Who else has a pile of unread parenting books stacked up on their shelf or taking up space on your Kindle? Or lingering in your Amazon cart, perhaps — as you haven’t even had time to order them yet. Information on parenting is vast, but the time to process that information is sparse.
You know what you do have time for? Podcasts. Whether you have 10 minutes or an hour, you can listen, laugh and learn while you travel to work, work out or do chores around the house.
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In no particular order — because these things are completely subjective — here are 10 of the best parenting podcasts.
1. One Bad Mother
For light relief (and a liberal amount of cursing) from a podcast, check out One Bad Mother. Biz Ellis and Theresa Thorn are responsible for this relaxed adults-only podcast, which portrays parenting for what it really is: a bit of a head-fuck. Despite the laid-back vibe, the topics are relevant, and guests are invited to discuss specific issues and share important insights.
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2. Little Sprigs
If you want to connect with your kids and keep power struggles to a minimum — don’t we all? — the powerful, insightful Little Sprigs is the podcast for you. Topics include how to stop using bribes and punishments to motivate, how to raise confident children and the importance of self-care, with experts and authors joining host Christian Perez to talk about mindful, conscious parenting.
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3. The Longest Shortest Time
Hillary Frank hosts this intellectual yet accessible podcast in which no subject is off-limits. It began as a podcast aimed at new parents to let them know that they are not alone, but has grown and evolved and now covers teens, grown children and adults questioning whether they should have children at all. Big-name guests like Katie Couric are invited to contribute on a regular basis.
Subscribe to The Longest Shortest Time
4. Spawned with Kristen and Liz
Spawned with Kristen and Liz didn’t win the 2016 Iris Award for best parenting podcast for nothing. Hosts Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase of Cool Mom Picks keep the tone fun while providing helpful, practical tips for navigating parenting issues.
Subscribe to Spawned with Kristen and Liz
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5. Mom and Dad Are Fighting
Allison Benedikt and Dan Kois are Mom and Dad — although not together. Nonetheless, the Slate editors have a great rapport and talk about their own parenting triumphs and fails in an honest, relatable, humorous way. Listeners can call in to get their own parenting questions answered, and guest hosts appear on the show to discuss specific topics.
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6. The Boob Group
It’s no surprise that The Boob Group is a podcast about breastfeeding. It comes from New Mommy Media, with lactation consultant Sunny Gault at the helm. Each episode includes expert interviews, a panel of moms and specific goals. Even though the emphasis is on breastfeeding, it’s inclusive and nonjudgmental, with Gault making a point of supporting all moms, no matter how they choose to feed their babies.
Subscribe to The Boob Group
7. For Crying Out Loud
Executive Lynn Corolla and parenting author Stefanie Wilder-Taylor cover a range of irreverent, thought-provoking topics on For Crying Out Loud, which is guaranteed to make you laugh. Corolla and Wilder-Taylor are always entertaining while being refreshingly honest about their own experiences as parents.
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8. Zen Parenting
Don’t be put off by the name — Zen Parenting is much more than a new-age podcast. Married hosts Cathy Cassani Adams and Todd Adams bring different perspectives to the topics they tackle — she is driven by emotions while he comes from a place of logic. With the belief that parents who have self-realization will raise happier, healthier kids as a common thread, previous topics included how to deal with pain and why words and images are important.
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9. The Mom Hour
Moms Sarah Powers and Meagan Francis have eight kids between them (from toddler to teenager) so they’re in a good place to give parenting advice. Listening to them feels like hanging out with friends and chatting about all the ups and downs of parenthood.
Subscribe to The Mom Hour
10. Manic Mommies
Manic Mommies may not be producing any more episodes, but there are still 405 of them to enjoy. Hosted by Erin Kane and Kristin Brandt with contributions from parenting coach Kathy Surro and pediatrician Dr. Robert Lindeman, it gives advice on how to parent effectively when you feel stressed and overextended. The fact that Manic Mommies‘ episodes have been downloaded over 4 million times speaks for itself.
Subscribe to Manic Mommies
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