Adding self-care during your daily errands with kids in tow makes everyday life much more fun. So, we’ve rounded up the best kid-friendly nail salons where you can enjoy a manicure and pedicure with your kids. From kid-sized chairs to super sweet staff, these are our go-to spots for carving out a little bonding time, not to mention great nails. So, get ready to enjoy a precious moment of pampering and polish with your kids.

Sugarcoat Beauty

This kid-friendly nail salon offers a Miss Priss mani for $10, a pedi for $20 or a mani-pedi combo for $30 for ages 10 and under. They have nine locations in the greater Atlanta area, so your kids can get the royal treatment no matter where they reign.

Insider tip: Although nothing beats an impromptu mani-pedi, you can make an appointment online and save yourself the wait.

Locations in: Buckhead, Chastain, VA-HI, Vinings, Midtown and Norcross.

Online: sugarcoatbeauty.com

Cutie Nails & Spa

Under new management, this Black-owned salon is proud to be a part of the Atlanta community. They’re excited to grow their business and give back to the community in a big way. Little ones are welcome for the mani/pedi service from their kind staff. Customers are raving about the new salon on the block.

547 10th St. N.W.
Atlanta

RELATED: 13 Atlanta Black-Owned Businesses We Love

Hammond Nails

This Brookhaven hot spot has multiple locations across town, but we love the Dresden Drive location’s proximity to shopping (did someone mention Costco?). You’ll be in and out in a jiffy at this kid-friendly nail salon. And who can resist the kid-sized chairs and efficient, courteous staff?

1418 Dresden Dr., Ste. 110
Brookhaven, GA
Online: hammondnails.net

iwi Fresh Garden Day Spa

Using only products fresh from the garden, you never have to question a product ingredient at this innovative yet comfortable-as-home spot in Castleberry Heights. With offerings beyond nails, this kid-friendly nail salon even has a Skincare Chef who hand-picks fresh fruits, veggies and herbs from the farm. Then juices and mixes them into a powder base used to make skincare recipes. For a sweet manicure and pedicure that runs $29, kids love getting their hands and toes sprinkled with chocolate and a raw brown sugar scrub during a service crafted just for them.

341 Nelson St.
Atlanta
Online: iwifresh.com

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Tula2 Nail Salon

Drop in for a celebrity salon treatment with one of the salon owners, self-proclaimed twin manicurists to the stars. Join their client list, which includes Queen Latifah, Usher, Faith Evans, Demi Moore, Katherine Heigl, Beyonce and so many more. They offer a special manicure and pedicure for kids under 5.

1133 Huff Rd., Suite E
Atlanta
Online: tula2nailsalon.com

RELATED: 10 Women Who Changed Atlanta Forever

Nail Favor Salon & Spa

Get ready to enjoy tiny, pampered hands and feet with this salon’s extensive children’s services menu. Treatments include cuticle softening, cleaning, nail trim, shaping, buffing, callus treatment and massage. Customers rave about the friendly staff and their great attention to detail and service.

3802 Roswell Rd. N.E.
Atlanta
Online: nailfavorsalon.com

Pigtails & Crewcuts

This place does it all for parents and kids. Book a polish for toes and nails, grab a haircut and even get those little ears pierced. Their goal is to make the salon experience enjoyable for the entire family.

3802 Roswell Rd., Suite D
Atlanta
Online: pigtailsandcrewcuts.com

—Angelica Kajiwara & Shelley Massey

Look out—they’re on the move (and into EVERYTHING!). It’s a huge milestone that can come with some anxiety for parents, but we have just what they need to keep those little fingers busy. The LEGO DUPLO Number Train will let their imaginations run wild (while keeping their feet in one place). Your Tinybean will be learning numbers, working on fine motor skills through hands-on imaginative play, and bonding with you—it all adds up to a Happy Little Human!

The family that plays together, stays together, and LEGO DUPLO brings out the imagination of kids and adults alike! With the LEGO DUPLO Brick Box, they’ll be developing fine motor skills, exploring their creativity through hands-on building and character role play, all while bonding with you!

Screens will always be there…but your tiny human won’t be tiny forever. Grab a box and unleash the fun today—it all adds up to a Happy Little Human!

My daughter was born 18 years after my son. Just one week before he would attend his senior prom, to be exact. Becoming pregnant with my second child, nearly two decades after my first, was quite the shock. Here we were just a few months away from seeing my firstborn off to college and becoming “empty nesters.” In the months leading up to my son moving out of state for school, I experienced a range of emotions. Some days I was really sad and others, I was excitedly creating Pinterest boards with my future world travels. Somehow, grasping the reality of becoming a mom all over again left me excited yet conflicted. How would I navigate motherhood for a second time, so many years later?

Midway through my pregnancy, I’d read a blog about some of the benefits of babywearing that really resonated with me. With my husband being from Senegal, West Africa, we’d spent a few summers there, and watching the strong Senegalese women wearing their babies from birth while socializing, working, and tending to other children was fascinating to me. Their babies looked happy, safe, and strong! I knew that I wanted this bond with my daughter and wanted to integrate babywearing into our journey. It was an experience that I’d missed out on with my firstborn, and I was excited to try it!

We were gifted our first LÍLLÉbaby baby carrier for our baby shower. To this day, I still say this was the best gift we could’ve received.

Navigating Our Way through the 4th Trimester & Beyond
We owned all the fancy baby equipment- swings, rockers, bassinets that swayed, swaddles to help aid better sleep, but nothing beat the rhythmic motions of holding my baby girl close to me, heart to heart.

Skin-to-skin contact was big for me, and we did LOTS of it in our carrier. The benefits of skin-to-skin contact during the fourth trimester are enormous for both mama and baby. Body temperature regulation, an increase in oxytocin levels (the happy hormone!), and bonding, just to name a few. This was also a huge bonus for my husband in bonding with our little girl.

As she became stronger and more aware of her physical abilities and surroundings, I found that moving her around my body in different positions gave her just what was needed to satisfy her curiosity, give her a front-row seat to the world, and remain confident because mommy was right there.

Nursing in the Carrier Changed Our Life!
Our breastfeeding journey started off rough. By week 2, I was in tears! My toes would curl in agony every time my baby would cry to be fed. We couldn’t get her to latch correctly, and by this time, she was cluster feeding. Exhausted and in pain, I was ready to throw in the towel. Thankfully, I received help from an excellent certified lactation consultant, who I think of as my fairy milk mother, and we were able to continue breastfeeding for an extended time. There’s a learning curve to both breastfeeding and babywearing, but once we got the hang of both and combined the two, this was a total game-changer for us!

Wearing her close to me, I was able to tend to her cues immediately, plus this helped with my milk “let down.” Nursing the baby no longer left me confined to my couch with a pillow for 30 minutes. I could feed her handsfree around while working from home, walking around the mall, or out on the hiking trails. This was such a huge part of our journey, and we successfully did this until she was nearly 3 years old.

Babywearing Gave Me the Ability to Be Hands-Free
We moved my son into his college dorm when she was 4 months old, and I wore her in my favorite emerald green soft structured carrier throughout the entire tire experience. Everyone marveled at the mom who was schlepping boxes and suitcases and participating in NSO week with an infant in tow! Being able to share unforgettable moments like this with both of my children melts my heart.

Precious Bonding Moments That Are Simply Indescribable
I remember hearing so many misconceptions about babywearing, and none of it proved to be true. There’s no such thing as spoiling a baby by holding them too much. But we as parents can give our babies the security of knowing that their needs are being met, and we feel confident in holding our little ones close.

Together we’ve hiked National Parks, traveled around the country, and internationally all while babywearing. There is a closeness that my daughter and I share that is unlike no other. She is now a fearless, confident, strong, and independent 4-year-old. To this day, when I pick her up, she pulls her legs into the most perfect “M” shape as if she’s being worn in a carrier. Occasionally we still babywear when she asks for it. This will forever be our special bonding experience.

Azja Pryor is a trained babywearing educator and a wellness coach residing in beautiful Southern California.

A mom of two, you’ll find Azja in her free time hiking National Parks with her husband and toddler daughter, traveling, or enjoying delicious international cuisine.

Attachment.

If you follow popular parenting advice, you’ll know that being attached to your baby is important. If you spend too many hours apart from your baby (umm…daycare?), they might not get attached to you. If you don’t respond every time they cry, you might ‘break’ them. And if your child isn’t attached to you, then Bad Things Happen. They might not be happy as adults. They might not be able to have good relationships with others. They might even become delinquents or criminals—and certainly not responsible members of society who go to the right schools and get a good job.

But I spent weeks reviewing scientific research on attachment, and what I learned was pretty shocking. It turns out that the way popular parenting advice describes attachment actually isn’t based on the scientific research about attachment. It just cherry-picks the parts that sound most like they fit with our ideas about motherhood so we won’t question it.

So let’s dig into the evidence.  But first, let’s do a quick review of what attachment is—because I’m betting it’s not what you think it is.

What is attachment?

Dr. John Bowlby first used the term “attachment” to describe relationships between babies and their mothers, and he actually chose the word because it was easy for parents to get attached to, as it were. Who wouldn’t want something that sounds so much like snuggling and closeness and bonding? But Bowlby was really sloppy in his use of the word—psychologist Dr. Michael Rutter noticed that Bowlby used it in at least four ways: to describe internal mental states as well as relationships.

Another problem was that (now famous) Dr. Bill and his wife Martha Sears had developed some ideas that weren’t based in scientific research but that needed a positive name. They used Attachment Parenting “because it was so well researched and documented.” Attachment Parenting had little in common with Attachment Theory, but because Bowlby had been so loose with his own descriptions, the name stuck.

And it turns out that even the research has a lot of problems.

Separation may lead to bad outcomes (or not)…

One of Bowlby’s very earliest studies looked at 44 children who had been caught stealing, and compared these to 44 children who had problems but hadn’t stolen anything. He noticed that 12 of the thieves had had experiences of early separation from their parents compared with four of the other children, and thought that being separated from their parents led the thieves to have a low sense of empathy and self-worth.

Hearing this might make you want to never leave your child alone again, but much later in his life Bowlby acknowledged two really important issues. First, he didn’t mention that he had mixed up all kinds of separations into this one category: “separations” included everything from sleeping in their own bedroom to being sent to an orphanage, which means it’s almost impossible to draw any real conclusions from this data.

And second, separations weren’t the only traumas these children had experienced. Many of them had also suffered physical and sexual abuse, which wasn’t reported at all in the original paper.

So the foundation for all of the research on separations between parents and children that followed was highly flawed—and nobody knew it at the time. All we knew was that “separations” had strong links to negative outcomes for children—so no wonder parents were afraid.

Using daycare may lead to bad outcomes (or not)…

Bowlby also spent decades talking about the mother as the infant’s primary caregiver – one of his early texts said “little will be said of the father-child relation; his value as the economic and emotional support of the mother will be assumed.” He went on to write that a child will “attach himself especially to one figure,” and since the father was irrelevant, that figure must be the mother.

If we believe that the mother’s relationship with the baby is sacred, then daycare becomes virtually intolerable. Bowlby himself wrote that ““to deprive a small child of his mother’s companionship is as bad as depriving him of vitamins.” I reviewed the effects of daycare on children and the research base does not support Bowlby’s ideas. In fact, if daycare or preschool reduce stress for the mother and/or allow her to return to a job she enjoys, the net benefit of daycare and preschool is likely positive.  Unless your child is in daycare for more than about 70 hours a week—much more than most children—and is spending nights away from home, being in daycare is unlikely to affect their relationship with you.

Very late in his life Bowlby acknowledged that the the attachment system “contributes to the individual’s survival by keeping him or her in touch with one or more caregivers” (note the S on the end of “caregivers”), but this time the damage was done: A mother’s place was in the home with the child.

Parents: Relax!

So what can we learn from all of this? Well, we can remember that Attachment Parenting isn’t the same as Attachment Theory, and only the first one has any scientific research behind it at all. Being separated from your child—even if they are spending a full working week in daycare—is unlikely to lead to your attachment relationship being disrupted. And even if the attachment relationship is disrupted, it doesn’t necessarily lead directly to bad outcomes. The majority of children who don’t have a secure attachment relationship with a parent go on to do quite well in life, and even those who do don’t have an assured outcome. So we can all relax a bit, knowing that we’re doing the best we can with the skills we have, and for the majority of babies, this is probably just right.

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Jen Lumanlan fills the gaps in her parenting intuition through research, via a Master’s in Psychology (Child Development) and another in Education.  Her podcast, Your Parenting Mojo, provides rigorous yet accessible information on parenting and child development to help parents tame the overwhelm and raise resilient, thriving children.

Thinking of adopting a family pet? We’ve interviewed several experts on whether your kid is ready and up to the task of getting a dog or other animal companion. To help you make the best decision, learn what a veterinarian and several adoption managers of animal shelters advise on the important topic. According to experts, your kid is ready for a pet if they meet the following criteria—read on for the details.

They Are Responsible in Other Areas of Life

Father and veterinarian John Ashbaugh, DVM of Midland Animal Clinic says a telltale sign your child is ready to take on caring for a pet is if they are responsible in other ways. They take good care of themselves and other family members, get their homework assignments done on time, keep their room and the house clean, etc. Ashbaugh recommends also making sure your kids are good with other people's animals. He says, "Have your kids take on housesitting and/or dog walking jobs or volunteer at horse stables, and observe how well your child interacts with and cares for animals." Caroline Vaught, co-founder of Cat & Craft, says to make sure your child is willing to commit to caring for an adopted pet for the duration of its life. Which in the case of cats being properly cared for could be as many as 15-18 years.

Science says: According to the American Pet Product Association’s National Pet Owners Survey, 58% of pet owners say their pets help teach their kids to be responsible.

They Are Comfortable & Respectful Around Animals

Lauren McDevitt, co-founder of Good Dog says it's important to know if your child is comfortable around dogs. She advises, "Ask a friend if their dog is good-natured with children so you have the chance to socialize with a dog as a family. It’s key to remember that kids, even if they’re older, should always be supervised." She also tells parents to make sure their child is kind and respectful toward animals. Elizabeth Albertson, Education Assistant Manager of Instruction at Helen Woodward Animal Center furthers this point by telling parents to ensure that their child is able to give a pet the space it needs. She explains, "Animals, like people, can become easily overwhelmed or stressed. A child should be able to recognize when a pet needs to be left alone and when the animal is ready for love and attention."

Science says: a good cuddle with a pet may lower your stress levels and boost your oxytocin levels––(the feel-good bonding hormone)! 

 

They Show Consistent Interest in Getting a Pet

John Ashbaugh, DVM urges families to research the desired pet with their child so they understand the commitment involved and the permanency of owning a pet. He offers, "Consider starting with a simple pet like a fish, guinea pig or hamster." Adoptions Services Manager at Helen Woodward Animal Center, Dora Dahlke says to ask the question, "Is this a fad—or a real desire for a pet? If your child’s requests bounce around from wanting a horse one day to wanting a dog the next, it may be a sign that they are more interested in the idea of a pet than in actually having one. To determine whether or not your child’s interest in a pet is a fad or a real desire, listen to him/her over several weeks or months. How they discuss the topic over the long term will help you decide if this desire is genuine or not."

Science says: The bond a child creates with a pet can be positively life-changing. Kids can share their secrets and their childhood memories with an animal while developing a sense of responsibility, empathy and compassion for all beings.

They Are Good at Doing Their Chores

Elizabeth Albertson and Dora Dahlke of Helen Woodward Animal Center tell parents to gauge whether their kids are able to share in the daily care of the new pet. All pets need clean living space, continuous access to fresh and clean water, food, exercise and enrichment. They advise parents to watch how kids handle age-appropriate household chores. If they can remember their daily chores without nagging, they might be ready to add a pet-related chore. Keep your expectations realistic based on your kid's age. The following chores may apply to the following ages:

Ages 4-8: Brush the dog or cat regularly while supervised.

Ages 9-12: Refresh water and food daily. Scoop litter box.

Ages 13-17: Walk the dog. Pick up droppings from the yard. Attend obedience classes with the dog.

Science says: Dog ownership may boost heart health by offering motivation for physical activity because dogs need daily walking. Make walking the dog an activity the whole family can participate in for bonding and increased health.

––Beth Shea

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Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor will soon be a big brother to Baby Girl Sussex. And you can bet this is an exciting time for Prince Harry and Dutchess Meghan as well as the new big brother. But the journey to bringing home a new baby can also be a time of anxious change as families introduce the first child to their new family member. Kelly Oriard, licensed family therapist and co-founder of Slumberkins, shares her advice for Harry and Meghan and all families navigating this big change.

1. Do the Prep Work
Well before the baby is born, begin talking about when the baby is coming, what it will be like, and what the big sibling’s role will be once the baby arrives.

2. Be Honest
Don’t just say, “It will be awesome having a sibling!” While at times it will be awesome, it can also be super hard for older siblings. Remember even toddlers without many words need to hear, “The baby may cry—and that may be hard to hear” or “Sometimes Daddy and Mommy will need to help the baby and you may have to practice waiting.” Honesty will help set realistic expectations.

3. Celebrate the Big Sibling Role
Make sure to celebrate that they get to be the big sibling now. Hooray! But don’t forget to remind them that they can still be your little baby too. Growing up doesn’t mean fewer snuggles, love or attention. Just some cool perks too.

4. Don’t Blame the Baby
Kelly shares, “The very best advice I have is don’t blame the baby for things once the baby comes.” Don’t say, “We have to leave the park for the baby’s nap time.” Kelly points out that this sets up an easy target for frustration. Instead say, “It’s time for our family to leave the park now.”

5. Teach Safety
Remember that your toddler is still learning impulse control and doesn’t yet understand how to be gentle with a baby. Try not to yell or get frustrated if your toddler shows typical toddler behaviors (hitting or aggression). Instead, remember that a caregiver’s role can be to teach and help practice.

6. Welcome All Feelings
This is an important tip as acting out when a new sibling arrives is normal. Make space for all emotions while stopping unsafe behaviors.

7. Make One-on-One Time for You & Your Older Child
They will need this. Period.

8. Support Bonding Between the Siblings
Making reflections like, “Wow, look at how the baby is looking at you, I can tell they really like the way you are holding them” or “That was so kind the way you noticed the baby was cold, thanks for bringing a blanket.” Narrating the connection that you notice between your children and stating it can help them really feel love and connection to and from their new sibling.

Following these tips and tricks can help to ease the growing pains families feel when introducing new siblings. Remember that even good change can come with some anxiety and stress. Doing some prep work to prepare your little one can help your family have a smoother transition. Slumberkins also has many great resources to help siblings of all ages develop positive ways to cope with their big emotions. It’s a great time to practice emotion identification or introduce your little one to Alpaca who models stress-relief or Fox who provides comfort during times of change.

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Kelly Oriard & Callie Christensen
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen are co-founders of Slumberkins, a children's brand supporting social-emotional learning for children. Kelly has a dual master's degree in family therapy and school counseling, and Callie has a master's degree in teaching. Both are passionate about teaching children social-emotional skills to thrive in our modern world. 

How has parenting changed in the last year? More specifically, how have parents changed? Millie Moon Luxury Diapers recently tapped OnePoll to conduct a survey of 2,000 millennial parents—and the results may surprise you!

It’s probably not a shock to many parents that the events of 2020 changes plenty of attitudes towards just about everything. Between the sudden, drawn-out together-time families found themselves in, working from home, schooling from home and doing everything else from home, parenting has had to change in the past year.

photo courtesy of Millie Moon

The survey found that four out of five moms and dads surveyed felt 2020 made them completely reevaluate their parenting. Seventy-two percent said the pandemic helped them to show more compassion as parents and 73 percent began prioritizing the smaller moments they could share with their kiddos.

When it comes to work, more than 40 percent of parents put less of an emphasis on their jobs. This extra time reportedly had a major affect on the littles, according to the parents surveyed. Seventy-six percent of parents also discovered new ways to connect with their kids!

The increased emphasis on connecting with the kiddos may make you wonder how parents are spending more time with their families. The survey found that nearly half of parents say story-time is a bonding moment. With that in mind, Millie Moon is donating a portion of the proceeds from the brand’s new Luxury Diaper line to the national early literacy nonprofit, Reach Out and Read. Nab these luxe diapers and wipes exclusively at Target!

—Erica Loop

 

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