Magazine

Mom holding baby outside during mosquito season

Why I Quit Natural Bug Spray for Babies (And What Actually Works)

I was standing on my back porch in East Texas last July, holding a twenty-eight dollar glass bottle of "artisan woodland mist" while a mosquito the size of a Buick casually drank from my oldest kid's leg. Bless my first-time-mom...

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A bright yellow infant baby life jacket sitting on a wooden boat dock next to a spilled iced coffee.

The Brutal Reality Of Trying To Find A Safe Baby Life Jacket

July 2018. Lake George. I'm standing on a splintery wooden dock in a Target floral maxi dress that I thought made me look like a breezy, relaxed coastal mom but was actually just wrapping around my ankles and tripping me....

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Mother wearing toddler in carrier at an outdoor summer music festival

Surviving the Lil Baby Concert 2025 Tour With a Toddler

My younger cousin told me to just strap the baby in a carrier, stand by the merch tent, and vibe. A mom in my neighborhood playgroup swore she took her four-month-old to an outdoor music festival and the kid magically...

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Anxious dad holding a cardboard box with a tiny rescued bird while looking at his phone

What to Feed a Baby Bird: A Panic-Googling Dad's Rescue Guide

Dear Marcus from last May. You're currently standing in your damp NE Portland yard by the rhododendron bush. Your eleven-month-old son is strapped to your chest, actively chewing on the zipper of your jacket, and you're staring down at a...

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A bright neon baby pool float sitting on the edge of a backyard swimming pool in Texas.

Dear Past Jess: What I Wish I Knew Before Buying a Baby Pool Float

Dear Jess from last May, I know you're currently hyperventilating beside the inflatable kiddie pool, tasting cheap PVC plastic because you lost the air pump again, while Jacksonβ€”our lovely, feral four-year-oldβ€”is threatening to launch himself off the patio furniture into...

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A tube of Thinkbaby mineral sunscreen next to a sandy baby sun hat on a beach towel.

Why Thinkbaby Sunscreen Is The Only White Paste I Trust On My Kid

Sand was quite literally glued to my son's left eyeball. We were at Oak Street Beach. It was ninety degrees in Chicago, the concrete was radiating heat, and he was screaming a pitch usually reserved for the pediatric triage desk....

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Dad holding a cooked baby back rib bone next to a messy 11-month-old baby

Navigating Spare Ribs vs Baby Back Ribs With An 11-Month-Old

I was halfway through a surprisingly decent potato salad at my buddy Dave’s backyard cookout in Southeast Portland when I looked over and saw him handing my 11-month-old daughter a massive, sauce-drenched pork rib. My brain basically threw a fatal...

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