There are a lot of podcasts out there offering free advice (well, free with ads; just use the promo code to save 10% on this chat-based therapy app!) on how to raise your kids. Finding the right parenting podcast for you can be overwhelming, but once you encounter an expert who speaks your language, they can help you through any childrearing dilemma or motivate you to level up your parenting skills.
If you're looking for podcasts that will take your caregiving skills to the next level, here are 15 of the best parenting podcast episodes from 2023, to help you through every tricky developmental stage, from potty training through those tricky teen years.
Picky eaters: "Mama Knows Nutrition on Picky Eaters and What The Beep to Do" from Just the Good Stuff with Rachel Mansfield
Listen to Mansfield, the author of the cookbook Just the Good Stuff, get honest with registered dietician Barnes about introducing new foods, the guilt over serving dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, proper portions, food waste, and tips on keeping Yasso bars out of young hands. It's a refreshing discussion, especially if, like me, you're a parent of fussy eaters.
Kids and guns: "Kids and Firearm Safety" from Life Kit: Parenting
As you would expect from a public radio podcast, host Marielle Segarra handles the topic of gun safety with a deft touch, avoiding any political elephants in the room. Rather, she speaks with guest Dr. Lois Lee, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Boston Children's Hospital, about the conversations we must have with our kids (and other parents) about being safe around firearms and properly storing weapons and ammunition.
Dealing with tantrums: "Navigate Tantrums, Meltdowns, and Defiance" from Mindful Parenting Podcast
As I wrote back in September, mindful parenting is less about not yelling at your children and more about managing your own emotions. When author Campbell uses real-world situations with host Hunter Clarke-Fields to explain how kids can regulate their big feelings, she examines what triggered her personally growing up to help keep parents from lashing out when kids meltdown.
Teenagers: "The Emotional Lives of Teenagers" from The Rich Roll Podcast
When vegan endurance athlete Rich Roll started his podcast, it focused on nutrition and resilience of the body and mind. In the years since, he has moved into topics that genuinely interest him. Roll approaches his interview with Lisa Damour, the author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers from the point of view of a concerned parent of two adolescents.
Building self-esteem: "How to Raise Confident Kids" from Momwell
To help build confidence in our kids, parents need to boost their own morale, or so say podcast guest Dr. Vanessa Lapointe. But how can we find the self-esteem we need when social media shows us it's impossible to attain? Host Erica Djossa wisely asks Lapointe all the questions her listeners are considering around issues of body image, confidence, and breaking generational cycles.
Supporting transgender youth: "Gender Euphoria" from Into the Mix
Yes, this is a podcast made by the makers of Cherry Garcia. However, ice cream entrepreneurs Ben and Jerry have always supported social causes, and this podcast highlights the trans youth advocacy efforts of 19-year-old Oli Oski. When he was seven, he convinced an LGBTQ resource center to start playgroups for trans and queer kids. As the story develops, you learn what can happen when trans youth are allowed to feel safe and receive the support they need from their parents and community.
Racism: "How to Talk to Kids About Race and Racism" from How to Talk to Kids About Anything
Dr. Robyn Silverman starts the conversation with the authors of the book Courageous Discomfort by questioning the notion that kids shouldn't see color. What follows is a frank and occasionally funny dialogue about racism, sprinkled with personal anecdotes that underline why discussing race with our kids is crucial.
Divorce: "Managing Divorce with Adolescents" from The Puberty Podcast
Family lawyer Sophie Jacobi-Parisi told hosts Dr. Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett that when she starts talking with parents about divorce, she asks them if their child has a therapist to help them transition during this significant upheaval. While there are so many stories about what parents are feeling during this time, it's refreshing to hear someone focused on a child's point of view of a difficult situation.
Having one child: "One and Done Parenting" from My Best Mom Friend
Renee Reina, the host of The Mom Room podcast, knew she didn't want to go through pregnancy and postpartum again after having her son, but she didn't tell anyone because of the assumptions that come with having only one child. Hearing Reina explain this to My Best Mom Friend host Sandra Erath is like listening to a personal conversation. The two break down parenting myths and explain that nothing, not even motherhood, comes with guarantees.
Raising siblings: "Analyzing Succession's Parent-Child and Sibling Relationships" from Raising Good Humans
For a parenting podcast, this episode of Dr. Aliza Pressman's show is full of spoilers for the final season of Succession. However, it's a pleasant distraction from her typical episodes about the struggles that come with bringing up little humans. Pressman applies many of the principles she's been discussing for three seasons of her show to the Roy children's shared trauma, their dynamics as siblings, and living in fear of their father. Her analysis offers a fresh point of view to a series that's been analyzed to death.
Potty training: "Special Circumstances" from The Oh Crap! Potty Training Podcast
Jamie Glowacki makes it a point to share with readers of her hit book or listeners of her companion podcast that you are the expert on your child. That makes this episode on potty training with kids with mobility or cognitive issues so special. She knows the three-day program outlined in her book doesn't apply in these cases, so she offers alternatives to those struggling with one of the most challenging parts of parenting a toddler.
Intergenerational relationships: "Intergenerational Problems and Childhood Impacts in Adulthood" from Relationship Advice
How do we avoid making the same mistakes that our parents made with us? Host Chase Kosterlitsz and his guest, neuropsychologist Dr. Julia DiGangi, often think about the answer. DiGangi feels that we drop into these similar patterns because we don't trust ourselves as parents. That knowledge opens their conversation in a new and surprising way.
Sexual abuse prevention: "Parenting Safe Children With Feather Berkower" from Motherhood Uncut
Feather Berkower, social worker and founder of Parenting Safe Children, believes that if we don't have uncomfortable conversations about sexual abuse and assault now, our children will suffer for it later. Hosts Kate Kripke and Deb Rubin use their time with Berkower to empower listeners to overcome their awkwardness.
Anxiety: "When Your Child Struggles With Making Decisions" from Flusterclux
My son can take a lot of time deciding what he wants for a snack or if he should wear shorts or pants to school. Psychotherapist Lynn Lyons and co-host (and Lyons' sister-in-law) Robin Hutson explain why children fret about little things and what parents can do to help kids develop confidence in their choices.
Reigniting the fire: "Sex? After Kids? Tell Me More, Esther Perel" from Good Inside with Dr. Becky
I love listening to therapist Esther Perel's no-nonsense advice on relationships. I've also been dying to interview Dr. Becky Kennedy for years. To hear my two favorite experts talk honestly about how parents need to communicate and be intimate even when the duties of parenthood get in the way is a dream come true. It's also an engaging conversation.