Sometimes the greatest escape from the hustle and bustle of the city isn’t an escape at all. An Airbnb staycation is a perfect alternative to all of that flight booking, guidebook reading, and restaurant scouring. Make your next family vacay R&R-ready by booking at one of these local abodes with kid friendly perks (think: dress up closets, projector screens and fun green spaces).
Yard for Days
Even though this Arlington home is full of wide open spaces (exhibit A: the sprawling basement playroom), it manages to give off major cozy vibes. Just a hop, skip and jump from Westover Library, spontaneous story times are the standard. If your brood is in a bouncy, ball tossing kind of mood there’s plenty of yard plus three public parks nearby.
From a guest: “It had tons of space, a playroom for the kids, is close to restaurants, and a 10-15 minute drive to downtown D.C.” Sleeps: 8
The Whole Kid and Caboodle
This house was literally designed with kids in mind. Equipped with cribs, play kitchens, and tons of books, you’ll only need to bring your bambino’s change of clothes (leave the hefty toy bag at home). Located in Brightwood, you’re two blocks from Rock Creek Park and just minutes from Silver Spring, gateways to family fun activities. Bonus: The master suite boasts a king-size memory foam bed, so you can sleep-in or co-sleep comfortably.
Cute as a Button
his adorable home is located in Capitol Hill, just minutes from H Street (date night!) and Eastern Market (weekend stroll!). The light and airy vibes are perfect for your fams rest and relaxation but you’re still close enough to see any of the museums and monuments. With a play space, projector and dress-up costumes on site this will provide your kids with hours of fun while you relax on the patio with a bevy.
From a guest: “Terrific host and beautiful home. The kids loved the projector and the outdoor space and are already asking about going back!” Sleeps: 6
Garden Party
The garden of this home will entice you to spend the majority of your time outdoors (we’re envisioning kids chasing butterflies and making some major grass angels). Not to mention, this home is located in Arlington, right next to a historic park. FYI: Let the host know, before you go if you need a crib, toddler bed, or kid’s table, all of which she’ll set up before your stay.
From a guest: ” After very busy days, being able to come “home” to a quiet, spacious and relaxing retreat was perfect for our family.” Sleeps: 6
Fun Land
This 100+ year old historic row house located in D.C.’s Mt. Pleasant neighborhood is perfectly situated to fun spots for the entire family, including Rock Creek Park and the National Zoo that are next-door neighbors, and the White House and National Mall that are two miles away. After exploring the city, let the kids hang in the playroom with toys, books, Wii games or splash in the ball pit (yes! there’s a ball pit!).
From a guest: “The attic room is a kid’s haven. We had to drag them out everyday. They enjoyed the ball pit, puppets, Legos, drum set, Wii game console, and a myriad of other toys.” Sleeps: 8
There are ordinary dolls—then there are keepsake dolls. Piccolina, a brand dedicated to empowering today’s young children to become tomorrow’s leaders, has launched a new collection, Trailblazer Dolls. They celebrate heroic women in history, including Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie and Rosa Parks and they’re an heirloom quality edition to any playroom.
Each doll is 16″ tall and comes with removable clothing and accessories, as well as a matching drawstring bag. Jennifer Long, an artisan doll maker, designed and handmade each creation, and each designs is based off of the illustrations from various artists for the Trailblazer collection. And there won’t be any shortage of imaginative play, since each doll has an incredible, true backstory!
Piccolina is making the collection available in limited runs, so you may want to act fast to grab your child’s favorite historical character. The launch riffs off the company’s popular Trailblazer t-shirts, which feature colorful illustrations of real-life, inspirational women. There’s even matching mommy and me attire so you can get in on the fun!
At $98, the dolls are the perfect special gift for a birthday, Christmas or big milestone. The only issue might be choosing which one to buy!
Most parents want their children to have everything we wished for when we were growing up. We’re not talking about a swimming pool next to their bed or a roller coaster on the roof here. But we do want to provide them with a space of their very own, where they can have fun and play while they learn. From building a treehouse to indoor rock climbing, here are some amazing DIY ideas for making your home the most magical place for your kids to grow up happy.
1. Hidden Playroom
All children love anything that involves imagination, so your kids will love the idea of having their own secret little world. In fact, creating a hidden play area for your kid will pretty much turn a normal bedroom into the coolest spaceship, princess castle, or playroom your kid has ever seen. Secret passageways and hidden rooms are exciting for children because they love thinking they know something that adults don’t. Plus it makes them feel adventurous like they’re Indiana Jones or Dora The Explorer.
The good news is that you can make this project as easy or as difficult as you want, and there are even options for rental properties too! Homeowners can go all out by building new walls with a hidden access passageway, whereas renters can simply push some old cupboards into a corner. If you can find a closet that looks like the real deal, just remove the back to give your kids their own private Narnia! You can also use an elevated loft bed and create a little cubby underneath by putting walls up around the sides. There are so many cool ideas for hidden playrooms and your kid will love them all.
2. Indoor Rock Climbing
A rock-climbing wall can be built outside of course, but installing it inside is great because it helps ensure your kids can keep themselves occupied and exercising indoors. Even if it’s raining outside! Plus it will help them with their mental development as they’ll have to use their brains when they’re figuring out their climbing strategy for how they’re going to make it all the way to the top. And then they’ll be using the majority of the muscles in their body when they’re climbing their way up there.
All of this is great for your kids as it helps them to create good habits while they’re young, so they’ll want to stay fit and healthy for life. While it can be an excellent way to improve their cognitive thoughts and teach them all about scientific ideas, like gravity, rock climbing is mostly just a heap of fun for kids.
Before you start installing your rock climbing hardware indoors, it’s really important you make sure the wall you choose is going to be strong enough for you to install the specific hand-holds for indoor rock climbing. This really is the most perfect activity for indoors when you have an outdoor kid or two.
3. Treehouse Cubby
Treehouses have been every kid’s ultimate play area since forever. There’s just something that’s so cool about the combination of climbing a tree in their backyard that resonates with them. Probably because not only does it give children their own space, but they also feel a sense of freedom as well. Start with a sturdy tree in your backyard, and ask your children for their input with the design by asking them to draw their ideas.
If you’re not a fully qualified builder, it’s probably a good idea to find a simple treehouse design online to follow. Or maybe you can start by just building a basic platform with a ladder and a swing, so you can then just add to it as you learn how over time. If you don’t have an appropriate tree, another great alternative is a cubby house on the ground. Whether they’re playing in a cubby house up there among the trees, or a tiny home of their very own on the ground, your kids will get hours of sheltered playtime right there at home. Just be warned that a treehouse in your backyard will probably turn them into the coolest kids on your street, so expect their friends to be coming over all the time!
4. Indoor Slide
Because most kid’s bedrooms are where they spend most of their time playing, why not add an indoor slide to create the ultimate playroom for them? If they have a loft or bunk bed, it can help them get out of bed each morning. Most parents want their kids to spend less time looking at screens anyway, so it really makes sense to add something inside the house that they’ll actually want to play on. You can make sure they’ll have hours of fun and exercise, even on a stormy day, simply by adding a few other playground items like a rope swing, rope bridge, a rope ladder, or something like gymnastics rings.
A child’s surroundings at home can have a big impact on their physical growth, mental development, and overall happiness. So when you’re following these ideas, start by letting out your inner child again. And not only will your kids end up loving their own adventure playland, but your house will probably become the coolest place in town.
Christina is a proud mother, entrepreneur, author and world traveller. Previously a successful businesswoman who gave it all up to raise children, Christina spent a lot of her free time during those years flipping through books. She hopes her books will inspire and motivate others.
We all want our children to grow up to be good people. We all want them to be proud and strong. We want them to be good citizens. And, we want them to be kind. National Random Acts of Kindness Day, which is held annually on February 17, is all about doing good for others, but it also sparks an opportunity to celebrate and practice kindness with children all year round.
Scientific evidence supports that doing kind acts for others is good for us and helps decrease feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression. Engaging children in performing kind acts build up their ability to show compassion for others and helps create healthy, supportive communities where they can live and grow.
My fellow education experts teamed up with Kiddie Academy’s corporate social responsibility team to craft a list of activities your child can do to spread kindness and brighten someone’s day.
1. Pick up litter in your neighborhood. Teach your kids to be kind to the Earth and give love to the environment by picking up trash, such as plastic or paper that may be harmful to animals and plants.
2. Write a friend a thoughtful note. Have your child hand write a note to their best buddy describing what they like about them. It’s sure to put a smile on their face.
3. Hold the door open for someone. This little act of kindness goes a long way. Instruct your kids to hold the door for the person behind them, smile, and say hello. It may just make their day.
4. Draw a picture for a relative or a friend. Art is a great way to get the creative juices flowing while also spreading kindness. Have your kids draw photos for friends or relatives.
5. Read a book with a sibling. If you have multiple children, encourage them to spend quality time together by reading a bedtime story. It will remind them both that they have a built-in friend no matter what.
6. Help clean up after a meal. The cook of the family will appreciate it if you teach your kids to bring the finished plates to the sink. It’s also a great way to get kids involved in mealtime.
7. Clean up your playroom. Encourage kids to take some off of mom and dad’s plate by spending a few minutes putting toys and books away.
8. Leave a box of chalk at the playground or write a kind chalk message on the neighborhood sidewalk. Spread kindness within your community in a socially distant way by having your kids write positive memos such as, “Be yourself and have a great day!” for the neighborhood to see and enjoy.
9. Write a “thank-you” note to local essential workers, like first responders and health care workers. Give back kindness to the people who help keep us safe everyday by encouraging your kids to tell essential workers how much they appreciate everything they do.
10. Make a friendship bracelet for a friend. Teach your child to use yarn and beads to create a fun and vibrant bracelet for a friend. It’s a fun way to show appreciation for one another.
A child is never too young to adopt the fundamentals of good character. These acts of kindness, among many others, teach a child that they can change the course of someone’s day and make an impact. You never know where kindness will take you!
Joy has over 20 years of experience in early childhood education. As Vice President of Education at Kiddie Academy Educational Child Care, she oversees all things curriculum, assessment, training and more. Joy earned a B.S. in Education from Salisbury University.
If you haven’t yet heard about the fiver birthday party trend, it could change the way you plan parties from now on—and we bet your guests will love it, too.
The “fiver party” is a simple solution for both attendees and hosts when it comes to the big birthday gift dilemma. Instead of gifts, guests are simply asked to bring five dollars for the birthday kid. With a dozen or more kids in attendance, those “fivers” will quickly add up to a decent sum that can be used toward one big gift.
It’s a win-win for parents and guests, as you’ll eliminate that stack of presents that will barely fit in your overflowing playroom. Plus, guests can save money and skip the hassle of having to shop. The only downside is that young kids might miss the fun and excitement of unwrapping gifts or choosing a special present for their friend. At the end of the day, though, the birthday boy or girl will be able to use the money for something they will truly want and cherish.
If you’d like to throw your own fiver party, make sure you discuss the plan in advance with your kid so they can get excited about what they plan to spend their special birthday money on. And remember, it doesn’t have to be a toy. It can go toward an experience or become a donation to an important charity of the kid’s choosing. Make it clear in the invitation what a “fiver party” means—while it is a growing trend, some parents might not be in the loop.
“We’re trying to help [NAME] focus on the joy of celebrating this special occasion with his cherished friends rather than on receiving gifts.
To that end, we hope you’ll consider NO GIFTS. For those who feel uncomfortable with that, we ask you consider NO MORE THAN a $5 gift card or cash that he can put towards something special he’s saving for. Thanks for understanding and celebrating with us.”
Hopefully, we’ll see this birthday trend take off even more in 2023.
Her Hollywood career and The Honest Company empire may be next-level, but many of the things Jessica Alba is dealing with on the daily (think: two out of three kids at home distance learning, a home that sometimes feels like it’s overtaken by toys and finding time for self care) are all too relatable. We spoke with Jessica mom-to-mom as she revealed her gift picks, her family’s holiday traditions and the no-fail hack that makes dinner cleanup a breeze. Read on for some of the highlights from our conversation.
The best holiday gift she’s ever received:
Definitely pictures that my kids have drawn for me. Cards that they’ve customized for me and my husband had some really nice personal gifts made. The best ones have been when they’re really personal and handmade by the fam.
Jessica’s favorite items to give pregnant women or new moms: The Sweet Mama Gift Set (pictured above). It’s great because it gives mom the self-care vibe. We have beauty products and products for the body in there. It’s the ultimate pampering gift for a new mom or for someone who’s pregnant.
The most memorable parenting advice that’s actually stuck with her:
Letting go of perfection and letting go of how things were before you had kids. You have to understand that there’s no right way to do it. As long as you can survive to see another day you’ve won. I had all these ideas of how my life was going to be even when I had my kids. It all really just went out the door when you’re in survival mode—when taking a shower or making a meal and eating it instead of eating your kids scraps is a luxury.
Another piece of advice is that my house just looked like kids exploded into all of the spaces so finding baskets to put things in helped and a playroom where they can have their chaos in has been great. I can shove things in a playroom instead of letting it take over the whole house.
Basically, letting go of some of the things I thought my life was going to be. And, I’ll say that it’s much easier with one kid. It’s night and day. Good luck being your version of organized or clean in the same way with two or three kids!
The Honest products Jessica is most excited to gift this year:
All of the different curated kits. Even Honor and Haven put together some kits of their favorite stuff. I have my night time routine and being able to curate these moments and have that available for people to purchase straight away is amazing.
We’re on the go and during COVID we have masks and they match back to the diapers. We have a pattern called Ya Herd?!, and mom and me and dad and me masks, and diapers. We bring it all together during the holidays with thematic prints.
Jessica’s family’s holiday traditions:
I have a pretty big family and we do a sit-down dinner with 70-80 people for Christmas every year (obviously we aren’t going to be doing that this year). It’s always been that way because our extended family lives in Southern California. The kids love it. When I was growing up we were sitting on the floor eating off of styrofoam plates but it was still that many people. My husband’s family tradition is that you sit at a table and say grace and it’s a bit more formal. So we combined both of our family’s traditions and it’ll be fun to do that in normal years.
I got my way last year and I got a tree that’s really chic. The kids called it a large Charlie Brown tree. This year we’re doing a fluffy tree. The kids like the tree thing with the scent and all of that. We’ll be doing our normal Christmas decorating—it’s a big deal for the kids and we’ll do it all sooner than we normally do.
Jessica’s must-have Honest Beauty products that should be on every tired mom’s holiday wish list: Honestly Bright Eyes Tinted Eye Cream. It comes in two colors and it has pigments so it counters your circles under your eyes and it’s the most life changing thing ever. You also need a cream blush just because you’ll look flushed and healthy. You also need the Gloss-C Lip Gloss—it’s just a lip treatment and gloss all-in-one. You can get it with no color at all or you can have a little bit of a color, which I think always helps make you look more awake. I do a mask every morning called Prime + Perfect Mask which is like a smoothie on your face. It smells really good and gets your face awake and ready for the day. These products make your skin look hydrated but not oily.
Jessica’s advice for female entrepreneurs looking to start their own business:
Just having a good idea for a product is probably 30% of it and 70% of it is execution. And it’s really helpful to not be so attached to the idea of what you think it’s going to be. Be open to making mistakes, learning from your mistakes and keeping it moving. Trusting your gut and surrounding yourself with people who have strengths where you have weaknesses. And you really have to understand your business inside and out. You have to understand the business because you’ll be either taken advantage of or people won’t feel good about investing in you if you don’t understand your own business model. You have to understand the white space or the opportunity you’re going after. And, when you run into issues you need to learn from them, move on and not let them paralyze you.
What Honor and Haven’s homeschooling setup looks like:
I got them desks so they each have a desk in their room now. My kids are horrified if I’m walking in while they’re in school zoom. They have to have their cameras on, they have to be on mute and they have to participate.
Jessica’s favorite parenting hacks:
I made self care something my girls wanted to be a part of. When I was doing self care and they weren’t a part of the situation then they were constantly bothering me during my “me” time. So I said, during COVID we are all going to do baths together and it’s going to be fun and they started to get into it. So we’re all doing self care and Hayes’ little baby bath will be next to ours. Instead of not doing my self care at all, I incorporated the kids into this.
Prior to COVID, I pick out the kids clothes and my clothes the night before so we aren’t screaming to figure out what we’re going to wear. Everything from the underwear to the socks are laid out on the bed ready to go. So I’m not thinking about what we need to wear so there are no freak outs and we can get out the door that much faster.
Lastly, my husband got a timer so after mealtime we set a timer for 5 minutes and they see how quickly they can clear the table and wash all the food off the dishes. We started at 10 minutes but we got it down to 5 minutes. You can do it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. We figured out how to make it a competition and make it fun.
Now that the weather is getting colder, it’s time to bring the fun indoors. FUNBOY has you and your little ones covered this winter with their re-imagined inflatable kiddie pools. Now you can enjoy the fun of a ball pit right in your living room or playroom.
FUNBOY has taken their best selling inflatable kiddie pools and sprinkled them with some magic. These indoor ball pits are bound to be a hit with your kiddos.
The Clear Heart Ball Pit & Tropical Palm Ball Pit were released this week and are guaranteed to provide hours of fun providing an outlet for energy on those days when you can’t get outdoors.
In March when children started transitioning to learning from home, the Mattel Playroom was launched. This free online destination offers parents and caregivers activities and content along with play-from-home information and tips. As we head into the holiday season, Mattel is transforming the online destination into a holiday hub.
The Holiday Hub offers:
Holiday-themed crafts, including new printable holiday cards from Barbie, Hot Wheels and Thomas & Friends, as well as a step-by-step guide for building your own Barbie Cookie Dreamhouse.
Ideas for holiday decorations and play, including instructions on how to incorporate dolls into holiday décor, recommendations on how to host an ugly sweater party with your toys and suggestions on how to create a winter-themed race with your Hot Wheels, to name a few.
Holiday-themed content from American Girl, Barbie and Thomas & Friends, among others. For example, American Girl’s The Perfect Present, follows Rebecca as she searches for the perfect gifts for her loved ones.
Insights from Mattel’s play experts on how to manage the inevitable holiday stress, and ideas on creative ways to give back this season.
Today’s holiday update is just the beginning. Mattel plans to regularly introduce new festive content over the coming months.
You know that September marks back to school and breaking out your sweaters, but did you know it’s also Baby Safety Month? Baby Safety Month helps raise visibility around common safety concerns for babies and toddlers by providing safety tips and resources for parents.
Walmart is a Baby Safety Month Ambassador and is offering some incredible savings in stores and online-only savings on safe baby products for travel, sleep, baby proofing and more! We talked to real moms to hear their favorite tips for baby safety month. Read more to see the tips they shared for Baby Safety Month:
Chicago-based mom Cara Fries is a first-time mom to a four month old. For Baby Safety Month, she reminded her followers to place babies on their backs for naps and nighttime sleep!
With a preschooler and an almost-one-year-old girl, playtime is very important in Brianna Traynor’s home! One way to ensure safe playtime: get down on your hands and knees to look for hazards, so you can spot any concerns from the same level as your little one!
Mom of five Preethi Harbuck knows a thing or two about travel, considering her family lives in an RV while traveling the world! Preethi shared the importance of finding the correct car seat for your child’s age, height and weight—no matter what type of vehicle you’re driving.
In the first celebrity design collab with Crate and Kids, Leanne Ford’s new collection is perfect for a fall revamp. Ford welcomed her daughter, Ever, last year, and with her casual style and design expertise has crafted a kid-friendly lineup that adults will also love.
Leanne Ford for Crate and Kids Collection is the perfect combo of function and fun, with over 60 items that range from $16 to $1,199. We love practically every piece, but keep scrolling to see our top faves below.