get.misfitsmarket.com/LAUGHING30 by Dec. 31st to get 30% off your first order.

Ready, Set, Food! helps prevent food allergies in children. Go to readysetfood.com/todpurgs & use code TODPURGS for 30% off your first order. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wine and cheese at the playground? Naps outside? Recess every hour? There are a lot of intriguing child-rearing strategies from all over the world, some that to us Am-urr-icans seem like common sense, and some that seem a little more out-of-the-box...

Molly and Blaire discuss:

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Marco Chown Oved for the Toronto Star: "Mothers love differently around the world"

Amy Morin for VeryWell Family: "11 Parenting Styles From Around the World"

Sharon Jayson for USA Today: "American moms creating a parenting melting pot"

What Fresh Hell's Fresh Take with Michaeleen Doucleff on Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans

Our Facebook group

Leave us a voicemail on our site

Special thanks to our sponsors for this month:

AprilAire is Healthy Air, with professional-grade solutions filling millions of homes. To find out more about the AprilAire Healthy Air System®, visit www.aprilaire.com/laughing

DockAtot is the premium lifestyle brand made for the modern parent, with elegant cushions, swaddlers, and more. Get 15% Off at dockatot.com with the code LAUGHING.

Honeylove shapewear is the secret sauce you need for your everyday wardrobe. Get 20% Off at honeylove.com with the code LAUGHING.

Metabolic Reds is a delicious superfood blend. Go to getreds.com/toddler to get a FREE bottle of Metabolic Greens with your first order. 

Misfits Market is an affordable online grocery service that makes shopping easy, quick, and fun.Visit get.misfitsmarket.com/LAUGHING30 by Dec. 31st to get 30% off your first order.

Ready, Set, Food! helps prevent food allergies in children. Go to readysetfood.com/todpurgs & use code TODPURGS for 30% off your first order. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We asked the #todpurgs listeners: what are the things your parents said that you SWORE you'd never say to your own kids– and yet still do? You all brought the answers... and here are some of our faves.

#parentingonrepeat #YouGotMcDonaldsMoney

Here is the link to the article Molly and Blaire reference in the episode:

Charlotte Hilton Andersen for Redbook Magazine: "21 Things Parents Used to Say That Would Shock Millennial Parents"

Special thanks to our sponsors for this month:

AprilAire is Healthy Air, with professional-grade solutions filling millions of homes. To find out more about the AprilAire Healthy Air System®, visit www.aprilaire.com/laughing

Metabolic Reds is a delicious superfood blend. Go to getreds.com/toddler to get a FREE bottle of Metabolic Greens with your first order.  

Misfits Market is an affordable online grocery service that makes shopping easy, quick, and fun. Visit get.misfitsmarket.com/LAUGHING30 by Dec. 31st to get 30% off your first order.

Ready, Set, Food! is the safe and easy way to introduce allergens to your baby’s diet. Go to readysetfood.com/todpurgs & use code TODPURGS for 30% off your first order.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do we know if the emotional ups and downs of post-partum life are normal reactions to new motherhood or a treatable medical condition? And why is it so hard to talk about these feelings? Molly and Blaire speak about their own post-partum experiences and do a little digging on what the difference between these two phenomena really is.

In this episode, Molly and Blaire discuss:

Here are links to resources mentioned in the episode:

American Psychiatric Association: "What is Peripartum Depression (formerly Postpartum)?"

Heidi Murkoff for What to Expect: "The Baby Blues"

Need someone to talk to? National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for free and confidential emotional support—they talk about more than just suicide.

Special thanks to this month's sponsors:

AprilAire is a professional-grade Indoor Air Quality solution. For more information on the AprilAire Healthy Air System®, visit www.aprilaire.com/laughing. 

Faherty is a family-run brand making high-quality, timeless clothing. Head to fahertybrand.com/LAUGHING and use code LAUGHING at checkout to get 20% off.

Metabolic Reds is the superfood blend you’ve been craving. Try it risk-free today and get a free bottle of Metabolic Greens with your first order. Go to getreds.com/toddler to learn more. 

Ready, Set, Food! is the safe and easy way to introduce allergens to your baby’s diet. Go to readysetfood.com/todpurgs & use code TODPURGS for 30% off your first order. 

Yipes! Wipes are a kids’ face and hands wipe designed to teach kids to develop independent healthy habits. Go to yipeswipes.com/TODDLER for 20% off. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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In this episode, Blaire and Molly pal around with their comedian friends Kate Zelensky and Cody Lindquist. They exchange knock-knock jokes, lament about times they bombed with their kids, and discuss a certain compelling performance of "Memory."

Kate Zelensky started a career in comedy in 2006 at The Upright Citizens Brigade having finally figured out that she wasn’t so good at musical theatre (though Molly disagrees, as we discuss in the episode!). Kate taught, performed, wrote and directed all around that joint for a dozen years. She dabbled in TV and Internet humor content but is best known for a Chuck E. Cheese commercial in which she played a mother of two pre teens - one of whom barfed pepperoni pizza all over the place because he refused to use the spit bucket. Kate got married and had two babies and now works full time as a vending machine for them. 

Cody Lindquist is an actress, voiceover actress, and comedian. She is the co-host of the podcast Two Beers In: A Tipsy Political Roundtable and the mom of two tiny New Yorkers. 

Links to resources mentioned in the episode:

Dru Sefton for The Washington Post: "How Families Share a Sense of Humor"

Kate's heart-wrenching rendition of "Memory"

Special thanks to this month's sponsors:

AprilAire is a professional-grade Indoor Air Quality solution. For more information on the AprilAire Healthy Air System®, visit www.aprilaire.com/laughing. 

Faherty is a family-run brand making high-quality, timeless clothing. Head to fahertybrand.com/LAUGHING and use code LAUGHING at checkout to get 20% off.

Metabolic Reds is the superfood blend you’ve been craving. Try it risk-free today and get a free bottle of Metabolic Greens with your first order. Go to getreds.com/toddler to learn more. 

Ready, Set, Food! is the safe and easy way to introduce allergens to your baby’s diet. Go to readysetfood.com/todpurgs & use code TODPURGS for 30% off your first order. 

Yipes! Wipes are a kids’ face and hands wipe designed to teach kids to develop independent healthy habits. Go to yipeswipes.com/TODDLER for 20% off. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, everyone on the Toddler Purgatory/ What Fresh Hell team got Covid this summer, despite the fact that we work in different states! Blaire had a really bad time of it: her entire family came down with the virus all at once, and her kids felt pretty ill. Blaire and Molly discuss their own experiences with sick families and well-researched advice about how to deal with it in your own household if Covid comes knocking.

Note: Blaire and Molly discuss the most recent info available on the Covid-19 pandemic, but that info is subject to change. For the most up-to-date info about Covid-19, visit www.cdc.gov

If you are need of urgent childcare, you can call 211 or to go online to 211.org where you can request assistance in finding local community resources that may be able to provide support.

Here are some of the studies and resources Blaire and Molly reference:

Juan Dumois et. al from Johns Hopkins: "Getting Real: When Covid-19 Enters a Busy Household"

Emily Sohn for National Geographic: "Is Omicron really less severe than Delta? Here's what the science says."

Kathy Katella for Yale Medicine: "Omicron, Delta, Alpha, and More: What To Know About the Coronavirus Variants"

The Mayo Clinic: "Covid-19 in Babies and Children"

Special thanks to this month's sponsors:

AprilAire is a professional-grade Indoor Air Quality solution. For more information on the AprilAire Healthy Air System®, visit www.aprilaire.com/laughing. 

Faherty is a family-run brand making high-quality, timeless clothing. Head to fahertybrand.com/LAUGHING and use code LAUGHING at checkout to get 20% off.

Metabolic Reds is the superfood blend you’ve been craving. Try it risk-free today and get a free bottle of Metabolic Greens with your first order. Go to getreds.com/toddler to learn more. 

Ready, Set, Food! is the safe and easy way to introduce allergens to your baby’s diet. Go to readysetfood.com/todpurgs & use code TODPURGS for 30% off your first order. 

Yipes! Wipes are a kids’ face and hands wipe designed to teach kids to develop independent healthy habits. Go to yipeswipes.com/TODDLER for 20% off. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mom guilt. Mom rage. Shame. We feel the things. Then we feel bad about feeling the things. Which doesn't help us feel any better.

In this "Best Of" episode, we discuss how to acknowledge, anticipate, sit with, process, and redirect these feelings, without beating ourselves up for having felt them in the first place.

Here are links to some of the writing on the topic that we discuss in this episode:

Pooja Lakshmin for The New York Times: "Saying No Is Self-Care For Parents"

Motherly: "Mom rage is real-and it's a sign that mother's needs aren't being met"

Lauren Smith Brody for Today's Parent: "Why mom guilt is the biggest lie of all"

Special thanks to this month's sponsors:

AprilAire is a professional-grade Indoor Air Quality solution. For more information on the AprilAire Healthy Air System®, visit www.aprilaire.com/laughing. 

Faherty is a family-run brand making high-quality, timeless clothing. Head to fahertybrand.com/LAUGHING and use code LAUGHING at checkout to get 20% off.

Metabolic Reds is the superfood blend you’ve been craving. Try it risk-free today and get a free bottle of Metabolic Greens with your first order. Go to getreds.com/toddler to learn more. 

Ready, Set, Food! is the safe and easy way to introduce allergens to your baby’s diet. Go to readysetfood.com/todpurgs & use code TODPURGS for 30% off your first order. 

Yipes! Wipes are a kids’ face and hands wipe designed to teach kids to develop independent healthy habits. Go to yipeswipes.com/TODDLER for 20% off. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do we talk to our kids about things we ourselves don't even fully understand? Some of the most difficult topics to discuss with kids are sex, death, illness, divorce, and natural disasters or tragedies. Molly and Blaire give recommendations for taking care of yourself, guiding the conversation, and avoiding euphemisms or metaphors that may be more harmful than helpful.

Molly and Blaire discuss:

Here are links to some of the resources referenced in the episode:

Dr. Steven J. Berkowitz for the Child Mind Institute: "What Makes an Event Traumatic for a Child?"

Lisa Milbrand for Parents.com: "A Step-By-Step Guide to Talking to Kids About Death and Grief"

American Psychological Association: "How to talk to children about difficult news"

Special thanks to this month's sponsors:

AprilAire is a professional-grade Indoor Air Quality solution. For more information on the AprilAire Healthy Air System®, visit www.aprilaire.com/laughing. 

Faherty is a family-run brand making high-quality, timeless clothing. Head to fahertybrand.com/LAUGHING and use code LAUGHING at checkout to get 20% off.

Metabolic Reds is the superfood blend you’ve been craving. Try it risk-free today and get a free bottle of Metabolic Greens with your first order. Go to getreds.com/toddler to learn more. 

Ready, Set, Food! is the safe and easy way to introduce allergens to your baby’s diet. Go to readysetfood.com/todpurgs & use code TODPURGS for 30% off your first order. 

Yipes! Wipes are a kids’ face and hands wipe designed to teach kids to develop independent healthy habits. Go to yipeswipes.com/TODDLER for 20% off. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is Disney World a childhood mecca or a cruel and unusual punishment? Rite of passage or consumerist hellscape? For some families, Disney is NOT the happiest place on Earth. Blaire and Molly discuss the pros and cons of taking their kids to Disney and why it maybe doesn't define their worth as parents.

In this episode, Molly and Blaire discuss:

Links to resources mentioned in today's episode:

James Brockbank for The Family Vacation Guide: "What Is The Best Age To Take Kids To Disney World?"

Blaire's awesome floral gown

Kingdom stroller rental

Special thanks to this month's sponsors:

Faherty is a family-run brand making high-quality, timeless clothing with modern design and functionality. Head to fahertybrand.com/LAUGHING and use code FRESH at checkout to snag 20% off ALL the stuff you'll be wearing this fall.

Metabolic Reds is a delicious superfood blend. Go to getreds.com/toddler to get a FREE bottle of Metabolic Greens with your first order. 

Prose is the healthy hair regimen with your name all over it. Take your FREE in-depth hair consultation and get 15% off your first order today! Go to prose.com/toddler

Ready, Set, Food! helps prevent food allergies in children. Go to readysetfood.com/todpurgs & use code TODPURGS for 30% off your first order. 

With Thrive Market, you can shop everything from healthy pantry essentials and sustainable meat and seafood to non-toxic cleaning and beauty products - all delivered right to your door. Go to thrivemarket.com/laughing to get $80 worth of free groceries.

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