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Mom holding a wooden bunny teething ring while a toddler plays

Why That Adorable Baby Bunny Is a Terrible Idea for Your Toddler

I was elbow-deep in a basket of mismatched toddler socks last night when a post in my local county Facebook group made me drop my phone right into the laundry basket. Some sweet, incredibly naive mom had posted, "Looking for...

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A messy minivan backseat with a booster seat and cracker crumbs everywhere

Figuring Out the Baby Booster Meaning Before You Lose Your Mind

It was 8:14 on a Tuesday morning, I was wearing my husband Dave's faded college sweatshirt that smelled faintly of stale Cheerios, and my third cup of coffee was already cold. I was sitting at the kitchen island filling out...

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A mother looking stressed while her child points at a terrarium

What I Wish I Knew Before Bringing Home a Tiny Spiky Lizard

Jackson’s face was pressed so hard against the glass of the terrarium I thought his nose might permanently flatten into a little pancake. We were just supposed to be at the pet store buying dog food, but my five-year-old had...

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Mother walking in Chicago winter wearing a baby in a structured ergonomic carrier.

What they never tell you about that ergo baby carrier obsession

I was standing in the Target parking lot on a Tuesday afternoon. Lake Michigan wind was doing that miserable thing where it bites straight through your denim. My kid was screaming in his baby car seat. I was sweating through...

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Tired dad looking at a motorized infant container next to a sleeping baby

A Letter to Past Me About the Illusion of the Perfect Baby Swing

Hey Marcus from six months ago. It's November, it's raining in Portland again, and you're currently staring at a $250 motorized bucket that oscillates at exactly 43 beats per minute while you pray it'll silence the tiny human who has...

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Toddler looking at a blank wooden toy instead of a digital tablet screen

The Kim Kardashian Santa Baby Video Is An Algorithm Nightmare

Listen. The biggest lie they sell us about modern motherhood is the safety of the search bar. You think you can type a harmless holiday song into the television, hand over the remote, and buy yourself exactly four minutes to...

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Toddler looking at a baby horse in a barn while wearing a structured carrier

The truth about a baby horse, toddler safety, and fairy hooves

Three people gave me completely conflicting advice when my toddler developed a sudden, violent obsession with farm animals. My mother-in-law claimed children and equines share a psychic bond that transcends language. My old charge nurse from the pediatric trauma unit...

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A tiny wild hoglet resting in a cardboard box lined with an old towel.

Dear Past Me: The Chaos of Finding a Baby Hedgehog

Dear Sarah from last October, You're currently standing on the back patio holding your third cup of lukewarm coffee, wearing those faded black Lululemons with the tiny hole in the left knee that you swore you were going to throw...

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Marcus looking stressed while holding a coffee mug and staring at a laptop screen

Why Adding a Baby Duck to Our Family Was a Terribly Stupid Idea

It was 3:14 AM on a Tuesday. The baby monitor was flashing that menacing yellow warning color, indicating my son was tossing around again. I was sitting on the edge of the bed in the dark, scrolling through a local...

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