Little Kid

15 of the Best Quiet-Time Toys For Kids Who’ve Dropped Their Naps Toys & Play

Has your child dropped a nap and needs something quiet to do for a portion of the afternoon? This is the list for you.

Laura Fenton

Feb 9, 2023

30 of the Best Little Kid Gifts This Year Toys & Play

With 30 awesome gifts to choose from, you’ll have plenty of options to put together the perfect gift for even the pickiest little kid.

Alicia Betz

Nov 14, 2022

The Toddler Whisperers Solve the Most Annoying Kid Sleep Issues Family Homes

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. Piled among the many challenges of parenthood lie those desperate bedtime blues that leave families exhausted and just a bit defeated. Maybe you know what I’m talking about?

Thao Thai

Jun 8, 2021

This $27 Toy Has Entertained My Kids for Hours of Indoor Play Toys & Play

Water is the ultimate sensory play experience for kids, but, when you’re in the midst of a pandemic in winter (and in my case, holed up in a New York City apartment), there’s no pool, sprinkler, or ocean on offer. However, you still have two options for water play: One is bath time, of course, and the other is what I like to call “Mix and Measure Time.

Renu Blankinship

Feb 4, 2021

20 Parents of Preschoolers on the One Meal They Will Always Eat Kid Food

Feeding a preschooler can be a wild ride. Starting at around age two, lots of kids start to get a bit um… discerning, about what they will and won’t put into their mouths. Testing boundaries and reticence to trying new things is “normal” at this age and can continue for a few years, but it’s hard to feel reassured when one day your your little one wants to eat grilled cheese at every single meal forever and ever and the next day they won’t touch the stuff.

Suzy Scherr

Feb 4, 2021

How to Get Your Kids Excited About Old Toys Toys & Play

In my house, we’ve been hearing a lot of complaints from our son lately that his toys are “boring” (and this is after the influx of new Christmas gifts!). Despite the fact that he hasn’t played inside at a friends house in going on ten months, he seems to have a photographic memory of his friends’ supposedly superior toy collections.

Laura Fenton

Jan 21, 2021

My Kid Doesn’t Like Meat. Here’s How She Gets Her Protein.Kid Food

In some ways, my 3-year-old is actually a pretty open-minded eater. To my surprise, she’s always loved vegetables. She’ll chow down on roasted broccoli or squash, and will pop cherry tomatoes and peas like they’re candy.One thing she doesn’t always love, though? Meat. We have a few reliable options (chicken is always the common denominator), but with almost anything else — like beef, pulled pork, or any sort of fish — she’s not interested.

Melissa Harrison Jameson

Jan 19, 2021

I Do 1,800 Tuck-Ins a Year. Here’s What I Can Tell You About Bedtime Routines Family Homes

I did the math. Tucking my five kids into bed every night means I do almost two thousand tuck-ins a year. As much as it’s my joy and pleasure to do them, I’m not always Patient Happy Mommy by the time it comes time to switch off the light and leave the room. Sometimes all it takes is an “I’m thirsty” while I’m kissing a forehead for Growly Mom to come onstage. And I know I’m not alone.

Shifrah Combiths

Nov 24, 2020

This IKEA Chair Has Become My School-at-Home Savior Family Homes

One night while visiting my parents a few years back, my dad hauled an old chair up from the basement for my son. This was a chair I’d sat in for hundreds of family meals as a child; it had then made its way through some younger cousins and gotten a custom paint job along the way. Not a high chair and not a full-sized chair, this was a seat designed specifically for a little kid. My son loved it.

Laura Fenton

Oct 16, 2020