Magazine

A messy kitchen counter covered in icing, sprinkles, and half-decorated cookies.

Surviving the Late-Night Chaos of Baby Shower Cookies

It was 2:13 AM and I was standing in my kitchen wearing my husband's college sweatpants and a nursing tank that definitely smelled like sour milk, holding a piping bag of pale yellow icing that was supposed to look like...

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Jess trying to figure out what to write on baby shower card in her truck

Exactly What to Write on Baby Shower Card Without Stressing

Dear Jess from six months ago, You're currently sitting in the driver's seat of the F-150 outside the Methodist church fellowship hall, sweating clean through your only halfway decent maternity-friendly dress. The baby shower starts in exactly four minutes. You...

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A reusable canvas tote filled with practical baby items and coffee

Debugging Baby Gift Baskets: What Sleep-Deprived Parents Need

It’s 3:14 AM. I'm holding a screaming, seven-pound potato in one arm while desperately trying to rip through industrial-grade cellophane with my teeth. The target? A tiny tube of diaper cream buried at the absolute center of one of the...

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A pregnant woman reading a baby shower greeting card surrounded by gifts

Stop Writing Terrifying Advice In Your Baby Shower Cards

Picture this. You're trapped on a velvet armchair in a room that smells aggressively of buttercream and eucalyptus. Twenty women, ranging from your childhood best friend to your partner’s distant aunt, are staring at you. You're sweating through your maternity...

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Casual backyard baby sprinkle celebration with practical gifts

The Real Guide to Throwing a Baby Sprinkle That Isn't Tacky

When I got pregnant with my second, I received three completely contradictory pieces of advice in the span of forty-eight hours. My mom, sipping her sweet iced tea on my porch, told me that having a party for a second...

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Rustic table display of practical party gifts for a baby celebration

The Truth About Baby Shower Party Favors People Actually Want

I was standing by the industrial trash can at the local VFW hall last weekend, double-fisting a lukewarm sweet tea and a paper plate of dry sheet cake, watching my cousin's friends secretly dump their party gifts. They were doing...

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A pile of organic cotton baby blankets next to a wooden toy

The End of Humiliating Baby Shower Games (And What to Do Instead)

Five years ago, I stood in a drafty village hall in Surrey, holding a plastic cup of warm sparkling wine, watching my sister-in-law unwrap a massive ball of clingfilm while wearing a blindfold. Someone shoved a disposable nappy under my...

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Mom holding a coffee cup while looking at a baby boutique clothing display.

Dear Past Me: The Real Truth About That Local Baby Boutique

Dear Sarah from exactly six months ago. I'm writing this to you because I know exactly where you're standing right now. You're in the middle of the fluorescent-lit hellscape of a massive big-box store's baby section, and you're sweating profusely...

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Shatterproof wooden baby's first christmas ornament on a pine branch

Surviving the drama of your baby's first christmas ornament

I was sitting on the floor of our freezing Chicago apartment with a vacuum in one hand and a bleeding thumb in the other. My mother-in-law had just left. Her gift had lasted exactly four seconds out of the tissue...

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