Founder of Mommy Poppins
A fourth-generation Brooklynite, Anna started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to help families find the best things to do with kids in NYC, with a particular emphasis on sharing activities that are free, affordable, and enriching. The site, used by millions of families, has grown to become the ultimate resource for parents in the major US cities, plus travel guides for 100s of destinations.
Anna is a believer in the magic of summer camps, traveling with kids, and that you can raise kids on a budget and still have a rich life full of amazing memories. Anna's first Mommy Poppins book, The Young Traveler's Journal and Activity Book, published in 2025 and co-written with her daughter, Amelia Eigerman, brings that ethos to life, in addition to this website.
Submitted by Anna Fader on
Lest you harbor a notion that I, as "Mommy Poppins," am some uber-organized, type-A, helicopter mom, let me dispel that myth for you right now with this story about my daughter's 10th birthday party. Yes, double digits, big deal birthday...and the morning of the party, what had I prepared? Nothing.
Submitted by Anna Fader on
Last week Ted Cruz accused the Queens-born Donald Trump of having “New York values” and the Internet went crazy. He meant it as an insult. Senator Cruz seems to think that New York is made up of a homogenous type of person who is ultra-liberal, uber-rich and values wealth above all else. Maybe he’s never been to New York.
As parents raising our kids in NYC, we have to admit we agree with one part of the GOP presidential hopeful's sentiment: New Yorkers are different from others. We won't dispute you there, sir. But here's what you missed. One of the big draws to raising kids in New York City is that they will possess New York values.
We can count many more, but here are 10 values every NYC kid has that maybe Ted Cruz could take a note on.
Submitted by Anna Fader on
Susan Izatt is an Early Childhood, Infant and Toddler Development expert and the Director and Co-founder of now-closed MoonSoup Early Childhood Studio. With years of experience playing with and teaching babies, Susan certainly knows how to get babies moving and make it fun. She agreed to share some activity ideas that parents can easily do at home with their babies excerpted from her upcoming book New Moms & First Time Dads. Thanks, Susan!
Submitted by Anna Fader on
It's February and that means it's time for City Bakery's annual Hot Chocolate Festival. For every day in February, the popular Flatiron eatery City Bakery will be spicing up its delicious cocoa with a different flavor. And since it's a Leap Year, that's 29 days of hot chocolates that need to be sampled.
City Bakery is already a kid-friendly spot, but it's also nearby the wonderful Books of Wonder and lots of other family attractions in Flatiron like the Lego Store, the recently opened Dylan's Candy Bar and of course the Union Square Playground that it makes for a great winter outing. Maybe hit of the new MoMath Beaver Run exhibit pre- or post-hot cocoa?
Looking for more to do this month? Read our February GoList for great NYC family events all month.
Submitted by Anna Fader on
The recently opened Lowline Lab on the Lower East Side is stunning, child-friendly, FREE, hosts workshops for kids—and unlike any park you've ever seen in NYC.
The indoor park was built to test and showcase technology for growing and sustaining plants underground. It'll be open weekend afternoons for six months, making it a great, leafy (and warm) destination this holiday season for locals and NYC visitors. But it's more than just another great place to get in out of the cold this winter. The Lowline Lab feels like a peek into some futuristic world. Read on for the inside scoop on New York City’s weirdest new park, what it’s like to visit with kids and how to register for its free Young Designers Program.
Submitted by Anna Fader on
These recipes are imagined by Mommy Poppins, but sponsored by The Laughing Cow® cheese.
Pinterest is packed with adorable snack ideas for kids, but let’s get real—ain’t nobody got time for that. And while it’s true that kids fall for presentation, that doesn’t mean you have to make everything look like an adorable panda/Minion/Star Wars icon to get them to eat it. The truth is, children love to feel grown-up, and it’s super easy to make kid-friendly snacks look like fancy party foods in a matter of seconds. Any afternoon can feel like a special occasion with these easy ideas that don’t just look and taste yummy, but can inspire even your pickiest eater to try something new.
Submitted by Anna Fader on
There's something about the fall season that makes us antsy for a day trip out of the city with the kids to enjoy the changing leaves with a hike in cooler temps or just to explore a new museum a bit further afield, hot chocolate in hand for the ride. Maybe it's knowing that in just a short couple of holiday-fueled months, New York City will once again be plunged into a frozen tundra of black-crusted snow.
So whether you're looking for a road trip that's less than an hour away or a kid-friendly weekend overnight, we have 39 super fun destination ideas, including fall hikes in nearby Westchester, places to see wild animals (and dinosaurs) and sea creatures in Connecticut and New Jersey, and New York lighthouses, historic homes, foodie hot spots and seasonal fun like hayrides and pumpkin picking.
For more NYC getaway inspiration, read through our Day Trip Guide or visit the Mommy Poppins Travel site.
Submitted by Anna Fader on
New York City offers near limitless things for kids to do from some of the best children’s museums and theater options in the world to our libraries, parks and playgrounds. Even locals get overwhelmed with the amount to do here each day and weekend. So we've put together the ultimate one-day itinerary for a family trip to NYC, making sure you take in all the top kid-friendly sights and activities, including Central Park, Times Square and the American Museum of Natural History.
This ultimate NYC family bucket list is designed to be fun for kids of pretty much any age, but we think school-age children will likely get the most out of it. It offers park and food breaks along the way, and could easily be stretched over a weekend or done at a slower pace for toddlers and preschoolers. Read on for your very best day in NYC ever, and check out the Mommy Poppins Visitor's Guide for more tips on the best kid sights and things to do in Manhattan, as well as Brooklyn, Queens and elsewhere around the city.
