The brutal truth about buying an infant knit romper for your kid
My mother called from San Jose on a Tuesday to warn me that wool would give my baby a rash that would scar him for life. The very next morning, my sister-in-law swore that unless I put him in thick...
The real deal about that green baby tee and toxic wellness fads
I was three hours into a night shift in the pediatric ER when a very tired, very trendy mom rushed in with an eight-month-old who was vibrating like a cheap pager. His resting heart rate was through the roof. After...
Why We Switched To Sleeping Bags For Infants (And You Should Too)
My mother-in-law told me to pile three heavy quilts on him because Portland nights are drafty and he was going to freeze. The exhausted NICU nurse at the hospital swaddled him so tightly in a receiving blanket that he looked...
The Truth About Infant Sun Shirts (And Why Your Baby is Sweating)
I was standing in the middle of the H-E-B parking lot in late July, wrestling what felt like a wet fruit roll-up off my screaming four-month-old. Jackson, my oldest and forever my cautionary tale, was beet red and slick with...
Dear Past Jess: The Truth About Chasing That Pampers Rebate
Dear Jess from exactly six months ago, I know exactly what you're doing right now. You're sitting cross-legged on the rug in the living room, surrounded by three massive, empty cardboard boxes from HEB. Your toddler is currently using a...
Why Footless Infant Rompers Saved My Sanity (And My Wood Floors)
It was 2:14 AM on a Tuesday, and I was staring at my oldest son, Carter, who was covered shoulder to knee in a blowout of biblical proportions. My husband was standing next to the changing table holding a single...
Why The Clinical Genius Of Japanese Baby Clothes Makes Sense
My mother-in-law told me to put three layers of fleece on the baby because his hands felt cold. My favorite attending doctor at the hospital said he was sweating through his onesie and to strip him down to a diaper....
The Great Infant Romper Lie And What Actually Keeps Babies Cool
I was standing in the emergency room triage bay during a brutal Chicago heatwave when I realized most parents have no idea how to dress a child. The smell of antiseptic was giving me a headache. A frantic mother carried...
Why I Stopped Buying Cheap Joke Shirts For My Kids
I was sweating through my own nursing tank, trying to wrestle my oldest sonβwho was basically built like a sack of bowling balls at four months oldβinto a stiff neon green shirt my brother-in-law bought him. It said "I Only...