Magazine

A toddler looking at a tablet playing a colorful animated video

Why the baby shark video is actually neurological genius

We're stuck in gridlock on Lake Shore Drive. The smell of three-day-old formula is radiating from somewhere under the passenger seat. In the back, my daughter has initiated the kind of breath-holding, red-faced scream that usually requires a medical intervention....

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A wooden baby gym in a natural nursery setup

The Truth About Baby Saja Wallpaper, Screen Time, and Nursery Air

I was sitting on the floor of my three-year-old’s room yesterday, scraping a fossilized piece of oatmeal off the back of my phone case with my thumbnail, while bouncing my fussy youngest on my hip. I was exhausted, my brain...

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A tired dad holding a coffee mug while two toddlers dance in the living room

Dear Past Tom: Surviving the Baby Saja Netflix Obsession

Dear Tom of exactly six months ago, You're currently sitting on the battered grey sofa in our Islington flat, smugly sipping a lukewarm cup of PG Tips. The twins are peacefully napping, and you're thinking to yourself that you've finally...

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Baby playing on a wooden playmat while a television plays a nature documentary in the background

Streaming Shows For Babies And The Real Science Of Screen Time

My mother-in-law insisted that any moving image on a television would permanently short-circuit my infant's brain. My neighbor down the hall swore that putting on animated dancing fruit was the only way she managed to wash her hair without someone...

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A toddler playing with wooden building blocks on a rug instead of an iPad

The Ugly Truth About Those Viral Baby Hazel Games

It was 4:13 PM on a Tuesday and I was wearing my husband Dave’s oversized college hoodie that smelled faintly of old garlic, holding a lukewarm mug of French roast that I had already microwaved three separate times. I was...

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Packed emergency diaper bag next to a TV remote control

Viral Internet Baby Soap Operas & Real Evacuation Plans

I was elbow-deep in raw chicken making freezer meals last Tuesday, with half-finished Etsy orders covering my dining table, when my four-year-old hollered from the living room that the "baby boss movie" was doing something weird. I wiped my hands...

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Wooden rainbow play gym sitting on a nursery floor in natural light

The reality of toxic co-parenting and what it does to a baby

Hey Priya of six months ago. You're currently sitting on the cold hexagonal tiles of the guest bathroom floor. The Chicago wind is rattling the frosted glass window, the baby is finally asleep after an hour of fighting a brutal...

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Toddler watching a screen while playing with toys on a living room rug

Screen Time Reality: A Mom's Take On The Little Baby Bum Craze

When my oldest was born, my mom flat-out told me that looking at a screen before age two would permanently short-circuit his brain. My pediatrician shrugged at our six-month checkup and said fifteen minutes of a cartoon so I could...

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A dad looking stressed while holding an 11-month-old baby near a wooden play area

Surviving the Lava Monster Phase: A Dad's Take on Baby Moana

The haptic feedback on my Apple Watch woke me from a sleep-deprived trance at exactly 3:14 PM on a Saturday. It was a decibel warning. My living room had just surpassed 90 decibels, which my watch helpfully noted could cause...

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