Best Free Parenting Classes Online | Free & Paid

Raising children can be a difficult task. There are many things to consider, from the sleepless newborn nights and treacherous toddler days to school age and the dreaded tween and teenage years. That is why you must sign up for these parenting classes online to access guidance, help, tips, tricks, and support.

In-person parenting courses offer plenty of support and community by connecting you with parents and counselors who can help you overcome the most challenging stages you will go through in parenting.

However, finding or attending parenting classes in person is not always possible. So while online parenting classes may not be a perfect substitute for one-on-one, interactive parenting support programs, they can help fill the void when face-to-face support is unavailable.

Parenting classes online are a great way to get advice at specific times from the comfort of your home. In this writing, we will be offering you some of the parenting classes online that you work through by yourself.

What Are Online Parenting Classes?

Parenting classes online cover all of the basics you need to know about raising your child. There are different online parenting classes on different topics.

You can take a class that teaches you the basics of raising a newborn or one that will teach you the specific skills you need to deal with stressful situations as a parent. There are even courses available to teach you how to create and maintain a positive relationship with your child.

Parent courses aren’t just for inexperienced parents. Many courses are aimed at parents of tweens and teenagers. There are even co-parenting courses specifically tailored to meet the needs of divorced, separated, or unmarried couples.

Parenting classes online contain the same information as in-person parenting courses, only in a more flexible environment. Instead of hiking to a physical location, you can access materials and engage in activities from the comfort of your home, often on your own schedule.

Courses can offer live classes, pre-recorded courses, or a combination of both, but when and how you access them is your decision.

In addition, some programs include interactive components and digital support, such as Facebook live videos, exclusive online communities, and chat groups for members only or face-to-face sessions with the teacher.

More parents are choosing to take online parenting classes instead of taking live classes in person. Parenting classes online contain the same information as regular parenting courses. Still, they give you, the parent, and more flexibility in when to take the courses, do the activities, or watch the videos.

Studying on your schedule is a huge asset in today’s busy world and one of the main reasons online parenting classes are becoming increasingly popular.

There are some wonderful parenting classes online that you can take from the comfort of your home, and they cater to many different parenting situations and styles.

What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Parenting Classes Online?

The online education course gives you more flexibility as you can watch videos and access materials on your schedule without traveling to a course at a specific time.

However, not having a set day and time to teach class may not work for you if you have trouble blaming yourself. Also, home distractions can hinder some parents’ focus on these online courses.

And while some parenting classes online provide face-to-face support through video calls, chat, or email, others may not be suitable for parents who prefer face-to-face communication and interaction.

Parenting online classes tend to be cheaper than face-to-face courses offering the same type of resources and instruction. They’re an excellent option for busy parents whose schedules and budgets may not allow private coaching, counseling, or in-person classes.

How Much Do Parenting Classes Online Cost?

The cost of parenting classes online will vary based on quality, amount of resources and teaching, level of interactivity and personal support, and length of the program.

Some courses with restricted access to videos and materials are completely free. Other, more comprehensive programs that include personal coaching can cost up to $350 or more. However, rates generally fall in the $80 to $150 range.

Why Should You Take Online Parenting Classes?

Parent classes are great for building confidence in new parents and helping them better prepare for their baby’s birth. There are some specific skills that you need as a parent to deal with stressful situations or to know how to raise your child positively. Online courses can help you with this.

Other parenting courses are for older children, divorced parents, co-parenting situations, and only for mothers and fathers.

Taking these courses online means you can do them on your schedule without having to worry about specific classes and everything else that comes with them.

Taking an online course gives you the freedom to move at your own pace and digest the information from the comfort of your home! They can even help you discover your parenting style and change it if you think it isn’t for you.

What Are Parenting Classes Online?

The online parenting classes are excellent for parents to attend and cater to different needs and situations. Which one you attend online depends on what you want to get out of a parenting course, but this one allows you to do it from home.

Let’s explore them extensively;

Megan Leahy Parent Coach

In addition to being a certified parenting trainer, Meghan Leahy is a parenting columnist for the national newspaper and often seeks to help parents get out of difficult situations with their children.

In her online course From Conflict to Cooperation: Understanding and Preventing Power Struggles with your Children, Leahy shows parents how they can deal with difficult situations themselves.

Through a set of four modules, she guides parents through the essentials of power struggles, discipline, family get-togethers, and forging connections with their children.

Notably, she also takes a whole family approach to her classes, inviting parents to think as much about what they need as their children (because happy parents make happy children).

What sets Leahy’s course apart from many others, however, is the convenience, accessibility, and support that is built right in. After registration, the course starts immediately and can be edited according to your own wishes.

Spouse, partner, or caregiver can join, you have permanent access to the materials, and a variety of learning resources are available (like Facebook Live videos and homework).

You can also join a closed Facebook group to ask questions, share tips, and find support from other parents who have attended the course.

You can pay the total course price for around $289 or choose a payment plan to save. Leahy also offers one-on-one coaching with parents for about $180 per session.

Peace at Home Parenting Solutions

Are you looking for the answer to a specific parenting question? One of Peace at Home’s free online courses may help.

There are two formats to choose from: live parenting fundamentals classes and recorded classes that pack practical tips into short, manageable sessions that can be started and ended in one session.

Both class formats have advantages. With a live class, you can ask questions, get a response from the moderator, and access the recording later if you missed something or want to hear it again.

On the flip side, recorded courses can be played back anytime (and have all the playback options you need knowing your kids will likely be interrupting you).

On the list of topics are things like parent wellbeing, routines and chores, sleep coaching for your kids, and stress management, all presented by the Peace at Homes team of licensed psychiatrists, educators, social workers, and psychologists.

This may not be the most comprehensive course out there, but you can get reliable advice from seasoned parenting experts that are literally free to you. And since classes don’t consume much of your precious free time, it’s really a win-win situation.

Active Parenting

It’s hard enough figuring out this whole parenting thing when you have a life partner, but the job gets more challenging for parents divorcing or separating. You may have competing interests, parenting styles, and priorities.

There are opportunities for divorced and separated parents to become parents peacefully together, although doing so requires work, willingness, and compromise.

At Active Parenting, Dr. Michael Popkin has developed a series of online courses to help parents through various ages and stages of their child’s life, including in the case of divorce.

This course, titled Crossroads of Parenting and Divorce, breaks down everyday parenting into five strategies necessary to build a healthy relationship with your parenting partner while supporting your child and prioritizing their needs.

The course is cheaper compared to others at around $80, but this price has some limitations: after enrolling, you must complete all hours of the system (it takes four to six hours to work through the materials) within three weeks.

The Unfrazzled Mom by Messy Motherhood

Do you feel like all of your mommy friends are having it together and you’re just a hot mess? Parenting is stressful, confusing, and stressful, and unless you are a super-organized Type A personality, it can have several effects on your executive functions.

Amanda Rueter, a child psychotherapist and the creator of Messy Motherhood, knows precisely how you feel. Getting overwhelmed by the daily demands of parenting – the clutter, the to-do lists, and the guilt – is understandable.

Fortunately, says Rueter, it doesn’t have to be that way. Their online course promises to help you rediscover the joy and positivity of parenting by finding balance, peace, and time out in your daily life.

This course stands out because it focuses on real, hands-on tips to organize your to-do list and reduce fights with your kids. At the same time, it helps you organize your mental health and brings a sense of much-needed confidence and calm to your parenting tactics.

Even the most exhausted, disorganized, and stressed-out mothers will get clearer after this course (about $99), which includes three short modules, live calling, and a 30-day membership in the site’s community, The Messy Motherhood think village.

Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids by Aha! Parenting

At its core, parenting is a relationship. It doesn’t matter that you’re an adult and your “partner” is a tiny, irrational toddler who likes to wear his underwear on – it’s still a relationship and that takes work.

Dr. Laura Markham is designed to help you grow in your approach to parenting by emphasizing the common aspects of all relationships: communication, trust, respect, and deep connection.

The 12-week course takes a comprehensive approach to developing healthy family bonds, including practicing emotional regulation (for you and your children), finding routines, teaching resilience and discipline, promoting strong sibling bonds, and understanding your Anger trigger.

From a logistical point of view, there is a good package here: For about $154, you get weekly audio lessons, short meditations, practical exercises and sessions, permanent access to an online support group of parents, and a copy of Markham’s famous book “Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids “(on which the online course is based).

If you think your own stress is the biggest challenge you face in your efforts to have a happier, more peaceful life at home, this may be the best solution for you.

The Science of Parenting

The Science of Parenting is a free course offered by the University of California San Diego that focuses on breaking down the facts, research, and statistics behind these parenting recommendations.

As parents have become wiser over the years, they have paid a heavy price for it: There are more opinions, rumors, false “truths” and judgments about individual parenting styles than ever before. This is where this course shines.

The five-week curriculum covers a number of important, often controversial topics – breastfeeding, vaccination, and homeschooling come to mind – but each looks through the lens of scientific research, studies, and best practice.

You will also learn how to apply your newfound knowledge of analytics and correlation to topics not covered in the course (so that you can remain an educational genius even after the course is over).

Positive Parenting Solutions

Children often feel powerless, so it only makes sense that sometimes they push back in unexpected ways. But these struggles can derail the peace in your home (not to mention your sanity).

If you find that your everyday life is marked by power struggles with your child, Positive Parenting Solutions’ seven-step course goes from the ground up.

The course begins with lessons on child psychology and misbehavior, goes through routines, consequences, and counter-talks, and ends with a plan to increase harmony in your family.

It promises not only to help you in your current struggles with your children but also to equip you for continued success in the future.

The other benefit of this program is that the lessons are customizable within your price range: it costs around $350 for the maximum amount of resources but can be reduced to less than $225 for a smaller budget.

Tinyhood: Baby 101: The Parenting Prerequisite

If you’re looking for a crash course for new parents, Tinyhood is the place for you.

Developed by seasoned parents and certified experts, Tinyhood has a nine-tier Baby 101 series that covers essential information, including coursework on breastfeeding, sleep, safety, and newborn care.

Parenting Code: Talking to Toddlers

Toddlers can be challenging. They are strong-willed, stubborn and only learn the concepts of yes and no, right and wrong. They also test limits. After all, that’s how they know.

All of this can be frustrating, but help is available. Talking to toddlers will help you learn why your child is acting the way they do, how to talk to a toddler properly, the emotional bridge you need to overcome with your little one, and the triggers that could be causing their tantrums.

Priceless Parenting: Online Parenting Class

If you want to feel prepared to help your child through their “middle ages,” consider this offering from Priceless Parenting. With 11 own-pace lessons, virtual coaching sessions, and 3 months of unlimited access and support, this course can help you master the unique struggles of parenting.

American Red Cross: Child and Baby First Aid/CPR/AED

For $35, parents and caregivers can take an online first aid course for children with the American Red Cross.

Note: While this course will prepare you to identify and manage a wide variety of first aid, respiratory, and cardiac emergencies in babies and children, it does not meet OSHA standards for certification.

LifeMatters: Stressless Single Parenting Online Class

Are you single? Widowed? Divorced? Isn’t your child’s other parent in the picture? If so, you might be interested in taking the Stressless Single Parenting course online, as this program can help you manage the stressors and responsibilities of raising a child alone.

Generation Mindful: Online Positive Parenting Course

This course will provide practical, empowering tools to aid you in the positive discipline in your home. With this method, you will avoid screaming, shame, and finger-pointing and instead develop a deeper understanding of yourself, your trigger, and how to cope with these children.

Once you’ve mastered this through the course, you will be able to set and maintain consistent, firm, and respectful boundaries with your children. End the power struggles with your children and help them get on better with you and their siblings as a team, thereby creating a healthier environment at home.

Positive Parenting Solutions: Get Kids to Listen the Right Way

Finding a healthy work-life balance can be challenging but especially difficult when you have children. After all, both roles require your full attention – albeit in different ways.

Amy McCready, mom, former manager of Fortune 500 companies and founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, can help. With workshops and webinars, McCready offers tips to help you become a better person, employee, and parent.

While this course has received much recognition, there is one downside. Positive Parenting Solutions starts its training with a free webinar, but to sign up for the entire system, you must pay more than some of the other options on this list.

Mindvalley: Dr. Shefali Tsabary’s Conscious Parenting Mastery Program

The Conscious Parenting Mastery program takes you on a 35-day journey with Dr. Shefali herself for only 20-30 minutes a day.

It discusses the myths and illusions of the traditional parenting model while providing the tools you need to cultivate a deep, meaningful connection with your child.

The program teaches practical ways to manage conflict, be authentic with yourself and your child, learn new parental skills, have a positive impact, support your child’s learning and growth, improve emotional intelligence, connections, and communication to improve and gain a more profound sense of self.

Whether you’re raising a toddler, teenager, young adult, or expecting or trying to have a child, this program will help you and your child experience emotional and spiritual awakenings that will last a lifetime.

Fathercraft: Preparing Yourself for Parenthood

Down-to-earth fathers, John and Paul, provide an insight into upcoming parenthood and a guide for all parents – male and female – in the months before and after first parenthood.

Conclusion

Having a child can be daunting; raising the child through the various ages and stages of life can be one of the challenging yet rewarding experiences. You can go through these stages from your comfort by enrolling in these parenting classes online, which cover everything from childbirth to postpartum health to help new parents feel a little better prepared.

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