Sugar Highs and Lows

What candies are we boofing as we head into this festive season? What does boofing mean? And the biggest question of them all -- are we giving our kids sugar in the forms of pumpkin pie, candy, and cookies before they turn 18? No answer is the wrong answer (unless it is) but it’s interesting to see how different parents form different decisions and rules around these sweet delicacies. Sugar intake is small potatoes, but it has Claire and Kate wondering about the boundaries we put in place for kids now as well as in the future. Weekly Plugs:Sweet Potato PieIce in a bowlTrunk or TreatEditing, recording, post production and dad insights by Joe Leonardo.Music by Christopher MorucciFollow @whatchaexpecting

To have or not to have multiple children. THAT is the question! But the other question is, how many years apart should multiple children be? And the third question is, are people still having three kids ever? Claire assures us that a trio ensures a fantastic sibling experience while also assuring us that she will not be giving that experience to Rodney. Kate considers the possibility. Joe shares his expert experience of parenting real-life siblings!Weekly Plugs:Pope Leo XIVThe City of ChicagoVatican Health CareEditing, recording, post production and dad insights by Joe Leonardo.Music by Christopher MorucciFollow @whatchaexpecting

This week, Kate and Claire show how much they care…about daycare! Claire recently switched daycares because of her move, and Kate’s son has recently started in daycare. How do you choose the right program for your family? How do you learn to trust others to care for your kids? And if you’re Joe, how do you decide what (if any) merchandise to buy? Tune in this week to hear all the new skills Kate and Claire’s kids have picked up, and why it’s awesome to make friends with other parents (Claire totally agrees and is definitely putting herself out there).Weekly Plugs:Libby’s PumpkinPumpkin PatchesGoogle MapsEditing, recording, post production and dad insights by Joe Leonardo.Music by Christopher MorucciFollow @whatchaexpecting

Welcome to Season 4, Babies! Claire and Kate are both officially mothers to TODDLERS. And … is Claire expecting another little one on the way? Or does Kate just enjoy asking her that? They’ll discuss the semantics of “toddlers” vs “babies” vs “twaddlers.” What IS a twaddler? Maybe just the friends we made along the way. Enjoy!Weekly Plugs:Luxurious Matching Pajamas (for adults. Don’t buy luxury pajamas for babies. Or twaddlers.)Frame Coffee NYCFacebook MarketplaceEditing, recording, post production and dad insights by Joe Leonardo.Music by Christopher MorucciFollow @whatchaexpecting.

It’s the end of Season Three, and Kate’s baby is almost not a baby anymore! This week, Kate and Claire discuss Kate’s plans for her soon-to-be-toddler’s birthday, and the two consider how far both their children have come. Claire shares the new milestones Rodney is reaching, and Kate answers rapid-fire questions from Claire of Anthony facts. Kate shares her new year wishes for Anthony, as we close out the season and get excited for Season Four! Weekly Plugs:Stand up diaper changesTaking things slow and making time to reflect Breathe Like a BearEditing, recording, post production and dad insights by Joe Leonardo.Music by Christopher MorucciFollow @whatchaexpecting.

This week, Claire’s in charge, which obviously means everyone is taking a Buzzfeed quiz! Having never seen the questions before, Kate and Joe patiently take the quiz and don’t have any criticisms at all of how the questions and answers are written. When will they get their kids a phone? What would they do if their kids were sent to the principal’s office? Who is REALLY the lazy parent here? Find out this week, and take the quiz yourself – and finally find out, what kind of parent are YOU (according to Buzzfeed, the real authority here)!Weekly Plugs:Heirloom tomatoesScience CityCampingHotelsEditing, recording, post production and dad insights by Joe Leonardo.Music by Christopher MorucciFollow @whatchaexpecting.

It’s summer, so you know what that means…it’s time to go for a swim! This week, Kate’s baby-almost-toddler had his first swim lesson. Claire’s son, meanwhile, has been in swim lessons for awhile, and Joe’s kids are basically on the Olympic swim team at this point. Hear Joe’s hot takes on swim lessons for babies, Kate’s anxieties about submerging her baby, and Claire’s experiences getting Rodney comfortable in the water. Don’t be shy, dive right in…get it?!CW: Reference to child loss and drowning Weekly Plugs:Editing, recording, post production and dad insights by Joe Leonardo.Music by Christopher MorucciFollow @whatchaexpecting.Vanilla Cold BrewTonic water EspressoBath tubs

Once the babies are down for the night, what do you do with yourself? Do you hit the hay? Drink a beer? Scroll for hours? How important are these quiet(er) moments for you? This week, Kate and Claire selflessly spend their precious moments recording this podcast episode, sharing what they would normally be doing and reflecting back on to what their own parents did once they went to sleep. Or, at least, what we think they were doing? We were asleep, so we're not actually sure. Weekly Plugs:Busy BoardsDonut PeachesNintendo Switch 2Music by Christopher MorucciFollow @whatchaexpecting.

This week, Kate is moving far, far away to the distant location of slightly further south within her own neighborhood! Meanwhile, Claire is trying to secure a house for her and her family. With all these big moves come big feelings (but that’s a different episode, go back and listen, we’ll wait). Kate shares the ways that packing, naturally, makes her think of death. Kate and Claire discuss the parts of your life you mourn as you make space for what’s new. Hey, we weren’t kidding about the big feelings!Weekly Plugs:Clothing setsExcellent Quality MoversReminders on your phone Music by Christopher MorucciFollow @whatchaexpecting.

Your favorite MAMAZ are taking a quick reset for the week while they navigate impending and finalized moves, schedule conflicts, and just being all around BOSS BABEZ! To that end, please enjoy one of our favorite episodes from Season 1 that felt very on-brand. See you next week!---Claire’s moving! This week, Claire’s packing for her imminent move to Kansas. She considers the things she’ll miss about living in New York, while being excited for her new home (which has TWO bathrooms?!). Kate’s world is getting narrower as it gets physically harder to move through the world while being, medically speaking, super duper pregnant. Claire discusses what it was like to see Kate’s baby nook in her apartment, and Kate shares the shocking revelation that Claire’s clever use of space in her own one bedroom apartment inspired Kate in her own nesting, too. Weekly Plugs:Whatcha Expecting? - our new Instagram page!Lambs and Ivy Wall DecalsStone fruit season NYC FerryEditing, recording, post production and dad insights by Joe Leonardo. Music by Christopher Morucci.