Spawned Parenting Podcast with Liz of Cool Mom Picks

Is there any new parent struggle that generates more controversy than sleep training? Arguably...no way. But can we finally stop fighting about what's right and wrong? Yes! Maybe? Sleep training expert Tamiko Kelly, owner of Sleep Well Wake Happy, joins us for a fun (really!) and incredibly helpful  discussion that may change what you think you know about sleep training your baby. And stick around...

We talk a lot about being the change you want to see in the world, but how do you do that? How do you get started? What if you're like us, crazy-busy parents who are already juggling a lot of stuff? What if the word "activist" doesn't really apply to you at all?  On this week's episode, join us for a lively chat and some really helpful, useful tips from Elisa Camahort Page, co-founder of the Blogh...

We've talked at length about how the future is female, hey, it's even on shirts now, but the jury is still out on how female power impacts femininity and the associated stereotypes. That's where our guest (and dear friend) Catherine Connors comes in, who is addressing just that in her new book The Feminine Revolution. We chat about what exactly a feminine revolution looks like, how it affects our...

If you've ever wished for more time like us, then you'll be so glad to listen to the wise words and experience of author Jake Knapp. He shares some of the techniques from his new book, Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day. He's got so many amazing tips, tricks, and thoughtful tidbits that you can implement right now. And as always, we share our cool picks of the week. Head over to our...

On this episode of Spawned, we chat with author Kate Inglis about her new book: Notes for the Everlost: A Field Guide to Grief, where she provides a roadmap of the grieving process through her personal experience of losing her young on Liam. This topic is of a sensitive nature, so please be advised before listening, though we hope you do as we feel it's such an important discussion. You can reach...

Only one week left until Christmas, but fear not! We've got you covered with our annual Holiday Gift Guide ! In this episode, we share some of our favorite holiday gifts, especially ones from indie artisans, handmade artists, and small businesses. And, don't miss our amazing Etsy giveaway! You can head over to Cool Mom Picks to get all the links and our favorite picks from the show. Plus, hit us u...

We know that the holidays can be a busy, stressful time for lots of families, which is why we thought it might be helpful to discuss ways we try to make the most out of the holidays (and not lose our minds) with our own families on our latest Spawned podcast. In this episode, we've got tips for creating moments that matter (that don't have to be expensive by the way), and well, just lots of inspir...

If you're familiar with helicopter parenting, sorry, we're not talking about that. We're welcoming back the hilarious James Breakwell (aka Xploding Unicorn on Twitter) to talk about pretty much the opposite: bare minimum parenting. It also happens to be the title of his new book. He chats with Liz about school, social media, sanctimommies, and other things that don't start with the letter "s." We...

As we head into the holiday season with video games (and Fortnite) gifts topping our kids' wishlist, we're sharing one of our favorite Spawned episodes when we chatted with video game expert and author, Dr. Rachel Kowert. She discusses the benefits of video games, and when, if ever, you should be worried. Check out Dr. Kowert's book, along with the other links mentioned in this podcast, on our Coo...

We both have gratitude on our minds right now. At a time that there is so much abundance -- food, gifts, parties -- and conversely, so many of us struggling with the season in general, it's so valuable for us to consider ways to help develop more gratitude in our kids. And honestly in ourselves. So this week on Spawned, you'll find a really honest, helpful (we hope!) conversation about how to be m...

The toddler years come with quite a reputation for putting parents through the ringer. But thanks to this week's guest, Dr. Heather Wittenberg, aka The BabyShrink, you might be able to maintain a bit more of your sanity. She answers questions our readers and listeners shared with us on social media and well, we think you'll be glad you listened whether you have toddlers or not. And as always, we c...

We promised you an Election Day episode and well, we delivered. On this episode of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we're chatting about the November 6 election and the big news: over 100 women in Congress! So what's next? How do we keep the momentum going? How do we keep our kids excited about civil service? We talk about this, as well as share our Cool Picks of the Week, in this week's episode. We...

In a much needed self-care break that includes laughing until we cry (for real), Liz and Kristen take on some of the greatest Halloween debates among parents -- like, the legal trick-or-treating maximum age, suburbs vs city Halloweens, the best candy-booze pairings and, well, Whoppers. We need you to break the tie, so take a listen now! || Questions? Comments? Hit us up at spawned@coolmompicks.com...

Here's an episode just for those of you too busy to listen to podcasts (ha): Amiyrah Martin of 4 Hats and Frugal joins us this week to share the most brilliant -- and kind of shocking, honestly -- time-saving tips and hacks to help us prioritize our families a little more and put more energy towards what's important. Meal planning in five-minutes a week? Planning your whole year in a single day? C...

If you know cookbook author and food writer Catherine McCord of Weelicious and the creator of the One Potato family meal delivery service, you know she's all about making it more fun and easy to help get families eating together. Join us for a really lively chat, filled with honest anecdotes and helpful tips for those of us who don't necessarily live to cook (that's us!) She even schools us on ben...

When work is online, communication is online, entertainment is online and it's all 24/7...it can be hard to get offline! So today, Kristen is have a smart, nuanced, truly helpful discussion with tech health expert Dr. Mike Brooks for lots of tips, advice and some of the tough love we might need. He's the author of TechHappyLife.com and the new book Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper...

This week on Spawned, we're talking kids and nutrition. Which, TBH, is one of those issues that nearly universally stresses out parents of all kinds, whatever the age of our kids. Fortunately, we've got an expert to help us out: Dr. Tanya Altmann, who you may better know as just...Dr. Tanya from TV! Take a listen as she helps us with topics like parents' biggest nutrition struggles, how much prote...

Working mom guilt is useless -- or wait, is it? Well, consider us schooled! If you're a working mom (or even a working dad), we think you'll get SO much out of this discussion with Jessica Turner, author of Stretched Too Thin: How Working Moms Can Lose the Guilt. She's got some terrific tips on why guilt can actually be a good teacher, how to make more time for yourself and your (non-kid) relation...

If you've been wondering how much you should give your kids for an allowance, or when you should open their own bank account, hey, us too! Get the answers and a whole lot more on this episode featuring Beth Kobliner, a New York Times bestselling author, financial expert, and mom-of-3, who's tackling all the kids and money questions we could squeeze into 40-minutes. || Questions? Comments? Hit up u...

This week, as Kristen and Liz try (desperately) to get organized for back-to-school, we take a look at 5 top time-management techniques from experts, compare them, and analyze how they can be helpful to parents. Because we're all busy, yo! And anything that gets our to-do list done more efficiently so we can get back to the things we really WANT to do is good by us! Plus as always, we've got some...

This week, we're so happy to be joined by NY Times Motherlode Sr Editor, and "How to Be a Happier Parent" author KJ Dell'Antonia to talk about....well, you guessed it! How to be a happier parent. Only there's no shaming here. No guilt. No OMG I AM DOING EVERYTHING WRONG AND WILL NEVER RECOVER! Just humor, great tips, a few honest confessions, and a reminder that we all do a lot of stuff right, so...

With back to school right around the corner, or already here for some of you, we're chatting with Dr. Catherine Pearlman, author of Ignore It! How Selectively Looking the Other Way Can Decrease Behavioral Problems and Increase Parenting Satisfaction. She's got so many awesome tips and tricks to help parents deal with all those difficult behaviors that drive us all batty, and seem to spike right ar...

Join us for one of our greatest hits Spawned episodes: Professional organizer Laurie Palau schools us on back-to-school organization tips and tricks that make this time of year so much more manageable. You'll love her! | Questions or comments? Hit us up @coolmompicks on social media or spawned@coolmompicks.com | And thanks so much for listening, subscribing to Spawned, and leaving so many incredib...

You can imagine how excited we were to discover our old friend Robert Mahar, previous owner of Mahar Dry Goods which we featured many times on Cool Mom Picks, was a contestant on NBC's new DIY craft show Making It. So we had to have him on an episode of Spawned to give us the scoop on the show, but more importantly, talk about how to help your kids and you find creativity. And as always, we close...

We've probably all dealt with at least one mean girl in our lifetime, but now they're getting younger, and well, meaner. Our guest Katie Hurley, therapist and author of the new book "No More Mean Girls" helps us tackle this topic with smart tips and advice. Whether or not you're in the weeds with navigating challenging social situations with your kids, you'll definitely want to listen to this show...