Meghan Rose

Before becoming a parent, Meghan Rose worked at pioneering internet companies like AOL, eToys.com, and eBay. After having twins, she shifted her focus to literacy, co-authoring Home is Where the Books Are (Choice Literacy, 2013) and launching LitforKids.com. Now based in Los Angeles, Meghan is all about finding fun things to do with kids. Please send her ALL your ideas and suggestions for national parenting and travel articles, or drop a note just say hi: meghan@mommypoppins.com

Latest posts by Meghan

3 Days in Los Angeles with Kids: Ultimate Itinerary by a Local Mom

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Fri, 01/27/2023 - 10:23am

This 3 day itinerary will make you fall in love with LA. Photo by Roberto Nickson, via Pexels

So, you’re visiting Los Angeles with kids, and you’ve only got three days. No problem—I have the perfect itinerary for you! Now, most would say that’s not enough time to explore this bustling, bursting metropolis. But I’ve been all over this city, and tried pretty much single thing to do in LA with kids, and I’m telling you—by the time you finish the three-day tour below, you’ll know this city, and love it, like a native Angeleno.

This itinerary will give you a taste of why I love it here: the hidden gems, the incredible history, the iconic sites & sights, and even the best bathrooms in town. Plus, you’ll get a taste of the tastes of LA, and the vibrant food scene that is the most exciting in the country. So buckle up (yes, you’ll need a car) and get ready to go back in time to the La Brea Tar Pits, stroll down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, and play on the beach. Here we go!

If you’ve got more than three days, you might want to check out our list of the top attractions in Los Angeles and our bucket list of the 100 best things to do in Los Angeles with kids before they grow up.

10 Best Babymoon Destinations for Expectant Parents

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Sat, 01/14/2023 - 12:11pm

Stroll a beach, take some naps, and enjoy your time together before the baby arrives. That's the ideal babymoon!

The best babymoon destinations vary depending on who you are and what you’ll miss most when your Friday night consists of falling asleep on the couch at 8:30pm. If you’ll be sorry you’re not catching the latest show, your perfect babymoon destination might be a trip to a bustling city. If you’re missing those extra hours of shut-eye because you got up at 1am (and 3am and 5am), the best babymoon idea for you is a spa. Here we’ve picked the top 10 spots for a babymoon, from a glamorous trip to London to a favorite tropical beach destination.

Now pack your bags and get a little fun in before your all-consuming (but very happy-making) bundle of joy arrives. Because the next trip you plan will be as a family, and you’ll be using our Guide to Family Travel to find an all-inclusive water park resort or pick the best hotel for families near Disneyland!

Best of 2022 - Los Angeles Kid Edition: Top Openings and Other Awesome Stuff We Loved

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Sun, 12/25/2022 - 11:15am

Say "Roar" at the dino-tastic park in Long Beach. Recreation Park photo by Kylie Williams

It’s that time of the year again: “best of” season! Well, we’re not immune here at Mommy Poppins, and it’s such a delight to highlight fun things to do with kids in Los Angeles that are brand new and you might not have experienced yet. We searched our archives, our memories, your Facebook recommendations, and more to compile this list of the best kid-friendly openings in Los Angeles in 2022. With a new entertainment center (with duckpin bowling, for my fellow former east coasters!), new playspaces, and maybe the best pizza in town (are we fighting?), Los Angeles has more fun things to do with kids than ever before.

Without further ado, here is our list of the best kid-friendly destinations that opened in 2022 in Los Angeles. I wonder what 2023 will bring… For a peek at events already on our January radar, check out our January Calendar of Events in Los Angeles!

20 Great Mommy & Me Classes in San Francisco Bay Area: Baby Classes We Love

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Sun, 09/11/2022 - 11:18am

Kids as young as 18 months can get kicking. Photo courtesy of Soccer Kiddos

Classes for babies (and toddlers) can solve one of the biggest parenting hurdles: getting out of the house! Especially in the early years, a Parent and Baby class might be the only outing you manage all day—even all week. From classes for babies who can barely lift their heads to classes for toddlers who are tottering around, these Mommy & Me classes (and Daddy & Me classes, too!) focus on activities that babies and parents can do together, from swimming to sign language and yoga to folk music. Find your tribe, bond with your babe, and get out of the house to reclaim a little sanity with these amazing baby classes and toddler classes in San Francisco.

Check out our other lists of awesome classes for kids in San Francisco Bay Area, including Cooking Classes for Kids and Swimming Lessons for Babies and Toddlers. And did you know you can now book classes and more activities directly from the Mommy Poppins calendar? Find events with the "book it" button or filter for classes for simple registration in just a few clicks!

Halloween Tickets on Sale Now in Los Angeles: Hurry, Some are Selling Out Already!

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Tue, 08/30/2022 - 10:49am

Head to Haunt O'Ween for a wild walk through pumpkin land. Photo courtesy of the event, via Facebook

Honestly, the kids just started school, and I haven't made our plans yet (note to self: do that today) for a quick getaway or day trip for Labor Day weekend. I am not ready for Halloween! But, with pumpkin spice lattes at coffee shops, Pumpkin Spice Oreos in the stores, and my kids already planning Halloween costumes, I think it's time to start planning. Especially since Disneyland has already announced that Oogie Boogie is fully sold out for 2022... So, I took a look at which beloved Los Angeles Halloween events and attractions are already on sale—almost all of them—so we can all snag some tickets before everything sells out.

From fun for the whole family at Haunt O' Ween to the big kid scares at Haunted Hayride, here are the best Halloween events you just might want to get tickets for today. Keep tabs on all the Halloween fun as it is announced in our Los Angeles Halloween Fun and Activities Guide.

Resort Passes and Daily Pool Rentals Near You: Family Resort Daycations for Everyone

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Thu, 08/18/2022 - 12:12pm

Rent a gorgeous backyard pool like this for your family for an hour or a day. Photo courtesy of Swimply

Swimply and Resort Pass solve the problem for those of us who dream of having a private backyard pool or membership to a swanky private pool but don’t have unlimited funds with resort passes and daily pool rentals.

Pools by the hour? Yes, please. This summer has been blisteringly, blazingly hot. Sadly, not all of us have a pool! And private swim club memberships either cost big bucks or sold out of memberships well before summer started. That’s where Swimply and Resort Pass come in.

Swimply is an app that allows anyone to rent out private pools by the hour. It’s basically the Airbnb of private pools. And Resort Pass is a program that allows you to purchase day passes to private hotel pools, without having to rent a room.

Genius. Read on for how to book your own pool day online, in an instant. If you're looking for a bigger getaway, like at one of the best family resorts with water parks check out our Guide to Family-Friendly Resorts and Hotels.

Ultimate Road Trip Planner: How to Have the Perfect Family Road Trip

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Thu, 08/04/2022 - 9:23am

Involve kids in planning and packing, and don't forget to bring things like balls and bikes for physical activity breaks!

Road trips are seared into American culture as a family rite of passage, but planning and taking road trips has sure changed since I was a kid. I remember sticking my head out the hand-crank window to keep cool—no AC in our car!, playing road trip games like counting license plates, eating road trip snacks like granola bars, and pulling over so my parents could plot routes on their folding maps. Now family road trips means multiple devices for in-car entertainment, snackle boxes, and tricked-out Airbnbs.

From fun road trip games to tasty road trip snacks to podcasts the whole family will love, we’ve got everything you need to plan the perfect family road trip right here. And if you don’t know where to go, that’s not a problem! Wherever your starting point, we’ve got some fabulous ideas, complete with exactly where to stop and what to see along the way.

Los Angeles Day Camps Still Available for Summer 2022

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Fri, 07/22/2022 - 11:32am

Hands-on fun with friends. Photo courtesy of RAZ Summer Camp with Art for Kids

Just because summer is already underway doesn't mean you've missed the summer camp bus. The day camps and weekly camps below not only have space available, but you can book them with an easy click right from our Los Angeles Events and Activities Calendar's Camps & Classes section. Find in-person summer camps, drop-in classes, and online summer programs, too. Signing up for camp couldn't be easier!

For more summer camp ideas, including everything from dance summer camps to art summer camps, check out our Los Angeles Summer Camp Guide and Summer Camp Directory.

Meghan Rose

Latest posts by Meghan

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