Celebrity Moms and Dads Share Their Favorite Ways to Make Their Kids Feel Loved

Lauren Akins

"One of our favorite things to do together is bake! It can get a little messy, but leads perfectly into some of our other favorite things to do which are taking baths, singing along (loudly) to Disney Hits on Spotify and dancing in our pjs! Food, music and dancing: the way to my family’s heart!"

Lauren Akins and her husband Thomas Rhett are parents to daughters Willa Gray, 3, and Ada James, 17 months. Lauren is raising money and awareness for the Love One foundation, most recently raising more than $300,000 for her birthday to support its mission of supporting children in Uganda, Willa’s birth country.

Hilaria Baldwin

"Our family goes on adventures over the weekend. And during the week, We write notes to Carmen and send them to her teacher when she misses us at school. She's in kindergarten, so the days are long. It's tough on a 5-year-old! This is a way to stay connected through the day if she's having a hard time."

Hilaria Baldwin and her husband Alec Baldwin are parents to Romeo, 9 months, Leo, 2, Rafael, 3, and Carmen, 5. She is a fitness expert and author of The Living Clearly Method: 5 Principles for a Fit Body, Healthy Mind & Joyful Life.

TIa Mowry-Hardrict

"I think it's important to not only verbally tell your kids you love them, but to also show through action. For me, it's all about hugs and kisses! Every night before bed, every time I leave the house, I must give them hugs and kisses."

Tia Mowry-Hardrict and husband Cory Hardrict are parents to son Cree, 7, and daughter Cairo, 8 months. She is an actress whose next project is Netflix’s Family Reunion. Her YouTube channel is Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix.

Mario Lopez

"Our kids love Valentine’s Day. They always know that they’ll get a special treat in their lunch boxes that they wouldn’t get on a daily basis (Hershey Kisses or something that signifies Valentine's Day). We also have a date at a place of their choice to celebrate. They are our love bugs and they know it!!!"

Mario Lopez and his wife Courtney Mazza Lopez are parents to Gia, 8, and Dominic, 5. He is the host of Extra and this year won the title of Father of the Year from the National Father’s Day Council.

Christy Carlson Romano

"My husband and I love spoiling Isabella! We literally take turns buying her whatever she wants when we are out. We’ve gotten to the point where we have capped off our toy intake from friends and family! The good news is that now we have plenty to share for our new baby!"

Christy Carlson Romano and her husband Brendan Rooney are parents to daughter Isabella, 2, and are expecting their second in February. She is an actress and will be seen in the upcoming Kim Possible movie. She blogs at ChristyCarlsonRomano.com and you can follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Justin Baldoni

“The last few months I've been struggling a lot with how fast my kids are growing up and how little time I've been able to spend with them. So any moment where I can be fully present is quite literally the greatest present. Maiya and I have a little bedtime ritual where she repeats after me the beautiful and strong traits and virtues that she has. While Maxwell, who is only 15 months old, just wants to play and climb all over his daddy. So anytime I can put my phone away, throw him around, and get him to belly laugh fills my soul and hopefully makes them feel loved.”

Justin Baldoni and his wife Emily are parents to 3-year-old Maiya and 15-month-old Maxwell. He currently stars on Jane the Virgin.

Gail Simmons

"We show extra love to our kids by making fun crafts that ensure even when we can’t be with them that they know they are in or hearts, and vice versa.

My daughter Dahlia and I make silly, sweet necklaces that we wear when we can’t be together (when she’s at school or I have to travel for work), using heart shaped beads and buttons, as well as painted macaroni noodles. Once we found a few printed pictures of us and cut them out in the shape of hearts, punched a little hole in the top of the pic and threaded yarn through it so she could wear a little picture of us around her neck to school. It was our own homemade locket!

(Related: Here’s a pic of what Dahlia - with my husband Jeremy’s help- made me last Valentine’s Day as my 'breakfast in bed': Heart toast with jam and sprinkles, and an amazing homemade Valentine’s Day card. It was perfect!)"

Gail Simmons and her husband Jeremy Abrahms are parent to daughter Dahlia, 5, and son Kole, 8 months. She is a Top Chef judge and author of the cookbook Bringing it Home.

Eva Amurri Martino

"We like to take our kids on little mini dates for Valentine's Day, and we give them a special gift when we are out with them. I think this year I'm going to do a special lunch with Major just the two of us (He likes to go out for quesadillas!) and Kyle will take Marlowe to ice cream. The gift isn't anything crazy (We got them V-day themed Pez dispensers and stickers this year) but that one-on-one time is something that makes them feel really special!"

Eva Amurri Martino and her husband Kyle Martino are parents to Marlowe, 4, and Major, 2. She is an actress and writer who blogs at Happily Eva After, and has desgined a capsule collection for Masala Baby, which her children are modeling here!

Lais Ribeiro

"Before school, I always make sure to kiss him and tell him how amazing he is. When he has presentations and important things to do, I leave him little notes of encouragement. At night, we say a prayer that my grandmother taught us in Portuguese. It’s so cute and special because I love that he still remembers that special time with her back in Brazil.”

Lais Ribeiro is mom to Alexandre, 10. She is a model and Victoria’s Secret Angel.

Ashley Williams Dodson

"This Valentine’s Day Neal and I will be going out together!

My husband and I recently realized that our relationship was greatly informed by the relationships of our parents. It’s rare, but neither of us come from a family of divorce— I don’t even remember my parents fighting with each other. In fact, quite the opposite. My parents flirted with each other, hugged all the time and my dad constantly cheer-leaded my mother. It was inspiring and I credit their display with my healthy relationship today.

Neal and I make it a point to let the kids see us loving on each other. We stop to hug each other in the morning in front of the kids— sometimes we even stop them and say 'Look you guys, we are hugging!' (It’s often hard to get them to look up from their Legos!)

I also tell Gus (four years old) that “daddy and I need some time to talk and catch up.” I think keeping our kids aware that Neal and I have a strong bond separate from them is a great way for them to learn about love. It has the added benefit of letting them know they’re not the center of the universe! They don’t need to know that when Neal and I spend time together, most of the time we are giggling about things they’ve said or done."

Ashley Williams and her husband Neal Dodson are parents to sons Gus, 4, and Odie, 19 months. She's the former star of The Jim Gaffigan Show and How I Met Your Mother whose next project is Instinct.