Magazine

A tired dad trying to wrangle twin babies during a very messy nappy change on a vegan leather mat.

The absolute truth about a black baby changing diaper routine

It's 3:17 a.m. and I'm staring down twin number one (or possibly twin number two, the darkness and sleep deprivation blur them into one collective entity of demands) while the distinct, unmistakable aroma of impending doom wafts from her cot....

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A toddler standing barefoot on a carpet holding a pair of stiff baby sneakers

The truth about the best baby shoes and why ours went in the trash

It was a Tuesday morning, probably around 9 AM, and I was sitting on our living room rug wearing black yoga pants that featured a very distinct, crusted-over smear of smashed avocado on the left knee. Maya was ten months...

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Confused mom looking at an iPad while her toddler plays with an organic cotton blanket

How searching for the best baby dragon evo decks cost me $142

It was Tuesday night, roughly 9:45 PM. I was standing in the kitchen wearing my husband Mark's gray sweatpants and a college t-shirt that literally still had dried oatmeal on the left shoulder from breakfast. I was holding my phone,...

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Exhausted mom looking at a tiny baby bottle next to her sleeping newborn.

The panic over your baby's stomach size (and why I lost my mind)

I was standing barefoot on the freezing kitchen tile at three in the morning, wearing these horrific mesh hospital underwear and a nursing bra that smelled entirely like sour milk and sheer desperation. It was November, so the house was...

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A chronological guide to helping family select a baby's headstone and processing the logistics of infant loss.

When Your Brother Asks You to Help Pick a Memorial Marker

The fluorescent lighting in the monument showroom was humming at a frequency that felt like a localized cyber-attack on my nervous system. I was sitting at a faux-wood desk next to my older brother, Dave, staring at a catalog of...

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A vintage Rumba the Tiger sitting safely on a high nursery shelf away from the crib

Why My Kid's Vintage Birthday Twin Toy Is Banned From The Crib

My wife Sarah caught me in the glow of my dual monitors at 2:14 AM, hovering my cursor over a "Buy It Now" button for a twenty-one-year-old stuffed tiger. I was holding our eleven-month-old in my left arm, furiously typing...

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Vintage Ty plush bear sitting safely on a wooden nursery shelf away from the crib

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...

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A dad looking confused while tangled in a long fabric wrap holding a baby

Why Most Baby Carriers Fail Dads and How We Finally Fixed It

Listen, I thought I was being a supportive, eco-conscious wife when I bought us a matching organic linen ring sling. It was a brisk April morning in Chicago, and I stood on our front porch watching Amit in the driveway....

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A messy living room floor with a modern wooden play gym and safe baby toys

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...

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