Magazine

baby toysdevelopmentorganic cottonsensory playwooden teethers
A wooden and crochet rattle sitting on a minimalist nursery rug.

Why Your Plastic Baby Rattle Might Be A Terrible Idea

My mother-in-law brought over a solid silver shaker straight from a jeweler in Delhi. A woman in my mom group swore by a terrifying plastic monstrosity that flashed strobe lights and played generic techno beats. My doctor looked at both...

Read more

Baby toysdevelopmentparenting humoursensory playteethingwooden toys
A tired dad holding a wooden baby rattle while twin infants sit on a neutral playmat.

The newborn rattle timeline from potato stage to blunt force trauma

I was standing in the kitchen at 4am, holding a plastic object that resembled a neon torture device, trying to work out why my three-week-old daughters were actively ignoring it. It was a Tuesday. Or possibly a Thursday. Time becomes...

Read more

baby toysdevelopmenteco-friendlysensory playwooden toys
A simple wooden baby rattle resting on a crumpled organic cotton blanket.

What I wish I knew about the holz babyrassel as a first toy

I was sitting on my living room floor at three in the morning, staring at a battery-operated plastic cow that was playing a distorted, low-battery version of a nursery rhyme on a terrifying loop. My son Dev was screaming. The...

Read more

baby teethersbaby toyshealthorganicparenting tipssafety tips
A baby chewing on a silicone panda teether while sitting on a playmat.

The Brutal Truth About Buying Safe Non Toxic Teethers Today

Your mother-in-law is convinced the baby's 102-degree fever and explosive blowout are just teething signs. I've seen a thousand of these exact cases roll through the pediatric triage desk, usually accompanied by a panicked parent holding a drool-soaked infant at...

Read more

Baby toysnatural fibersorganicparenting humoursensory playteething
A wooden baby rattle next to a digital caliper and a cold cup of coffee

Dear Marcus: Stop Buying Loud Plastic Toys and Read This

Dear Marcus of exactly six months ago, It's 3:14 AM on a Tuesday. You're standing in the dark hallway of your Portland bungalow, clutching a lukewarm bottle of formula, staring at a flashing plastic boombox toy that's aggressively singing "I'M...

Read more

baby toyseducational toysparenting humoursustainabletoddlerwooden toys
Two toddlers attempting to eat a wooden block while a tired dad watches

A Letter to Past Me About the Reality of Wooden Toys

Dear Tom of six months ago, You're currently standing in the nursery, aggressively arranging a set of aesthetically pleasing, neutral-toned blocks on a floating shelf. You're exhausted, operating on perhaps four cumulative hours of sleep, but you're deeply smug. You've...

Read more

babybaby toyseco-friendlyparenting tipssafewooden toys
A chewed up wooden baby rattle sitting next to a half empty mug of cold coffee

The Truth About Babyspielzeug Holz And Keeping Your Baby Safe

When I was pregnant with Maya, my mother-in-law cornered me at my baby shower holding a terrifying, neon plastic saxophone that played a high-pitched, vaguely demonic version of 'Old MacDonald' and told me it was the best toy ever because...

Read more

baby toysdevelopmentmotherhoodsafety tipssleepweartoddler
A heavily chewed organic cotton bunny lovey resting on a crib mattress.

The Absolute Truth About Your Toddler and Their Blanket Bunny

Some mom in Lincoln Park is currently telling me her ten-month-old doesn't need "props" to self-soothe while we stand by the infant swings. She is wearing cashmere to a playground. Her kid is actively gnawing on a literal piece of...

Read more

baby teethersbaby toysdevelopmentparenting humoursustainablewooden toys
A wooden and silicone bunny teether toy sitting on a coffee table next to a baby monitor.

Decoding the Bunny Teether: Why This Specific Shape Actually Works

"Put a wet washcloth in the freezer," my mother told me on a Tuesday. "Rub a tiny drop of whiskey on his gums," my uncle suggested on Wednesday. "You need a raw Baltic amber necklace to align his electromagnetic field,"...

Read more