Events, Deals & Kids' Activities

New from NAPPA Awards

Meet Bill Brady: Founder and CEO of Troomi Wirelss

7 June 2023 | 9:45 pm

We’re so excited to introduce you to Bill Brady, a father and the founder and CEO of Troomi Wireless, a 2023 NAPPA Award winner. The Troomi mission is to provide kids with a safer smart phone. The device gives parents an easy and flexible set of parental controls to help eliminate the pull of social […]

EXPO NOTES: THE LATEST IN BABY AND TODDLER GEAR

23 May 2023 | 4:49 pm

The ABC Kids Expo took place at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino last month, and I was thrilled to be in attendance. This year’s event once again brought together companies focused on baby and toddler products, ranging from strollers and car seats to smart monitors and anything else that might make parenting and childhood more […]

Be Unique

15 March 2023 | 4:59 am

Learn to be unique with these NAPPA Award Winners. Lots of games and toys to help kids learn in new, exciting ways. The Get Movin’ Activity Deck for Kids: 48 Creative Movement Ideas for Little Bodies A unique children’s movement and play deck, featuring 48 cards with practices and activities for all ability levels. Celebrate […]

Best for Baby and Family

15 March 2023 | 4:43 am

We’re so excited to bring you our latest NAPPA Award Winners just for Baby + Fam. Check out all the great products featured below. Naturepedic Breathable Organic 2-Stage Lightweight Crib Mattress It’s the mattress that truly checks all the boxes. It combines organic materials and chemical safety with waterproof protection, breathability, and flexibility. The washable […]

Let’s Read

15 March 2023 | 12:57 am

Our NAPPA Awards team loves celebrating great reads. Check out our latest NAPPA Award winning books for all ages. Babies & Toddlers Baby Ballers: Venus and Serena Williams Before they were serving up grand slam victories, Venus and Serena Williams were just two sisters growing up in Compton. Follow along this inspiring story as they […]

Screen-Free Fun & Creativity Roundup

14 February 2023 | 4:23 am

Who said you always need technology to have? Check out these NAPPA Award Winners for loads of entertaining activities that don’t require a screen. DISO Podcast Share magical stories with your kids in the spirit of the golden days of radio. Available in English, Spanish and French. Narrated by professional actors. $3.99, ages 3+, podcasts.apple.com […]

Baby, Toddlers & New Moms Roundup

14 February 2023 | 4:06 am

We’re so excited to bring you our latest NAPPA Award winners that are BEST for Baby, Mom, and Toddlers! Alphapals Sets A cozy, cuddly seat full of wonder and play. The soft plush Alphabag is fully lined and includes 26 Alphapals plush letters hidden inside. Each letter includes the trademark signature embroidered smiley face giving each letter […]

We Love It – Celebrating Kindness and Positivity

9 February 2023 | 5:27 am

We’re so excited to bring you our latest NAPPA Award winners that are full of Kindness and Positivity! Sing A Song of Kindness Rediscover your favorite nursery rhymes, adapted to celebrate kindness, friendship and compassion. This beautifully illustrated collection comes with a touching message that a little kindness makes the world a better place. $9.99, […]

Meet the Founders of Hey Buddy Hey Pal

25 October 2022 | 2:22 am

Curtis McGill and Scott Houdashell are the co-owners/founders of Hey Buddy Hey Pal, maker of the NAPPA Award Winning Product, the Cake-N-Bake Challenge game. They started at the kitchen table, where they hatched a fan-favorite idea about coloring Easter Eggs. Now introducing their first-ever game, we got the chance to chat with them about the […]

Meet Jossy Lee: The Mom Behind “Mommy Goes to Work”

18 May 2022 | 7:05 pm

Jossy Lee is the creator and mom behind the 2022 NAPPA Award winning board book, Mommy Goes To Work. We recently chatted with Lee about her company’s mission and parenthood. Please tell us a little about your company’s mission Mommy Goes To Work celebrates working mothers and makes drop offs easier, one story at a time. […]

Mother’s Day Gifts for New Moms

28 April 2022 | 4:05 pm

Becoming a new mom is one of the most special times of our lives and we want to help celebrate all new moms this Mother’s Day. Here are a few of our NAPPA Award-winning picks. For more gift inspiration, visit nappaawards.com Qeepsake: Capture your child’s milestones with this easy-to-use app. Members receive daily texts, prompting them […]

Building a Family Culture of Play

28 April 2022 | 3:44 pm

Building A Family Culture of Play Watching a child build a fort with blocks or a whole imaginary world with sand buckets at the beach is a study in concentration and learning. Play is how kids learn – about the world, about their connection to other people and about themselves. Giving kids the free time […]

Fun & Learning

4 February 2022 | 5:34 am

Meet our latest NAPPA Award Winners announced in January 2022: Preschool Genius A set of dry-erase activities and games with a genius twist. The set has questions that add a deeper engagement with learning. $27.95, ages 3-6, amazon.com The 12 Systems of the Body: Adventure Series Book Set Introduces 12 systems of the human body […]

Self-Discovery & Resilience

4 February 2022 | 5:27 am

Meet our latest NAPPA Award Winners announced in January 2022: Train Your Mind Like a Ninja A card deck with 30 “secret skills for fun, focus and resilience.” Using ninja training and martial arts as a fun framework, these cards help kids increase their focus, compassion, emotional balance and awareness. $18.95, ages 5-9, shambhala.com Name and […]

Best Books & Tunes

3 February 2022 | 11:41 pm

Meet our latest NAPPA Award Winners announced in January 2022: Kindie Rock Stars Podcast Showcases the amazing talents of children’s musicians and family entertainers. Each episode features an artist story, song story and a song. Free, patrickadamsbooks.com Shadow Play Books Unfold the book, turn down the lights and switch on a flashlight to be transported […]

Best for Baby, Toddler & New Mom

3 February 2022 | 11:14 pm

Meet our latest NAPPA Award Winners announced in January 2022: Qeepsake Capture your child’s milestones with this easy-to-use app. Members receive daily texts, prompting them to text back a moment or milestone with a photo. Qeepsake securely builds these texts and photos into a digital journal that can be shared with family and printed […]

Jingle Holiday Gift Guide

12 November 2021 | 5:47 am

We’re so excited to share our Jingle Holiday Gift Guide filled with award-winning toys, games, books and so much more. There will be smiles, we promise!

Let the Summer Fun Begin

8 July 2021 | 12:17 am

Summer is finally here! And we’re ready to get the fun started. Check out our latest Summer Fun & Travel Guide filled with amazing products for you and your kids to enjoy. It includes over 90 NAPPA Award winning products that have been tested and evaluated. It features water toys for fun in the sun, […]

Fun Spring Toys

7 April 2021 | 4:30 am

We’re ready to spring into some fun with these latest NAPPA Award-winning toys! Winner’s Stable Doll and Horse Set Take the reins and ride into exciting adventures with this spirited duo from Winner’s Stable! This doll and horse set is a beautiful start to any horse collection. Each doll stands 5 inches tall and is accompanied […]

Baby Love

7 April 2021 | 4:01 am

We’re so excited to bring you our latest NAPPA Award winners just for babies! Believe Diapers An eco-friendly diaper brand with a 1-for-1 charity model, Believe Diapers is set to change the course of diaper need by donating one diaper to a U.S. family in need for every Believe Diaper purchased. Embracing core values of […]

Love Through Kindness

11 February 2021 | 1:55 am

While every day is a great day to show your love and appreciation for your kids, Valentine’s Day gives all of us a wonderful opportunity to express our feelings — and nothing says love more than kindness. At NAPPA Awards, we are celebrating kindness and positivity all year long by showcasing books, music and other […]

Best Apps for Kids and Families

18 January 2021 | 10:51 pm

Check out our NAPPA Award winning Apps — best for kids and families are featured here. CLICK HERE to see the winners.

5 Easy Steps to an Outdoor Home Theatre

18 January 2021 | 10:43 pm

During these uncertain times, it’s important to find creative and safe fun for your family. However, after so many months of pandemic conditions, it’s easy to run out of ideas. Our family found one more source of fun by creating a cozy outdoor Hollywood experience in the comfort of our backyard. Here is a safe […]

Let the Kids Help Make This Easy Pasta Dish

18 January 2021 | 10:34 pm

Want to make cooking with your family easier and more fun? Set yourself up like a restaurant kitchen, says Peter Tulaney, L.A. dad of two and head chef and founder of The WEHO Sausage Co. Tulaney, who spent 10 years as a child psychologist, started making sausage at home after receiving a Kitchen Aid standing […]

Read Together

18 January 2021 | 10:23 pm

One of the best ways to bond with your child and to encourage their curiosity and love of learning is to read together. Check out our NAPPA Award winning books for kids. CLICK HERE for our selection.

Jingle Holiday Gift Guide

16 December 2020 | 12:56 am

One of our favorite childhood memories is looking through toy catalogs and circling the ones we loved and hoped would arrive wrapped with a big bow. Flipping through the pages and dreaming about each item was a big part of the whole holiday experience – the anticipation of something wonderful. We want to give you […]

A Cute and Chocolatey Holiday Cupcake Recipe

16 December 2020 | 12:47 am

Cupcake Recipe from Raddish Kids

Samantha Barnes used to teach cooking classes to kids all over L.A., offering after-school enrichment programs, summer camps and weekend parties through her company Kitchen Kid. Years before the coronavirus pandemic, she decided to bring her lessons into home kitchens instead. “Really, the most important place to learn to cook is your home, and it’s […]

New Winners: Music, Science, Virtual Scavenger Hunts and More

8 December 2020 | 6:40 pm

We have great new NAPPA Award winners to share with you – something for every interest. Digital Fun & Learning Get ready for an adventure with the Let’s Roam App, great for curious kids and families. Explore like never before as you take on riddles, trivia, and photo challenges. The in-home educational scavenger hunts come in […]

Baby Love

3 December 2020 | 5:00 am

Baby & New Mom Gift Guide

Having a baby is a magical, special time. But it’s also a time of sleepless nights, endless laundry and new responsibilities. It’s amazing how everything changes – our emotions, our relationships and all the stuff we now need. We know this process well. For 30 years, we have been testing and evaluating family products to […]

Back to School Gear

6 August 2020 | 3:03 pm

While back-to-school will definitely be different this year, it’s important to make it as exciting and normal as we can for our kids, whether they are heading back to a physical campus, distance learning, pods or a hybrid of some kind. These recent NAPPA Award winners provide a great way to get the school spirit […]

A Smoothie a Day is All She Asks

6 August 2020 | 1:50 am

It’s probably been a while since you actually sent your kids off (as in out of the house) to school. All signs indicate that it could be a while longer until you do, but any school day, even a day of distance learning, should start with the right breakfast fuel. In 2015, Catherine McCord realized […]

Meet Entrepreneur and Dad Jordan Weiner

28 July 2020 | 9:05 pm

We’re excited to introduce you to entrepreneur and dad Jordan Weiner, the founder behind the 2020 NAPPA Award winning How to Be Good Behavioral Learning Kits. We would love for our readers to get to know you better. Tell us a little about your daily life. In addition to investing time daily in children’s educational […]

Latest for Baby & New Mom

1 July 2020 | 6:26 pm

We have great new products just for baby and new mom — all NAPPA Award winners! Soothing Baby Massage Oil Made with only five ingredients that are all natural and organic, including over 50% cold-pressed sunflower seed oil. $16.00, ever-eden.com Evereden Baby Moisturizing Lotion Lightweight and specifically designed to soothe and comfort your child’s delicate […]

Best New Games and Puzzles

1 July 2020 | 5:52 pm

Ready for some family fun! Check out these new NAPPA Award winners! The Rank Game by Storyastic A super-fun game about YOU and your people–and your likes and dislikes. How well do you know each other? Can your teammate guess your RANK? $30.00, ages 8+, storyastic.com StickTogether Mosaic Puzzle Like paint-by-numbers, but with stickers! A […]

Meet Wellness Entrepreneur Nicole Black

22 June 2020 | 8:33 pm

We’re excited to introduce you to Nicole Black, a mom and wellness entrepreneur. Nicole, who lives in Santa Barbara with her daughter, is the creator behind the Spa Girl Life Candles, a 2020 NAPPA Award winner. While working in the spa industry for many years, Nicole learned about the soothing benefits of aromatherapy and relaxation […]

Your Guide to Summer Fun

15 June 2020 | 10:02 pm

This summer will be different, but as parents we need to do all we can to create fun and a sense of calm for our kids. So this summer, turn your backyard into the FUN ZONE! Our NAPPA Awards Guide to Summer Fun is here to help you bring that carefree vibe home. We have […]

No-Churn Ice Cream

9 June 2020 | 2:55 pm

Maya Warren has a job title that would get most kids’ attention. She’s an ice cream scientist. Translation: Warren is senior director of international research and development/tastemaster at Cold Stone Creamery, and has a doctorate in food science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, specializing in frozen desserts. After being introduced to food science through the […]

Julie’s Library Story Time Podcast

6 May 2020 | 4:37 am

We’re so excited for this! Welcome to Julie’s Library, where books bring us together. Every week, Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton will settle into the reading nook for a new story during their story time podcast. This is definitely one of our favorite things!

Pancake Breakfast for Mom

6 May 2020 | 4:31 am

Zoe Nathan, part of the team behind the Rustic Canyon family of restaurants and author of “Huckleberry: Stories, Secrets, and Recipes From our Kitchen,” got this recipe from her dad. “My father used to make these almost every weekend when I was growing up, and then he proudly made them every weekend for Saturday Morning […]

Mother’s Day Gifts for a New Mom

6 May 2020 | 4:21 am

Happy Mother’s Day! While this year is a different kind of Mother’s Day, celebrating mom is not cancelled and we have some great gift ideas for the new mom or mom-to-be in your life. VISTA V2 Meet the VISTA V2 from UPPAbaby — a stylish stroller that will grow as your family grows. VISTA’s intuitive […]

A Quick Family Breakfast with Your Leftover Bread

23 April 2020 | 5:21 pm

One fun side-effect of being at home is that everyone has lots more time to make – and eat – breakfast. This French toast recipe from La Brea Bakery makes use of their wonderful baguette (in case you didn’t finish it off with dinner) and doesn’t require any special equipment or technique. You can put […]

Tips for Better COVID-19 Co-Parenting

23 April 2020 | 5:14 pm

When it comes to parenting in the COVID-19 era, the onslaught of “new normal” practices is, frankly, exhausting. But parents everywhere are rising to the occasion and finding ways to adjust. In the realm of co-parenting – the term used most for parents who are divorced, separated or not in a relationship with each other […]

Best Products for Home & Family

15 April 2020 | 3:38 pm

Our homes have always been our havens and now more than ever we are grateful to have a cozy place with our families to shelter in and face the current crisis with strength and hope. With kids learning from home and parents working from home, we want to share a few NAPPA Award-winning products that […]

Best New Children’s Books

15 April 2020 | 2:25 am

One of our favorite things to do with our kids is READ! We can’t get enough books and we’re so excited to share these latest NAPPA Award winners! A Celebration of the Shy, Introverted Kid in Us All A Way with Wild Things by Larissa Theule and illustrated by Sara Palacios is a sweet story […]

Educational Tools For At-Home Learning

15 April 2020 | 1:03 am

With our living rooms turned into virtual classrooms, parents everywhere are searching for ways to enhance their kids learning while schools are closed due to the COVID-19 crisis. We want to share some of our recent NAPPA Award winners that bring the fun and learning right to your home. Foreign Language Made Simple With so […]

New Ways of Working Out During the Quarantine

30 March 2020 | 5:51 am

Debbie Allan Dance offers classes

Some of us are gym rats and group-fitness fanatics, addicted to revving up our endorphin levels in the midst of people doing the same. Zumba, weight classes, kickboxing, cycling, yoga … we’re here for all of it. And so, when the different cities and states began temporary shutdown of businesses to curb the coronavirus spread, […]

Breathing Tips to Steady You in Unsteady Times

19 March 2020 | 6:45 pm

When was the last time you took a deep breath? If you’re like many of us, it’s been a minute. Stressful times (like when you are quarantined at home with your kids) make most of us resort to shallow breathing – or even holding our breath. This can lead to low-grade chronic stress, says Sandy […]

Best Books, Learning Apps & CD

29 January 2020 | 11:53 pm

Our latest NAPPA Award winners bring fun and learning together. Bookful A mobile app for kids that uses augmented reality to bring books to life. Choosing from an extensive library of AR books that features the best publishers such as Penguin Random House and DK, the child can learn, read and have fun at the […]

Best for Babies & Toddlers

29 January 2020 | 11:37 pm

Check out our latest NAPPA Award winners perfect for new moms, babies and toddlers. Bumpin’: The modern guide to pregnancy Leslie Schrock’s comprehensive guide to new motherhood. Gives insight about everything from the preparations of “trimester zero” to the challenges of the newborn months with he frank, funny warmth of a trusted friend. $16.99. simonandshuster.com […]

Gift Ideas

29 January 2020 | 10:20 pm

Whether it’s Valentine’s Day, Birthday or just because, we’re always on the look out for the perfect gift that will bring a smile to your child’s face. And these 2020 NAPPA Award winners will not disappoint. SVOLTA “Ace” 2-in-1 Sit and Stand Scooter This gender-neutral scooter allows kids still trying to find their balance […]