Photo by Jennifer Tonetti-Spellman

As a successful and savvy businesswoman (not to mention, a mother of two), Tara Mandy understands the importance of planning ahead. In March 2009 when she founded StrollerTraffic—a website which provides expert advice and cool product picks for new and expectant parents—she intended to eventually include the families of preschool age children. In November 2011, with the site firmly established as a popular and dependable resource for parents, Mandy followed through and launched ScooterTraffic for parents of three- to five-year-olds.

But Mandy hasn't always been so focused on the parenting world. Although she loved her previous position as the Travel Editor of New York magazine, she didn't feel as though she could fully perform while taking care of a new baby. Switching gears, Mandy created StrollerTraffic to allow her the flexibility to care for her daughter Greta.

StrollerTraffic has achieved its popularity through content that is informative, smart and timely. In early December of last year, the site's Holiday Gift Guide offered fun suggestions for babies and toddlers, like an urbanite stamp set from DwellStudio, but warned readers that they were on their own for the rest of their gifting. "We focus our content on moms when they're in mom mode," Mandy explains.

And there are perks to running a successful website and being a parent, too. Mandy gets answers from top experts to any question or concern that piques her curiosity. And those questions lead to interesting posts on topics that other moms care about as well.

But that doesn't mean she's biased. Although Mandy's experience as a parent influences her work, she is careful to keep her own personal choices out of it. As Mandy puts it, "I am a big believer in "to each her own" when it comes to parenting styles. And I would never want to make anyone feel slighted or ridiculed by the content produced on our site."

When she was first thinking about how to handle content for the three- to five-year-old set, Mandy had considered simply making it another edition of StrollerTraffic, similar to the localized city editions that the brand offers. In the end, she decided to make a separate website and newsletter with an independent staff. Continuity between the two sites will be provided as some scouts shift over and bring their experience to ScooterTraffic, while some experts will write for both sites. There will also be new city editors to produce local editions for New York, Los Angeles and Dallas.

To most effectively serve their readership, each site reflects the needs of their respective audiences. StrollerTraffic parents tend to be "laser-focused" on the latest trends: the best strollers, safest car seats and the healthiest food. ScooterTraffic parents are more concerned with their child's developmental process: how to teach them to behave, succeed in school and make friends. Together, the two sites create quite the comprehensive guide to family matters.

Fans of StrollerTraffic will feel at home on the new ScooterTraffic homepage. The SCOOPDaily link remains prominent, though the article categories have changed to reflect the older age group. The condensed Style & Gear category reflects the decreased interest in the material among parents of preschool children. This makes room for the new categories Learning & Play and School & Camp, which represent the increased emphasis on activities and development. Other reorganizations have produced Parties & Meals and Gifts & Keepsakes. Health & Safety is the only category to be carried over intact from the original site, a clear sign of its continued importance.

While developing StrollerTraffic with the ever-changing needs of parents in mind, Mandy thought of using a recognition program that appealed to parenting brands and retail channels as a way to market her fledgling site to their respective audiences.

"We tested the waters early on with a few 'Best Of' round-ups, and saw the tremendous response and excitement from the brands that had made the lists," Mandy recalls. This led to her producing the first Cribsie Awards in collaboration with Elina Furman of A-List Mom at the beginning of 2011.

How it works is rather simple. Anyone can nominate a parenting product for an award. Then the list of nominees is winnowed down to about 350. "We select the finalists—based on a combination of innovation, design, utility, marketability and popularity as measured by the number of nominations," explains Mandy. Winners are chosen by the public and announced in April.

But always looking ahead, Mandy is aware of the importance of progress in her own endeavors as well.Even with the launch of the new ScooterTraffic website, she is determined to continuously improve the user experience. She admits, "If I could, I would rip apart the sites and completely redevelop them every six months."

From where we sit, they look pretty darn good.

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ScooterTraffic Founder Tara Mandy's Top 3 Picks For Preschoolers

Early Rider Revolution Balance Bike by Tyke Rider



$200, tykerider.com

Kanken Mini Daypack by Fjallraven





$45, fjallraven.us

Pink Dump Truck by Green Toys





$27.99, greentoys.com