Awesome Parenting Podcasts for When You're On the Go!

As parents, we’re often so busy chasing around toddlers, changing diapers, helping kids with homework, making dinner, and oh yeah, doing our actual professional work, that we don’t have a lot of time to sit down and read.  We might notice that our child is doing something we don’t understand, or know that some parenting practice we are doing is just not working, but we don’t seem to be able to find the time to sit down and research it the way we’d like.  Or maybe we want some good information about how to be the best parents we can, but when will we ever get the chance to sit down and read all those great books we’ve heard about? 

Never fear, podcasts are here!  Podcasts are basically a recorded audio conversation about anything, and there are tons of really quality podcasts about parenting.  I personally follow several of them, and I know for a fact that they have helped me become a better, more mindful parent.  And even better, I can listen to them while I’m doing dishes, driving, or doing anything where my hands are occupied but my brain isn’t.  So it doesn’t take any extra time out of my day, and it does help me hate scrubbing pots and pans a little bit less!  That is a win-win for sure!

You can listen to them on whatever podcast app you like, such as Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever came preloaded on your phone.  You can also download a free podcast app if you don't already have one.  So here are some of my favorite smart, well-researched, high-quality, and funny parenting podcasts!  

The Mom Hour:  Co-hosts Meagan Francis and Sarah Powers have eight kids between them, from little to grown.  Weekly conversations offer practical tips and real-life encouragement for moms who want to enjoy motherhood more and cut back on comparison, worry, and stress.  "We're not experts, we're moms who have been there.  We're not perfect, we're real," say Meagan and Sarah.  Welcome to the Mom Hour.

What Fresh Hell:  Laughing in the Face of Motherhood:  Hosted by funny moms Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson, this is a comedy podcast about parenting.  "We're both moms of three, dealing with the same hassles as any parent, but with slightly differing styles," say Amy and Margaret.  "Margaret is laid back to the max; Amy never met an expert or a list she didn't like.  In each episode, we discuss a parenting issue from multiple perspectives and the accompanying expert advice that may or may not back us up.  We talk about it, laugh about it, call out each other's nonsense, and then we come up with concrete solutions.  Join us as we laugh in the face of motherhood!"

Respectful Parenting:  Janet Lansbury Unruffled:  Each episode addresses a listener's parenting issue through the lens of host Janet Lansbury's respectful parenting philosophy.  Janet is a respected parenting adviser, author, and consultant.  Her work informs, inspires, and supports caregivers of infants and toddlers across the globe, helping to create relationships of respect, trust, and love with their children.

The Art of Parenting:  The Art of Parenting provides parents and caregivers support and encouragement as we nurture and guide the next generation.

Do you struggle with your child's demanding or frustrating behaviors?  Do you find yourself spread way too thin trying to figure out this whole "parenting puzzle" (such as tantrums, hitting or biting, wanting a better relationship with your child, sibling rivalry, potty training, co-sleeping, etc.)?

The Art of Parenting podcast, with your host Jeanne-Marie Paynel, is intended to help you decipher children's needs and learn how to better provide for them.  She shares simple tips and tricks that will make a huge difference in your home while giving you the support and encouragement you deserve to enhance and enrich your parenting experience.

Best of Both Worlds:  Love your career?  Love your family? Best of Both Worlds is the show for you!  Hosts Laura Vanderkam (author of "I Know How She Does It" and mom of five) and Sarah Hart-Unger (practicing physician and mom of three) discuss work/life balance, career development, parenting, time management, and making time for fun.  Tune in each week for strategies to help you thrive in all spheres of life.

Dad to the Bone: Hosts QJ, Rich, and Sam are three funny dads in metro Detroit who talk about dad stuff, stuff happening in the world, and how to be a great father.  They know that being a dad doesn't always come naturally, but that it is super important, so they're here to talk dads through being the best, most present parents they can be.

How to Talk to Kids About Anything: Host Dr. Robyn Silverman provides hands-on tips, powerful scripts, inspiring stories and specific steps to make even the toughest conversations easier.  Featuring revealing interviews with the top experts in their fields, How To Talk to Kids About Anything gives parents and educators the tools and take-aways they've been looking for but have yet to find.  From bullying to the gift of failure to death, divorce, anxiety and more, listeners will discover what to do, what to say and how to say it in a non-judgemental, honest, accessible format.  Consider Dr. Robyn's How to Talk to Kids About Anything podcast your one-stop-parenting-shop delivering exactly what you need, when you need it, from someone you trust.

Do you have any parenting podcasts you love?  Tell me about them in the comments!