The Parent Chat with Dylan Dreyer

TODAY

You know her as TODAY’s candid third hour host. But Dylan Dreyer is also a mom of 3 boys, trying to figure out the big stuff: how to raise kind, confident, resilient kids and keep her sanity along the way. And like every parent, sometimes she needs…HELP! On The Parent Chat, Dylan calls in reinforcements -- from parenting experts with big advice to fellow working moms that can help all parents feel less alone. Because parenting doesn’t come with a manual…but it can come with a group chat.

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32 episodes
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Avg 26 min
English

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#30
Thursday · 24 min
“You Get What You Get and You Don’t Get Upset” Is My New Dinner Rule
Last week, we talked about what to feed our kids. This week, Dylan Dreyer gets into the how: getting food on the table when every night is packed, the kids have opinions and you’re already thinking about tomorrow’s lunch. Dylan reads your best tips from the comments and makes a Crock-Pot confession she can’t believe she’s sharing. Then she’s joined by Rachel Mansfield, cookbook author, mom of three boys and frequent TODAY guest. Rachel shares how she plans the week, packs lunches, handles snack
#29
October 29 · 29 min
The Magic Hour For Veggies (And Why Dessert Bribes Backfire)
Pork tenderloin is on the menu, and nobody’s happy about it. On this episode of “The Parent Chat,” Dylan Dreyer sits down with her boys to plan the week’s meals, and the “too much meat” protests start immediately. Most parents know the scene: kids who declare they hate dinner before taking a bite, a flood of snack requests the moment they walk through the door after school, and a dessert bribe that never fails. Dylan wants to know whether she’s getting any of it right. So she calls in Malina M
#28
October 22 · 29 min
Am I Ruining My Kids When I Yell?
It’s 5:49 p.m. The kids are bouncing off the walls, nobody wants what’s on their plate, someone’s crying (maybe you), and you can feel the fuse burning down. Then it happens: you yell. If that’s your house most nights, you’re in good company. On this episode of The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer takes on the end-of-day meltdown, the parent kind. Is it normal to lose it? Why does it always seem to happen at the same time of day? And is all that yelling actually hurting your kids? Joining her is psy
October 16 · 1 min
Keith Morrison reads Edgar Allan Poe Stories
As a bonus for The Parent Chat fans, we’re sharing the trailer for season 5 of Morrison Mysteries. Enter the shadowy world of Edgar Allan Poe, brought to life by the unmistakable voice of Dateline’s Keith Morrison. In Season 5 of Morrison Mysteries, experience the mystery and madness of Poe's haunting classics, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat and The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Just search “Morrison Mysteries” to follow now or click here: swap.fm/l/mmdfd
#27
October 15 · 29 min
When Grandparents Help Raise Your Kids: How Do You Make It Work?
When grandparents help raise your kids, how do you navigate the family dynamics and decide who makes the rules? On this episode of “The Parent Chat,” Dylan Dreyer opens up about having her mom, Linda, live with her and help care for her three boys. Then, in a rare on-camera appearance, Linda joins Dylan for an honest conversation about parenting styles, setting boundaries, family dinners and how their relationship has changed. Do you have grandparents or other family members helping you raise y
#26
October 8 · 31 min
Dylan Dreyer on Halloween Madness, Boo Bags and Embracing ‘Good Enough’
In this episode of The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer gets real about Halloween, from boo bags she didn't know existed until last year to costumes that change the week before (bacon is in, baseball is out). She opens up about the guilt of missing the school parade, the pressure to keep up, and why she's learned to lean in without going overboard. Plus content creator and Halloween superfan, Steffy Degreff, breaks down last minute costume saves, easy decorating ideas, and why "good enough" might be th
#25
October 1 · 31 min
Are Kids' Birthday Parties Out of Control?
In this episode of The Parent Chat, we’re talking kids’ birthday parties. Birthday season at Dylan Dreyer's house means a constantly morphing cake order (Ninjago is out, football is in), a calendar full of other kids' parties, and a lingering question: are kids' birthday parties just another arena for competitive parenting? Dylan gets honest about why she'd happily skip the big party, and what to do about "no gifts, please" invitations, gift-opening that's become a pile of bags, and a December b
#24
September 24 · 27 min
Inside Dylan Dreyer's House: Fall Sports, Softball Slumps & Parenting Advice
Fall means one thing for busy parents: sign-ups, schedules, and a whole lot of chaos. In this new season of The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer welcomes viewers into her home to talk about the reality of juggling three kids' fall sports - baseball, soccer, flag football, and everything in between. Dylan gets honest about her own hitting slump in an adult softball league (and the irony of her 9-year-old son coaching her the same way she coaches him), plus her go-to hacks for surviving the sidelines, fr
#18
August 27 · 28 min
Erin Andrews on IVF and the Long Road to Her Son Mack
In this episode of The Parent Chat, Erin Andrews sits down with Dylan Dreyer for a conversation as raw and real as it gets — from her long journey to motherhood through IVF and surrogacy to the messy, beautiful reality of raising a toddler while working one of the most demanding jobs in sports broadcasting. Erin opens up about mom guilt, the pressure to pretend you have it all together, and why she made a promise to herself to just be honest with people. Because as both women agree — putting tha
#20
August 20 · 28 min
Dylan Dreyer and The Office's Brian Baumgartner on Finding Your People as a Parent
On this week’s The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer sits down with her real-life friend — The Office star Brian Baumgartner — for a conversation about how hard it is to make friends as an adult, let alone find another family your whole family actually likes. They tell the full story of how they met, why their kids clicked instantly despite boys-vs-girls dinner table teasing, and what it actually takes to make family vacations work — including the ski trip where Brian's booming voice reduced Dylan’s son
#17
August 13 · 30 min
Raising Resilient Kids in a World That Makes Everything Too Easy
Dylan Dreyer sits down with TODAY Show colleague and chief consumer correspondent Vicky Nguyen — two working moms raising three kids who grew up in very different worlds but landed in the same place as parents. Vicky, who came to the US as a refugee from Vietnam at age two, opens up about the strict, authoritarian upbringing she's deliberately doing differently while also finding ways to bring a little of that grit back into her daughters' lives. They talk about keeping communication open with t
#16
August 6 · 28 min
Tig Notaro on Being the 'Not Favorite' Parent, Coming Out to Her Kids
Tig Notaro, comedian, writer, actress, and mom of twin nine-year-old boys, sits down with Dylan Dreyer to talk about the viral moment her sons discovered she was gay and the decision to cut back on touring so she could be more present at home. She opens up about being the "not favorite" parent for years, how her wife Stephanie quietly transformed the way she disciplines, and why she never read a parenting book before her boys arrived. Plus, the words her stepfather said to her that she's never f
#15
July 30 · 26 min
Dylan Dreyer & FitDadCEO: ‘Complaining is part of the joy of parenting’ (April 2026)
Dylan Dreyer sits down with Dave Ogleton — aka @FitDadCEO — the TikTok and Instagram dad who's turned the chaos of raising six kids into hilarious, relatable parenting content. Together, they get into the parent you swore you'd be before having kids versus the parent you actually are: the rules you said you'd never break, the battles you get stuck fighting even when you don't care who wins, and the dinner table struggles over your kids immediately rejecting whatever you put in front of them.
#14
July 23 · 32 min
Not Losing Yourself in Motherhood with Dylan Dreyer & Amanda Hirsch (April 2026)
Dylan Dreyer sits down with Amanda Hirsch — host of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast and mom of two boys — for a conversation about the fear nobody warned you about before becoming a mom. Not the diaper fear, the "what if I lose myself entirely and only care about snack schedules forever" fear. Amanda gets honest about how she nearly talked herself out of motherhood, the checklist she made before taking the leap, and what actually happened to her career once she had kids. Plus: parenting confe
#13
July 16 · 29 min
Ashley Graham: Raising Men Their Partners Will Thank Her For (April 2026)
In this episode of The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer sits down with model and entrepreneur Ashley Graham for an honest, hilarious conversation about what it's really like to raise three boys. Both boy moms get honest about the everyday chaos and the real work behind raising kind, emotionally intelligent men. From teaching manners and talking through big feelings, to modeling the behavior they want to see in the world, these two are thinking about the long game. Because at the end of the day, the goa
#23
July 9 · 31 min
Two Child Therapists on Common Parenting Dilemmas: Screens, Co-Parenting, Holidays and More
In this week’s episode of The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer shares how she first realized Calvin's nightly stomachaches weren't always physical, and what happened when she finally reached out to therapists Sissy Goff and David Thomas for help. The authors of Capable and co-hosts of Raising Boys and Girls break down the anxiety epidemic hitting kids earlier than ever: what the warning signs actually look like, why boys need to move before they can breathe through it, and how a calm down corner chang
#22
July 2 · 27 min
What Parenting Actually Looks Like When You're Both Influencers
What does modern parenting look like when both parents are living their lives online? In this week’s The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer sits down with Bachelor alum Nick Viall and his wife Natalie Joy — surgical tech turned influencer, hosts of The Viall Files and Netflix's Age of Attraction — as they navigate life as parents to two-year-old River and twins on the way. They get real about screen time when your job is the screen, why Nick thinks being a girl dad is actually easier than he expected, and what it means to hand kids a phone in a world their own parents had no roadmap for. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
#21
June 25 · 28 min
Advice for Anxious Parents: What to Say Instead of "Are You Okay?"
In this week’s The Parent Chat, clinical psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Wendy Mogel joins Dylan Dreyer to make the case that our instinct to protect, schedule, and smooth everything over for our kids is actually making them more fragile — and what to do instead. They get into the real stuff: why "teacup" kids break under the lightest pressure, how to tell if your child's fighting with siblings is normal or a problem, and why the working parent guilt about overscheduling is largely misp
June 23 · 52 sec
Making Space with Hoda Kotb! New Season, New Guests & Life-Changing Conversations
Ready to take a deep breath and find some inspiration? A brand-new season of Making Space with Hoda Kotb is officially here. Every Wednesday, Hoda sits down for open, soul stirring conversations with people who have walked through fire and come out stronger. This season, she’s diving into what it really means to pivot, heal, and find your purpose. Expect raw, real-life wisdom on navigating big transitions and the unexpected moments of grace that connect us all. Featuring incredible guests like
#19
June 18 · 28 min
Dylan Dreyer and The Office's Brian Baumgartner on Finding Your People as a Parent
On this week’s The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer sits down with her real-life friend — The Office star Brian Baumgartner — for a conversation about how hard it is to make friends as an adult, let alone find another family your whole family actually likes. They tell the full story of how they met, why their kids clicked instantly despite boys-vs-girls dinner table teasing, and what it actually takes to make family vacations work — including the ski trip where Brian's booming voice reduced Dylan’s so

Showing 1–20 of 32 episodes