StrollerCoaster: A Parenting Podcast

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 code STROLLERCOASTER15 for 15% off regular-price items! 

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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.

You can find all your favorite Munchkin products – including the Float High Chair featured in this episode – at https://www.munchkin.com 

Use the code STROLLERCOASTER for 15% off regular-price items! 

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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 code PODCAST for 15% off regular-price items!  

Follow Munchkin on Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest  

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 code StrollerCoaster for 15% off regular-price items! 

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, 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 code PODCAST for 15% off regular-price items!  

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  

Children cry, it's a fact. We hate to hear our kids cry but saying “stop crying” isn’t going to help. In fact, it can be harmful. Rachel Tuchman, a Mental Health Counselor with a speciality in early childhood development, explains to Lynn and Justin that demanding children “stop crying” can squash their emotions and lead to big issues later in life. Rachel provides concrete, actionable advice on what to say instead and how to react when kids cry in public.   

In our Parenting Story of the Day, Irina Gonzalez explains how she responded when a family member told her - 3 month old baby - that men don’t cry.  

Rachel Tuchman / Blog / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube

Rachel Tuchman is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with over 15 years of experience specializing in childhood development. She has worked with many diverse populations including kids and adults with developmental delays, child behavior issues, overwhelmed parents looking for skills and support and teens struggling with the pressures of adolescence and life.

Rachel is a HAES (Health At Every Size) aligned clinician and dedicates a lot of her time out of office to educating parents and kids on the importance of body respect and the behaviors that truly honor our health. Currently, she offers services in her Cedarhurst, NY and does speaking engagements for schools, synagogues, and various community organizations.

Irina Gonzalez is a journalist, editor, and author of the Parenting in Hard Mode newsletter and an upcoming book on impactful Latinx Americans. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook. 

StrollerCoaster: A Parenting Podcast is created by Munchkin, the most loved baby lifestyle brand in the world. Don't forget about StrollerCoaster StoryTime our podcast for kids!

You can find all your favorite Munchkin products – including the Step Diaper Pale – at Munchkin.com. Use the code PODCAST for 15% off regular-price items!   

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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:

• Getting from the playground to the car
• Easy ways to really connect with your kids
• Handling opposition when all your child says is “NO!”
• Teaching healthy competition 
• Finding more patience
• Creating stressless snack times

…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!

Is it too early to teach manners when kids are just learning to ask for what they want? Is there a point where it’s too late to teach manners and the habits are already ingrained?  And WHY do manners matter?

Today Lynn talks with Zack Bush, best-selling children's book author, father of three, and co-writer of The Little Book of Good Manners. Then we’ll hear from writer, director, producer, and parent Laura Mullin, whose work on manners with her daughter resulted in triumph, relief, and a deep understanding as to why it counts.