The Best of Explore + Grow: Travel Agents and Experts for New and Expecting Main Line Parents | 2023 LOVE Award Winners and Family Favorites
Plan a trip around the world or for a weekend getaway and find resources for new and expecting parents around the Main Line with these local businesses our Community LOVES.
Read some great endorsements from local parents in our Main Line Parent Community about who they love and then pop over to our Main Line Parent Best for Families Guide to find more neighborhood gems!
LOVE Awards Celebration and Luncheon photos by AMC Photography.
Explore: Travel
2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST BOUTIQUE TRAVEL ADVISOR
Whirl Away Travel
“We used Jamie Jones at Whirlaway Travel in West Chester to help plan our trip to Italy last summer. She was fantastic to work with, and found us some really amazing private tours that we all loved. Everything was super easy and pretty stress free considering it was a huge trip and our first time really traveling since before Covid. PM me with any questions.”
– Nicole S.
2023 FAMILY FAVORITE BOUTIQUE TRAVEL ADVISOR
Alicia’s World Of Travel
“Alicia made everything so easy. She was so accommodating and helpful throughout the whole process. Anytime we had a question about the trip, Alicia responded quickly by email. We are so grateful for all her help and making sure that we only had the best time on our trip in Punta Cana.”
– Alec S.
2023 FAMILY FAVORITE BOUTIQUE TRAVEL ADVISOR
Tropical Travelers
2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST TRAVEL ADVISOR FOR DISNEY, CRUISING, AND OTHER GETAWAYS
Modern Family Travel
“I love, love, love the customer service at Modern Family Travel LLC. They are aways available, do the best job at planning custom trips, and even sent us some extras to make travel easier.”
– Kelsey F.
2023 FAMILY FAVORITE TRAVEL ADVISOR FOR DISNEY, CRUISING, AND OTHER GETAWAYS
Alicia’s World Of Travel
2023 FAMILY FAVORITE TRAVEL ADVISOR FOR DISNEY, CRUISING, AND OTHER GETAWAYS
Cassandra Doyle Must Love Travel
“Cassandra goes above and beyond to provide the best information, choices and details. She responds quickly and has a wealth of knowledge!”
Allison D.
2023 FAMILY FAVORITE TRAVEL ADVISOR FOR DISNEY, CRUISING, AND OTHER GETAWAYS
Keys to the Castle Travel, LLC
2023 FAMILY FAVORITE TRAVEL ADVISOR FOR DISNEY, CRUISING, AND OTHER GETAWAYS
2 Dis Chicks
Grow (Resources for New and Expecting Parents)
2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST BABY PROOFING
Safer Babies
“We had a great experience working with Safer Babies for our babyproofing needs. Joe was very thorough in his in-home assessment and recommendations. He took the time to listen to our concerns and worked with us to come up with personalized solutions for our home. Joe was also able to point out other potential hazards and solutions in a no pressure manner. It gave us piece of mind to work with a professional who truly is passionate and knowledgeable about child safety. Joe was very accommodating and efficient on day of install and the products he uses are high quality and discrete. We are so happy with the service and products from Safer Babies and would highly recommend them for babyproofing needs.”
– Caitlin H.
2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST DOULA
King of Prussia Doulas, LLC
“Lacey and the KOPD team were life savers for my husband and me when we welcomed our second child. Having two kinds under two was daunting, but having the KOPD team as our nighttime doula for several weeks was integral to our survival. Us being well rested knowing our baby daughter was in great hands during the night meant we got to have more energy to care for her and our older son during the day. Our situation was very unique – our children are adopted and our daughter arrived very unexpectedly so we were not at all ready – emotionally or physically for a second child at that instance. When we found out our daughter was born and placed with us, I on a whim called KOPD, Lacey answered, and she was amazing to work with. Not only was she communicative, responsive, and organized, but she set us up with the perfect doulas to fit our unique circumstance.”
– Ross R.
2023 FAMILY FAVORITE DOULA
Jess Baumgardner
2023 FAMILY FAVORITE DOULA
Liberty Doulas
2023 FAMILY FAVORITE DOULA
Northern Star Doula
“Nicole was an AMAZING doula! She gave me the confidence and support I needed for an amazing birth experience. It was so helpful to bounce ideas off of her throughout my pregnancy about everything from providers to birth plans and she was super knowledgeable about all things related to birth. When my water broke, she was the first person I called to get advice. During the birth, she was just a very calming presence and I appreciated her low-key demeanor. After the birth, her role became critical as I had some complications. I was so grateful to have her support as the doctors, midwives, and nurses were in and out of the room. Her constant unwavering presence during that time was critical in keeping me calm and helping me to recover from the birth. She literally held my hand while my husband held our son in the first hours of his life and I am forever grateful for that. She was even sweet enough to go get me a Wawa hoagie (my pregnancy craving) to have as my first meal after giving birth. Most importantly, I always felt that she had my best interest at heart. This was exactly the support I needed to have the confidence and strength to achieve my VBAC. Northern Star Doula is the perfect name because Nicole was truly a guiding light throughout my pregnancy and birth. I would highly recommend her services!”
– Justine I.
2023 FAMILY FAVORITE DOULA
Thamar Prussien
2023 FAMILY FAVORITE DOULA
Well Born Baby
2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST INFANT SWIM LESSONS
Emily Morrison
“Emily taught my son how to swim and float and save himself in the water if ever needed. Incredible life skills provided all while making it an enjoyable experience and giving him so much confidence! My son wouldn’t even get his hair washed without a tantrum before and now he doesn’t want to leave the water! I’m genuinely so grateful for Emily!”
– Pattie G.
2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST PARENTING EDUCATION
Main Line Family Education
“I took an online course called Starting Solids & Cups through Main Line Family Education back in the spring. The instructor was Cara Fox and she was extremely knowledgeable and helpful about this topic. MLFEd made it so easy to sign up to learn about a new skill I had been putting off because I was nervous about transitioning to the next step in the feeding process.”
– Stephanie L.
2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST SLEEP CONSULTANT
Happily Ever After Sleep Consultant
“After having a really difficult, sleepless experience with our first daughter, who, thanks to Katie, has been a sleep champion from 5 months old to today at 2 years old, we knew that we had to work with her again but this time starting from day one with our second baby. Because of our early work with Katie, the newborn/infant experience has been night and day compared to our first go-around; no rocking to sleep or countless hours in her nursery, and less stressful, exhausting days. It gives us peace of mind knowing that we have a safe and comfortable plan in which Katie custom made for us to follow to instill independent sleep skills from the get-go with my child – a skill that is so crucial to have not only as a child, but throughout life.
The plan that Katie provided helped our baby girl quickly learn how to fall asleep independently, enabling her to sleep through the night at 9 weeks old with only one regression when transitioning out of the swaddle, which Katie walked us through. She independently falls asleep for all naps and bedtime and sleeps 11-12 hours at night, easily putting herself back to sleep when waking. Thank goodness for all of that; rocking to sleep all day and night is not an option with a toddler running around the house too.
I’ve been so grateful to have Katie as a constant resource for the past two years to help me navigate my children’s sleep journeys. To have Katie in my corner to bounce questions and concerns off is invaluable. Baby and toddler sleep can get confusing and so frustrating with ever-evolving transitions, regressions, illnesses, etc, so I love how I can document exactly what happened each day in regard to my child’s sleep through an app that Katie has access to and read her comments directly. Katie’s response time is insanely quick, which as a mom you appreciate greatly because sometimes you need answers and a game-plan, fast! I highly recommend working with Katie from day one – it’s the best investment I’ve spent as a parent – her support will change your family’s life.”
– Paige T.
2023 FAMILY FAVORITE SLEEP CONSULTANT
Confident Parenting
“Erica will always get recommended by me. With her guidance I was able to get my twins sleep through the night. They are 5 now and are still excellent sleepers. We started at 4 months old and never looked back.”
– Andrea S.
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