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budgetfamily caremillennial momnature learningtoddler behavior
Mother and toddlers looking at marine wildlife from a safe distance on a beach

The Truth About Finding A Lone Baby Seal On A Rock At The Beach

Dear Jess from six months ago, who's currently standing on a freezing, aggressively windy Northern California beach holding a half-eaten bag of goldfish crackers while your three kids melt down in stereo. Put the cracker bag down, take a deep...

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animal learningboundarieschildhoodmillennial momnature learningtoddler behavior
Toddler hands holding a clear plastic food container with dirt and leaves inside.

Put That Tupperware Down: The Reality Of Backyard Reptiles

My four-year-old marched into the kitchen yesterday looking like he had just won the lottery. His hands were cupped so tightly together his knuckles were white, and he had that wild, unblinking stare kids get when they're holding something they...

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babybaby booksearly developmentstorytellingtoddler behavior
A chewed up custom storybook sitting on a messy nursery floor next to a cold cup of coffee.

The 3 AM Meltdown That Made Me Believe in Custom Storybooks

It was exactly 3:14 AM. I know this because the glowing red numbers on the alarm clock were burning a hole into my retinas while I sat there nursing a three-day-old infant and chugging day-old cold brew that tasted profoundly...

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baby daddyboundariesco-parentinginternet safetymaternal mental healthtoddler behavior
Tired mom in a dark nursery looking at her phone while baby sleeps

What the Wendy Ortiz baby daddy drama gets right about parenting

The screen brightness on my phone is turned all the way down to a dull gray. Outside, the Chicago winter wind is doing that thing where it sounds like a dying animal against the windowpanes. It's two in the morning....

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12-month-oldboundariesdevelopmental milestonesparenting humortoddler behavior
Two twin toddlers standing in a living room looking demanding

Surviving The Boss Bitch Baby Phase Without Losing Your Dignity

Tuesday, 6:14 AM. The sun hasn't quite breached the London skyline, but my flat is already the site of a hostile corporate takeover. Clementine is standing in her cot, holding a soggy rice cake like a gavel, demanding that I...

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baby careinfant safetyparenting humorpediatriciantoddler behavior
A pregnant mother and partner holding a fan and a baby teether

The Jason Kelce Baby Playbook: What Fainting Dads And Feral Toddler...

Before my daughter was born, my mother-in-law told me to keep her head covered indoors so the wind wouldn't enter her ears. The lactation consultant at the hospital told me skin-to-skin contact would solve my latch issues, my sleep deprivation,...

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90s nostalgiababyeducational toysparenting humorscreen timetoddler behavior
A bewildered dad holding a wooden block while twin girls stare at a TV screen

The Trouble With Baby SpongeBob (And Other Screen Time Fails)

It was 7:13 AM on a Tuesday, raining sideways against the kitchen window, and Evie was actively trying to consume a stray piece of dog kibble while her twin sister, Maisy, methodically unrolled an entire two-pound pack of toilet paper....

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baby developmentcommunicationearly developmentmotherhoodparenting humortoddler behavior
Toddler sitting in a car seat asking her mom about human anatomy

Where Do Babies Come From: Surviving The Ultimate Toddler Question

We're idling on the Kennedy expressway, somewhere near the loop, when the question hits the back of my head like a stray wooden block. She's pointing out the window at a heavily pregnant woman walking a golden retriever. She looks...

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90s nostalgiaautumneducational toysoutdoorsafe playtoddler behavior
Little girl in a muddy dress staring up at a tree branch in a Texas backyard

So Your Kid Found Baby Owls in the Yard (Put the Bird Down)

I was elbow-deep in cold soapy dishwater trying to scrape crusty oatmeal out of a bowl when my oldest marched through the back door with her hands cupped together like she was holding a sacred treasure. "Mama, I found Hedwig's...

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