Magazine

A tired mom applying baby oil gel to her squirmy infant after bath time.

The Honest Truth About Using Baby Oil Gel on Newborns

My mother-in-law told me to massage my son in warm mustard oil until he resembled a glazed donut. My favorite attending physician from the pediatric ward said to stick to dry air and benign neglect. The internet moms told me...

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Exhausted mom holding a crying newborn while toddler watches TV

Who is Actually in Charge Here? Surviving the Boss Baby Phase

It was 3:14 in the morning, and I was wearing a maternity nursing tank that I definitely hadn't washed since Tuesday, staring at the glow of an iPad playing that DreamWorks movie for the hundredth time. My husband, Dave, had...

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Tired mom holding a coffee cup while looking at a baby monitor in a dark hallway

The Messy, Honest Truth About Baby Sleep Training Before & After

It's exactly 3:14 in the morning. I know this because the glowing red numbers on the microwave are burning into my retinas while I stand in the kitchen, wearing my husband Dave's oversized college track shirt that smells vaguely of...

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Priya sitting in a dimly lit Chicago nursery holding a sleeping infant

Dear past me: What I wish I knew about raising happy Dutch babies

It's three in the morning and you're sitting on the edge of the glider in a freezing Chicago nursery. You're holding a screaming six-month-old who hasn't slept a solid stretch since he was born. You pull out your phone, desperate...

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Exhausted dad researching baby Sinclair sleep advice while holding a teething infant

The truth about baby Sinclair sleep advice and 90s dinosaurs

It's 3:14 AM on a Tuesday, and I've got cold, regurgitated milk drying on my left shoulder while attempting to type search queries into my phone with my nose. Florence is screaming because she's awake, and Matilda is screaming because...

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Coffee cup next to a messy baby journal and uncensored baby steps

The Real Baby Steps Uncensored: Surviving the Messy Parenting Journey

My mother-in-law cornered me by the kitchen island last Thanksgiving while I was wearing a sweater that actively smelled like sour milk and told me that Leo’s occasional toddler swiping needed to be handled with "immediate, absolute authority." Two days...

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Dad looking at phone in dark nursery holding a sleeping baby

How Always Be My Baby Lyrics Fixed My Kid's 2 AM Sleep Bug

It's 3:14 AM on a Tuesday, the Portland rain is actively trying to break my windowpanes, and I'm standing in the exact center of the nursery desperately trying to remember the bridge to a 1996 Mariah Carey pop anthem. My...

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Mother looking exhausted while holding a crying baby in a dimly lit nursery

How to Survive the Witching Hour Baby Meltdowns Without Losing It

My mother-in-law swore my son's evening screaming fits meant my breastmilk was literally too thin. The lactation consultant I paid two hundred dollars to see said he was cluster feeding and I just needed a better nursing pillow. A girl...

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Tired mom looking at a smartphone surrounded by baby products and laundry

Navigating the Overwhelming Baby Industry Without Losing Your Mind

I'm currently staring at a mountain of mismatched Paw Patrol socks on my living room floor, trying to fold laundry before my toddler wakes up, and my phone just buzzed with a notification from a parenting app I forgot I...

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