You’ve heard of baby showers, but what about grandma baby showers?

That’s right, as today’s grandparents are more involved with their grandchildren than ever before, some are choosing to stock their own living spaces with baby gear.

Today explains how the ‘grandma shower’ trend is evolving, ranging from full-on showers with the mom-to-be and the grandma to a small gathering to celebrate a new grandparent.

The grandma baby showers can be practical, with gifts and gear actually needed to help parents care for a new baby, like extra car seats or a playpen in their home, to more thoughtful in nature. For instance, a small afternoon tea where a grandma-to-be’s friends gather to present her with a thoughtful book or congratulations.

Some think the trend is sweet (and often helpful if grandma is now fully stocked for sleepovers!), while others are calling it full-on “stupid,” but as with all things parenting, to each their own, right?

If you were curious about the trend or interested in throwing your own grandma shower, we found some products to make it happen!

The post People Are Hosting ‘Grandma Showers’ and Not Everyone Agrees They’re a Great Idea appeared first on Mom.com.

If your kids are starting to whisper about being bored this summer, Michaels’ free craft sessions — with in-person, take-home, and live guided sessions — could just be the boredom-busting solution you’re looking for.

My kids and I all love going to Michaels, honestly, sometimes even when we don’t need anything, because it’s so fun just to browse. We never fail to get inspired by the creativity on display. And it’s that very creativity that kids love that led Michaels to introduce Camp Creatology and Safari Saturdays.

The two summer craft “camp” offerings from Michaels are in-store, virtual, and at-home program options that keep kids busy — and help exhausted parents survive the rest of the summer. All of the craft “camps” are totally free, and the in-store sessions even include free supplies.

Here’s the scoop on Michaels’ free summer crafts:

Camp Creatology

Camp Creatology runs weekly and offers a free on-demand or live, guided craft class that kids can use to follow along to create the craft of the week. The craft supplies can be purchased ahead of time, or kids can improvise with art supplies they have on hand.

Safari Saturdays

Safari Saturdays, on the other hand, are free in-store programs occurring every Saturday in July from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at local Michaels. You can see a full list of the stores running Safari Saturdays and search for stores near your location.

All of the supplies for Safari Saturdays are free, and no registration is required. Parents or caregivers can just pop into the store and have fun crafting together.  

Both Michaels’ crafting options sound like the answer all tired parents are looking for (not that I’m speaking for myself here or anything…).

If you’re curious about some of the upcoming crafts that Michaels will be featuring through Camp Creatology, you can take a look at some weekly crafts, along with some other suggestions for at-home boredom busting from Michaels.

The post Michaels’ Free Summer Craft ‘Camps’ Are Boredom Busters for Exhausted Parents appeared first on Mom.com.

The year is 2003. You’re wearing your best tie-dye shirt and comfiest overalls, carrying a gift bag with the newest Bratz doll, and rolling up to the hottest birthday party location of the year: McDonald’s.

Fast forward to 2025. Now you’re planning your child’s birthday party, and the pressure is on. Are you renting a bouncy castle? How about a ball pit? Are you hiring a taco truck? Creating a margarita bar for the adults? What about the decorations — balloon arch, photo backgrounds, custom LED signs? Are you going to have a candy station? Custom cookies for everyone to take home? Who is going to take pictures? Are you getting a photographer, or just taking photos yourself?

STOP. It’s all too. Damn. Much.

Kids’ birthday parties have gotten completely out of control — and I think social media is to blame. As children, we happily attended casual birthday parties at friends’ houses, ate pizza and cake, opened presents, and had a great time. But now it seems like every party has to be picture-perfect, catered to both kids and adults, and ready for content creation.

Social media has normalized these celebrity-style birthday parties. Just look at the bash Nick Cannon and Bre Tiesi threw for their son’s first birthday:

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A post shared by Bre Tiesi (@bre_tiesi)

And who can forget Stormi Webster’s insane “Stormi World” birthday party thrown by parents Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott:

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A post shared by Jessica (@kyliesnapchat)

My daughter turned one earlier this year, and Instagram had me convinced that I needed to throw a lavish birthday party with a unique theme, trendy decorations, and exciting activities. Not only is hosting an “Instagram-worthy” birthday party expensive, it’s also a lot of work! And unlike the celebrities who throw these kinds of parties for their kids, most of us don’t have assistants to organize all the details.

The truth is, kids don’t need parties like this, especially when they’re really young. My daughter isn’t going to remember her first birthday party, and I didn’t want to overstimulate her with activities, experiences, and decorations — so we hosted a classic pizza party. We blew up some balloons, put up basic decorations, ordered a bunch of pizza, and picked up a sheet cake from the grocery store. And everyone had a blast.

So to other parents, I just want to say this: Relax. Put down your phone. Think back to the birthday parties you enjoyed as a kid. Instead of basing your party on the crazy events you see on social media, just host a party that’s fun for your kids.

The post Kids’ Birthdays Are Out of Control — What Happened to Pizza Parties? appeared first on Mom.com.

My son is turning 13 next week, which feels like an incredibly big milestone I am not ready for.

Becoming a teenager feels like I should make a bigger deal out of this year’s birthday party than the other parties I have thrown for him in the past. And because his birthday usually consists of a gaggle of fellow now-teenager boys, it’s only fitting that the messier and more unruly the party, the better.

So when I came across these throwable paintballs while browsing the Michaels’ site one day (a secret favorite pastime of mine), I knew I had to get them.

The post I Just Bought Throwable Paintballs for My Son’s 13th Birthday, and I’m a Little Scared appeared first on Mom.com.

If you haven’t already heard, there’s a new holiday in town and it’s called Summerween.

Summerween is just what it sounds like: a celebration of Halloween but during summer.

Apparently, the trend originated from an episode of the show Gravity Falls, where the characters decided to celebrate Halloween on a hot summer night out of boredom. Now the unofficial holiday has exploded into a full-on celebration of Halloween in the warm-weather months, called Summerween.

“Think Halloween but in summer,” our good friend Michaels explains.

The store has fully embraced the trend, with an entire section devoted to celebrating all things Summerween. The trend is a playful twist on traditional Halloween items, with summer-themed additions, like sparkly pink skulls or watermelon jack-o’-lanterns.

Summerween combines the fun of Halloween and the bright energy of summer, so spooky lovers can celebrate their favorite holiday … in the sun?

The post If You’re Sick of Summer, ‘Summerween’ Is Here to Save the Day appeared first on Mom.com.

Nothing fills me with more fear than when I find out my tween son has been invited to a birthday party.

It’s not that I don’t want him to go to a birthday party, of course, but my fear stems from how increasingly difficult it feels to buy gifts for tween and teenage boys. My go-to little kid gifts of Nerf guns, play cars, and Legos don’t feel like they always cut it for tween boys anymore. (Although the Lego sets could be argued, and I do often fall back on those, because who doesn’t love Legos?)

When I’m not sure what to give for a tween boy’s birthday gift, though, I have found myself lately reaching for a rather unexpected choice:

Squeeze cheese.

The post I Can’t Explain It, but ‘Squeeze Cheese’ Is the Ultimate Tween Birthday Gift appeared first on Mom.com.

The thing about teen birthdays is that they can get a little bit trickier for parents.

Gone are the days when a pretty princess or dump truck cake would impress, or a lively game of “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” is all you need for entertainment. Coming up with ways to make teen birthdays special can be challenging.

I happen to have two teen daughters who have birthdays that are only two days apart, so I tend to feel a little extra stressed in the birthday department. I want to make their individual birthdays feel special, but it’s also hard to do anything extravagant without one feeling left out.

This year, I had the idea that it would be fun to add some of those oversize birthday yard signs that became really popular during the pandemic. That way, each girl could have a fun photo op with their friends, and the signs could stay up through both of their birthdays. Two for one!

Unfortunately for me, I quickly learned that the professional yard signs are quite pricey. The quote for a sign for three days with mandatory setup and delivery fees was close to $300. As much as I wanted to support a small business, I didn’t feel like I could justify spending $300 on birthday yard signs we would only use for a day or two to snap a few photos with.

So I did some quick searching on Amazon and found an alternative for only $35 that turned out to be exactly what I was hoping for.

The post My Teens Loved These $35 ‘Happy Birthday’ Yard Signs That Made the Perfect Photo Op appeared first on Mom.com.

As a mom of five kids, I have thrown my fair share of birthday parties. On one hand, I’ve always been grateful to have family and friends who were willing to celebrate my child’s birthday with us, and a birthday party can always make a kid feel special.

But on the other hand, birthday parties can be a ton of work, and hosting them at your house can mean hours of prep, cleaning, serving, and cleaning again. Plus, can we talk about that overstimulated, cranky, full-of-sugar kid you end up with at the end of the party?

Shudder.

Birthday parties will always have their place, but as my kids are getting older, I am trying hard to push for birthday experiences and birthday trips over gifts. For instance, I recently took my two oldest daughters — who happen to have birthdays two days apart and in the same month as me — on a beach resort trip for their birthdays.

I was thrilled with how teen-friendly the resort was, and it made the perfect birthday celebration, especially for two hard-to-please teenagers.

The post I Took My Daughters To a Teen-Friendly Beach Resort For Their Birthdays and I Have No Regrets appeared first on Mom.com.

As I was searching for birthday cakes for my upcoming teen daughters’ birthdays, my sister let me in on a little secret birthday hack she has been using:

You can get ridiculously cute custom cakes and cupcakes from Walmart for only $15. I honestly didn’t believe her until I tried it myself — I ordered a custom cake for my daughters and was able to choose the frosting color, piping design, filling, and cake flavors, and even with some custom add-ons, I spent less than $20.

I was amazed that I had never realized how great Walmart’s custom cake bakery section could be. I did some digging and found some of their other ready-to-go birthday cakes that all cost less than $15.

Disclaimer: The birthday cakes may differ by location, of course, and the $15 price is for a 6-inch cake, which is designed to serve up to 12 people.

The post 9 Custom Walmart Birthday Cakes You Won’t Believe Only Cost $15 appeared first on Mom.com.

If there’s one thing every mom wants for Mother’s Day, it’s a healthy family. While it’s not possible to give the gift of health to someone, there are some great products that can help support family wellness goals. From hydration to skincare to congestion relief, here are some of our favorite health and wellness essentials.

The post Mother’s Day Health & Wellness Essentials appeared first on Mom.com.