Anna Fader

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.

Latest posts by Anna

Seneca Houses Children Still Need Your Help!

Submitted by Anna Fader on Thu, 08/28/2008 - 4:42pm

A HUGE thank you to everyone who has donated to help the children of Seneca Houses get the basic school supplies they need to start this school year. Through the generosity of Mommy Poppins readers we have raised almost $1000 worth of school supplies! Wow, I knew you guys were awesome!

But there is still more we can do. Yesterday I received these wonderful letters from some of the children with their school supply lists as well as the Pre-K supply list. I have added the items these children are asking for as well as the Pre-K list that I received.

Also, a corporate donation that had been promised for 75 backpacks fell through, so I am now trying to get backpacks for the kids. I am looking for a business that might be able to help us get the backpacks at a discount or for free, but I don't know if this will be possible.

If you would like to buy a backpack for a child please pick one from the Amazon Wishlist or if you donate cash through the PayPal donate button, I will use that money to buy backpacks and deliver them myself.

If you haven't had time to donate yet, please take a moment to read their letters and buy something from their wishlists.

Back to School Fashion Finds for NYC Kids

Submitted by Anna Fader on Thu, 08/28/2008 - 7:01am

The great thing about shopping for kids clothes is A) Their whole wardrobe costs about the same as just one pair of your shoes. B) They look good in everything. C) You don't have to try anything on eliminating the worst part of shopping in my book. That's not to say that even shopping for kids clothes can't be a hassle, but seeking out fun clothes like these cool duds for kids makes it much, much more fun.

We had the experts at some of our favorite clothing stores for kids, tell us what the hottest items are this Fall for NYC kids. Here's what they said:

10 Cheap Labor Day Weekend Getaways for NY Families

Submitted by Anna Fader on Wed, 08/27/2008 - 7:01am

Picture 9.png You don't need to burn a lot of dough or fossil fuels (meaning even more dough) to have a great Labor Day Weekend. We've got 10 fun family activities that you can enjoy for cheap or even free.

Labor Day Weekend for me is all about having one last hurrah for summer, so these activities all focus on getting outside, either with an easy day trip from New York or doing something in the city that makes you feel like you're not. This isn't like most of my free and cheap lists. Some of these activities cost a bit of cash, but I figure, if I'm staying in the city or skipping the hotel, it's worth it to pay a little bit to feel like I'm getting some vacationing in.

Here's 10 ideas that will take you away, without getting too carried away:

Five Cool NYC Mommy and Me Classes

Submitted by Anna Fader on Tue, 08/26/2008 - 7:19am

Mommy and Me classes can be salvation for new parents. At the least, they get you out of the house, build structure into your day, and help you meet other moms and dads. But even if you can't picture yourself singing nursery rhymes and skipping around at a typical Mommy and Me class, here are some of the best, cool and unique mommy (or daddy) and me classes that you might even enjoy just as much as your baby or toddler will.

Linkin' B'logs: Back to School Guides 2008

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 08/25/2008 - 3:52am

We launched our Back to School Guide last week and since then we've already added a bunch of new posts with more on the way. But for a special Linkin' Blogs we thought we'd give some link love to some other great back to school guides out there.

Cool Mom Picks always has the best recos for adorable stuff for moms and babies and the Cool Mom Picks Back to School Shopping Guide is jam-packed with wonderful backpacks, lunch boxes, shoes, jackets, supplies, and even snacks and organizational supplies for moms.

On a much more brass tacks level, the Consumer Reports Back to School Guide has tips for parents on health, safety, saving money and, of, course electronics recommendations. Read about vaccinations, how to save money on kids clothes, how to know if your child's backpack is too heavy and much more.

Family Friendly Day Trips from NYC Without a Car

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 08/22/2008 - 4:05pm

In my post about the farms you can visit in Westchester, I mentioned that it is easy to get to Philipsburg Manor and Stone Barn Farms without a car, using public transportation. I thought it would be cool to write about some of the other day tips you can take from NYC using public transportation. There's really no reason to be stuck in the city just because you're car-less (or want to save your gas money on, say, the down payment on an apartment). There are plenty of fun family day trips that can be easily accessed using Metro-North trains or busses.

The MTA actually has an entire section of their website dedicated to what they so romantically dub MTA Getaways . You've probably seen this advertised in the subway, but I know I never really looked into it before. Many of the trips you could do any time, but the MTA has also worked with local tours and groups to create specific event packages.

Here are some car-free day trips that are definitely worth a try:

Announcing the Mommy Poppins Back to School Guide

Submitted by Anna Fader on Thu, 08/21/2008 - 9:06am

My friend Mady was telling me last week at the beach about another mom at our school who would go home from her summer place two weeks early and spend the entire time just cooking and freezing dinners for the year. Wow.

I'm not a big cook ahead type of person. I've never even liked the idea of doing the prepare all the meals on Sunday thing, but I love the idea of being that organized (and fetishistic) about planning ahead for the school year. And I guess that's kind of the thought behind our Back to School Guide.

One of my favorite things to obsess about just before school starts is which classes and afterschool programs will my kids take this year. The Back to School Guide has about 50 different programs listed and I'll be adding lots more as I continue to seek out and obsess over all the options and cool offerings for NYC kids this Fall.

You'll also find

Do a Little Back to School Shopping for NYC's Homeless Children

Submitted by Anna Fader on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 6:04am

One of the great joys for me of working on this site has been the ability to help other people. Typically that means helping people figure out what to do this weekend or giving them some useful bit of information or other. But this summer I had the opportunity to do something even more profound when I was contacted by Jennie Velazquez of Seneca House.

There are over 15,000 homeless children in New York City and Seneca Houses provides temporary housing for over 100 of them. This summer I worked with Jennie and her Executive Director Maritza Alvarez at Seneca House to help fill these children's summer with the types of wonderful activities that my own children take for granted (Thank you to The Children's Museum of Manhattan, Splish Splash Water Park and others for donating their admissions).

Now that summer is winding down, these kids face a new challenge. While we are all doing our back to school shopping for crisp new school supplies, the children of Seneca House have nothing.

Anna Fader

Latest posts by Anna

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