Magazine

A cardboard box tied to an oak tree in a Texas backyard

What to Do When Your Kid Finds a Baby Squirrel in the Yard

"Drop the Similac, Tucker!" I yelled across the patio, lunging over a scattered pile of wooden blocks while clutching a squirming newborn to my chest. My oldest sonβ€”bless his animal-loving, highly impulsive heartβ€”was kneeling in the damp Bermuda grass, holding...

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Confused pregnant mom drinking coffee looking at a baby ultrasound photo

When Can You Find Out the Gender of a Baby? A Messy Guide

When I was barely six weeks pregnant with Leo, sitting at a lukewarm brunch while desperately trying not to hurl into my overpriced oatmeal and clutching my third decaf coffee like a lifeline, I got three entirely different timelines for...

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A baby gnawing on a large spare rib bone while sitting on a patterned bamboo blanket

The Great BBQ Debate: Ribs and Baby-Led Weaning

Summer in Chicago means the lake breeze is sticky and someone is always firing up a smoker in a park. We were at a family cookout near Montrose Beach last July when my husband's uncle handed my eight-month-old a massive,...

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A tired British dad folding Mebie Baby bamboo sleepsuits while two toddlers destroy the room

The Truth About Mebie Baby: A Letter to My Sleep-Deprived Self

Dear Tom from six months ago, You're hiding in the downstairs loo right now, aren't you? You've got one foot wedged against the door to keep the twins out, you're covered in something sticky that you pray is just mashed...

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Messy stack of fabric and a half-finished baby blanket on a coffee table

Surviving the Hype: Baby Quilt Patterns and Actual Safe Sleep

It was 2:14 AM on a Tuesday, and I was eight months pregnant with Maya, sobbing over a jammed bobbin on a borrowed Singer sewing machine. I was wearing maternity leggings that definitely had a hole in the crotch, my...

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A bewildered dad holding a tiny organic cotton baby beanie in a nursery.

Debugging The Baby Beanie: My Thermal Miscalculations As A Dad

It was 3:14 AM on a Tuesday, roughly two weeks after we brought our son home, and I was staring at the Nanit monitor on my nightstand like it was a mission-critical server dashboard. The camera feed showed my kid...

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Jess wearing a framed child carrier on a dirt trail in Texas

Why I Traded My Spine for a Cheap Carrier (And What I Buy Now)

We were halfway up Enchanted Rock in the dead of a Texas July, and I was absolutely convinced my spine was going to snap in two. My oldestβ€”bless his heart, he was the guinea pig for literally every parenting mistake...

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Mashed ripe pear on a silicone plate next to a baby spoon

Demolishing the First Food Myth: Why You Need A Pear Baby

I was standing in the baby food aisle staring at a nine-dollar pouch of organic Peruvian maca root and wild blueberry puree when I realized we had collectively lost our minds. My six-month-old was sitting in the shopping cart, happily...

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A mom holding a baby while looking confused at a jar of fruit spread and a bag of gummy candies

Sorting Out the Mess: Are Jelly Babies Safe for Your Toddler?

So there I was at our big family barbecue last Sunday, balancing my six-month-old on my hip while trying to wrangle my toddler away from the sprinkler, when the contradictory advice started rolling in. My mom, bless her heart, told...

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