The truth about motorisches spielzeug and your baby's brain
I was sitting on the living room rug with a butter knife. I was trying to pry the battery compartment open on a plastic singing avocado. The screw was stripped. The avocado was looping a song about the alphabet in...
My chaotic journey to the perfect Holz Steckspiel toy
It was 3:14 in the morning. I was wearing a pair of yoga pants that had a mysterious, crusty yogurt stain on the left thigh and an oversized t-shirt that belonged to my husband, Dave. I was carrying my then-11-month-old...
Why a Baby Kicking Simulator Script Changed Our Playtime
I was up to my elbows in pureed butternut squash, desperately trying to convince two screaming two-year-olds that lunch was a necessary human function, when I glanced over at my nine-year-old nephew. He was visiting for the weekend, slouched on...
When the Pink Bubble Pops: Surviving the Baby Glinda Obsession
It was 7:14 AM on a Tuesday, and I was standing in the kitchen wearing my husband's stained college sweatpants, desperately trying to scrape dried oatmeal off the counter with my thumbnail, when Maya marched in. My seven-year-old had a...
What To Write In A Baby Shower Book (A Letter To My Stressed Self)
Dear Sarah from six months ago, I know exactly where you're right now. You're standing in Aisle 4 of the Target on Route 9, wearing those black Lululemon leggings with the crusty strawberry yogurt stain on the left knee that...
My Brother's Cry Baby Bubble Gum Gag Gift Caused a Full System Panic
My brother Dave stood in our kitchen holding a plastic tub shaped like a giant teardrop, grinning like he had just solved a complex algorithm. Dave is 28, works in crypto, and his entire frame of reference for human infants...
The Truth About Getting a December 15 Beanie Baby for Kids
My mother-in-law cornered me by the diaper pail on Tuesday morning. "You absolutely must get him the Ty toy with his exact birthday to keep in his crib," she announced, waving a screenshot from some Facebook collector's group. Three hours...
My Nightmare Hunting Down a January 18th Beanie Baby
It was 2:14 in the morning, the harsh blue light of my phone screen burning my retinas while I sat on the floor of my laundry room, folding the fourth load of toddler pants for the week. I had just...
Troubleshooting the Nostalgia of a January 11th Beanie Baby Toy
It was 10:43 PM on a Tuesday, and I was deep into a terminal window trying to figure out why our staging environment kept throwing 502 gateway errors. My 11-month-old son, Leo, was finally asleep after what I can only...