Ali's Wagon is a mixed retail store that carries boutique children's clothing and toys, as well as urban housewares, giftware, and accessories.

Ali's Wagon also houses a parenting resource center, offering peer education and support through informal social interactions, and structured programming aimed primarily at parents of children ages 12 months and under. A range of pre-natal programming is also available.

Baby Boot Camp offers a variety of stroller-based fitness classes for moms and babies. Classes combine strength-training exercises with pilates, yoga, and cardiovascular drills. The stroller, resistance tubes (and even your child!) are used as an integral part of the workout.

A variety of class formats are available to meet individual fitness needs, including indoor, outdoor, prenatal and express. The structure of all Baby Boot Camp classes follows guidelines set by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Council on Exercise.

Visit the Baby Boot Camp website for a complete list of classes the Philadelphia area.

BuxmontMommies is a free support group for area parents, and offers chat, forums, playdates, mommies' nights out, and more.

The group serves as a chapter of The Mommies Network, a national non-profit organization dedicated to helping moms find support and friendship in their local communities.

Members can participate in private discussion forums on the site to share information on everything from where to get the best haircut to tips on transitioning to a "big kid" bed. Each month, BuxmontMommies also hosts many face-to-face events for members, their children, and their families.

BuxmontMommies has area groups in Central, Upper, and Lower Bucks County, as well as North and South Montgomery County, in Pennsylvania.

Child Care Information Services offers customized child care provider referrals for that match parents' specific needs, as well as information about how to select a quality child care provider. All counseling services are free and confidential.

The agency also helps parents determine if they are eligible for child care financial assistance through a state subsidy program, and offers a financial assistance program that can help pay for child care while parents work or attend school. Parents must meet established criteria to qualify; call for details.

City-moms offers new moms and their babies and/or toddlers the chance to mingle and learn about baby-related topics while enjoying lunch at a Center City restaurant with other moms and young children.

Each City-moms lunch event is held at a different venue and features an interactive lecture or session by an expert on kid-friendly events, specific mom-related issues, and available parent/child classes. Participants receive a folder of informational materials from each speaker to take home.

Necessary baby items - a changing table, diapers, wipes, small baby-safe toys - are available for use at each event.

Daddy UniverseCity, Inc. provides education to help fathers - expectant fathers, new fathers, second-time parents, and others - and father figures realize how important their roles are to their children, their families, and the community as a whole.

Daddy UniverseCity hosts father-focused events throughout the Philadelphia area; the organization's website serves as a resource clearing house and a one-stop site for fatherhood.

The Frankford Group Ministry's Neighborhood Parenting Program is a community parent education and support program for adults their children.

The program offers playgroups, support groups, parenting classes, anger management classes, trips, special events, and more free of charge. Call 215.744.2990, ext. 251 for details and a current schedule.

Harambee Parent Support Group is a support group for parents of adopted African-American children and those considering adoption. The group discusses a variety of parenting topics, including transracial adoption, making the decision to adopt, legal issues with adoption, open adoption vs. closed adoption, and more.

Harambee meets on the third Saturday of each month; children are welcome. Details are available via email.

The Holistic Moms Network (HMN) is a national support organization for anyone - moms, dads, grandparents, caregivers, or parents-to-be - interested in raising children using natural health and mindful parenting techniques.

The organization and its website offer support and information on topics such as natural therapies, organic foods, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, homeschooling, cloth diapering, fighting commercialism, environmental conservation, etc.

HMN currently has chapters in Delaware County, the Lehigh Valley Area, Montgomery County, and
Philadelphia. Each chapter holds regular monthly meetings; visit the website for a schedule and additional contact information.

Memebership to the Holistic Moms Network is $35 per year. Membership forms are available online.

HowsMyNanny.com is a nanny-reporting service: Parents purchase a license plate for their stroller, and the public is encouraged to anonymously report good or bad nanny observations. Registered parents receive emails alerting them to reports about their particular nanny.

The Institute for the Development of African-American Youth (IDAAY) Beacon Center is a community organization that aims to encourage families to stay connected and get involved with the community.

The Center offers a variety of Family Preservation Classes, including modeling, hip-hop dance, credit recovery for high school students, and more; intramural basketball leagues for kids ages nine to 14 are also available.

All programs are free and take place at Wagner Middle School. Contact the Beacon Center for more details and a complete list of program offerings.

Lindamood-Bell is recognized as an effective treatment for learning difficulties, including the symptoms of dyslexia, AD/HD, hyperlexia, and autism.

The center works one-on-one with individuals ages five through adult. Lindamood-Bell offers diagnostic evaluations, individualized treatment programs to address the specific needs of its students, and community education events throughout the year.

Main Line Family Solutions provides in-home therapeutic counseling services for busy families and individuals, helping families face important issues in the privacy and familiar setting of their own homes.

Individual and family psychotherapy is available for children, adolescents, and adults. Main Line Family Solutions specializes in mental health issues, family communication, divorce and separation, parental support and coaching, behavioral concerns, anger management, and grief and loss.

Main Line Family Solutions professionals are licensed psychotherapists, serving Philadelphia's western suburbs.

Maria J. Brooks, of Mary & Martha Childbirth Services, is a Lamaze certified childbirth educator and a DONA certified labor doula.

In addition to providing labor and childbirth support, Brooks leads cesarean healing circles that offer a safe place for women to share their stories, begin healing, remove emotional scars, and celebrate themselves as birthing women. Brooks also conducts VBAC classes to prepare mothers and their partners who are planning a vaginal birth after cesarean.

The Maternal Wellness Center (MWC) is a non-profit organization that offers classes, support groups, services, and workshops for pregnant women, new moms, and families.

MWC's numerous programs include counseling, psychotherapy, couples therapy, mothers' groups, childbirth education, breastfeeding support, and more. Classes include prenatal, postpartum, and Baby & Me yoga, infant massage and CPR, Sign with Me, and others. The Center also offers massage therapy, with a special table for pregnant women and therapists that specialize in massages for new moms and moms-to-be.

The Center's Healthy Moms Initiative - available free to women in need of financial assistance - includes massage, acupuncture, counseling, yoga, birth classes, and infant classes.

MWC also operates a retail store that stocks socially- and environmentally-conscious products, as well as items handmade by local moms. Its inventory includes organic cotton baby bedding, blankets, bibs, clothing, gifts, books, and numerous other pregnancy, nursing, and baby products. There's also a nice space in the Center to just sit and hang out with your kids - even if there's no formal activity scheduled.

All proceeds generated from MWC's services and retail sales are put backproducts into funding its programs.

Metropolitan Moms leads stroller-friendly outings for urban moms and their young children, including museum tours, culinary adventures, neighborhood historical walks, and gallery and artist studio visits. Each class is led by an expert; classes are kept small, and mother's helpers are on hand to assist participants.

Classes are available for various age groups, including moms with babies from birth to age one, toddlers, and preschoolers. "Moms only" classes, outings for baby boomers, and evening events for couples are also offered.

Mocha Moms, Inc. is a national parenting support group for African-American women who have chosen not to work full-time outside of the home.

The group is involved in community service projects and holds moms' nights out and kids' socials. Members also help new moms with cooking, housework, and/or childcare.

Mocha Moms has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show and in major magazines and newspapers, and for good reason - this is a fabulous organization.

There are three chapters in the metro area:

Philadelphia

Montgomery County

Lehigh Valley


Mocha Moms holds support group meetings the second and fourth Thursday of each month.

An accessory that keeps us organized? We're so there.

The ingenuis momAgenda was created by a busy mom (is there any other kind?) who was frazzled by keeping track of her own schedule, along with her four children's appointments, lessons, playdates, and parties. Her solution is a refined day planner that provides a way to track multiple schedules with week-at-a-view spreads with rows for each child and mom, monthly views, and places for notes, dinner ideas, and other necessities. The colors range from all-business chocolate and black to vibrant lime or fuschia.

Take it everywhere, or check out the kitchen folio version for "command central".

Mommies Dish - part speaker series, part playgroup, and part parent support group - hosts events for moms and young children in the Main Line and Center City areas.

Mommies Dish events provide guests with the opportunity to make new friends, get tips from experts, bond with their babies, and check out new kid-related products - all at once!

MOMS Club (Moms Offering Moms Support) is a support group for modern mothers-at-home. It is an international, non-profit organization with over 1,500 chapters in seven countries, representing more than 75,000 members.

Local chapters have monthly meetings that feature with speakers and discussions, park playdates, holiday parties, outings for mothers and their children. In addition, there are activity groups such as playgroups, arts and crafts, a monthly Moms Night Out, and babysitting coops. Members can also participate in an annual service project to help needy citizens in the community.

MOMS Club activities are during the day, when mothers-at-home need support, and mothers are encouraged to bring their children to the activities!

MOMS Club (Moms Offering Moms Support) is a support group for modern mothers-at-home. It is an international, non-profit organization with over 1,500 chapters in seven countries, representing more than 75,000 members.

Local chapters have monthly meetings that feature with speakers and discussions, park playdates, holiday parties, outings for mothers and their children. In addition, there are activity groups such as playgroups, arts and crafts, a monthly Moms Night Out, and babysitting coops. Members can also participate in an annual service project to help needy citizens in the community.

MOMS Club activities are during the day, when mothers-at-home need support, and mothers are encouraged to bring their children to the activities!

MOMS Club (Moms Offering Moms Support) is a support group for modern mothers-at-home. It is an international, non-profit organization with over 1,500 chapters in seven countries, representing more than 75,000 members.

Local chapters have monthly meetings that feature with speakers and discussions, park playdates, holiday parties, outings for mothers and their children. In addition, there are activity groups such as playgroups, arts and crafts, a monthly Moms Night Out, and babysitting coops. Members can also participate in an annual service project to help needy citizens in the community.

MOMS Club activities are during the day, when mothers-at-home need support, and mothers are encouraged to bring their children to the activities!

MOMS Club (Moms Offering Moms Support) is a support group for modern mothers-at-home. It is an international, non-profit organization with over 1,500 chapters in seven countries, representing more than 75,000 members.

Local chapters have monthly meetings that feature with speakers and discussions, park playdates, holiday parties, outings for mothers and their children. In addition, there are activity groups such as playgroups, arts and crafts, a monthly Moms Night Out, and babysitting coops. Members can also participate in an annual service project to help needy citizens in the community.

MOMS Club activities are during the day, when mothers-at-home need support, and mothers are encouraged to bring their children to the activities!

MOMS Club (Moms Offering Moms Support) is a support group for modern mothers-at-home. It is an international, non-profit organization with over 1,500 chapters in seven countries, representing more than 75,000 members.

Local chapters have monthly meetings that feature with speakers and discussions, park playdates, holiday parties, outings for mothers and their children. In addition, there are activity groups such as playgroups, arts and crafts, a monthly Moms Night Out, and babysitting coops. Members can also participate in an annual service project to help needy citizens in the community.

MOMS Club activities are during the day, when mothers-at-home need support, and mothers are encouraged to bring their children to the activities!

Mothers of Preschoolers is an international organization established to meet the needs of moms - urban, suburban, and rural moms, stay-at-home and working moms, teen, single, and married moms - with an emphasis on those with preschoolers.

MOPS is similiar to MOMS Club, but with a Christian influence. Most local meetings take place in area churches.

MOPS helps moms through relationships established in the context of local groups that provide a caring atmosphere for today's mother of young children. Little ones are typically welcome at local events, or babysitting is often provided.

Affiliation with MOPS is generally done via a local group. Find a local chapter by visiting the national website.

Mothers & More is a non-profit international organization that provides support to moms who have altered their career paths to be with their children. The organization currently has chapters in Philadelphia, its surrounding counties, and New Jersey.

The focus of the club is to provide opportunities for moms to meet, support, and advocate for each other through the transitions that affect their family, work, and life. While the national organization publishes a bi-monthly newsletter, the real activity takes place at the chapter level with playgroups, book clubs, Mom's Nights Out, and monthly general meetings that provide a chance to socialize and listen to guest speakers on parenting and work-life balance topics.

Visit the website to find the chapter closest to you and to find out when the chapter's monthly meeting takes place. Non-members are always welcome to come check out the group.

The primary mission on Moxie Moms is to help moms and expecting moms succeed in their pursuit of a community of moms for friends, fun and fitness.

Members host events like playgroups, hikes, walks, and Mom's Night Out. Moxie Moms has also partnered with local businesses to offer member discounts of 15% or more.

Moxie Moms currently has chapters throughout the Philadelphia, its surrounding counties and Southern New Jersey.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers a Child Safety Seat Inspection Station Locator on its website. Searches can be done by zip code or by state, and can be filtered to include only stations with Spanish-speaking technicians.

The Neighborhood Parenting Program of By My Side is a non-profit organization that offers low-cost playgroups and other activities for children (ages five and under) and their caregivers.

The loosely structured playgroups, led by trained play specialists, include free play, circle time, organized activities, and a snack. Sessions are held three times a week at Summerfiled Church, 2223 East Dauphin Street in Philadelphia.

Otherhood, LLC is a social event company in Southern New Jersey that hosts parenting seminars, luncheons for new and expectant moms, special activities for the whole family and mom's night out events.

Otherhood aims to provide a supportive forum where mothers can meet and mingle, hear expert speakers, and discuss topics that are relevant to both motherhood and "otherhood," a state that goes beyond just being a mother.

Parents Without Partners (PWP) is an international, nonprofit organization that provides support to single parents and their children.

Membership fees vary by chapter but are generally $20-$40. Benefits include recreational activities for the single parent and his/her family, local networking opportunities, workshops, educational programs, discounts, and much more.

PWP has more than 200 chapters in the US and Canada, including 10 in Pennsylvania. Visit the Parents Without Partners website for a complete list of Philadelphia area chapters.

There are more than 245 Ronald McDonald Houses in 26 countries, offering support and practical assistance to families with very sick children. It's a safe bet that your local chapter can always use volunteers.

Philly Fun 4 Black Families hosts family-friendly events for African-American parents/guardians with children ages six and up. The group is designed for those that want to explore the sites and attractions of Philadelphia (and other cities) with their children.

Activities include bowling, films, and theater outings, as well as travel, trips to museums, restaurants, sporting events, and more. All events require advance registration.

Premier Baby Concierge is a baby planning and concierge service that help parents prepare for baby and adjust once baby has arrived. Staff is on hand to assist with registries, nursery design, baby proofing, child birth preparation, nanny/child care searches, medical provider searches, mom and baby classes, and more.

Premier Baby Concierge can provide as much or as little help as needed so that parents can sit back and simply enjoy expecting.

The Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia, housed in East Fairmount Park's Rockland Mansion, is a non-profit organization that promotes the study and practice of psychoanalysis.

The organization's Parent-Child Center provides parents with information and support to assist in raising children in an increasingly complex world, including educational playgroups designed to help parents learn more about their children's development. Groups are available for parents of new babies, infants, and toddlers; dads are especially welcome. Sessions are held at the Rockland Mansion, Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse, and several suburban locations. Details and registration are available by calling 215.763.7353 or 215.782.1250.