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baby developmentbaby toysearly developmenteducational toysinfant healthparenting
Baby reaching for a simple wooden toy on a playmat

The Brutally Honest Guide to Early Baby Learning and Brain Growth

My mother-in-law handed me a set of high-contrast vocabulary flashcards when Kabir was exactly twelve days old. She sat on my couch, tapping the cards on her knee, telling me that his brain was a sponge and we were already...

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A messy living room floor with a baby reaching for a soft plush toy next to coffee

My Disastrous Attempt at Raising a Pokémon Fan (And What Worked)

It was a Tuesday in 2019, I was running on maybe three hours of broken sleep, wearing a pair of Target leggings that smelled vaguely of sour milk, and I decided this was the perfect moment to introduce my then-two-year-old...

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Messy living room floor covered in wooden toys and a half-empty coffee mug.

Why I Threw Out Most Of Our Learning Toys And What Actually Survived

It was exactly 4:13 AM on a random Tuesday in November, and I was wearing my husband Dave’s oversized college sweatshirt which had a highly questionable yogurt stain on the left shoulder. I was holding a lukewarm mug of yesterday's...

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Frustrated dad holding a noisy plastic toy while an 11-month-old baby sleeps

A Portland Dad's Honest Guide to Picking Gifts for Infants

It was 3:14 AM on a Tuesday when our system completely crashed. My son had just executed a flawless, database-corrupting diaper blowout, and my wife and I were running on maybe ninety total minutes of fragmented sleep. The nursery thermostat...

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Sarah holding a lukewarm iced coffee looking distressed in a brightly lit toy store aisle.

Dear Me: Put Down the Flashing Plastic Crap in That Toy Store

Dear Sarah from six months ago, It's 2:14 PM on a Tuesday. You're currently standing in Aisle 14 of that massive, soul-crushing infant toy store off Interstate 80. You're wearing those black lululemon leggings with the mysterious yogurt stain on...

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A minimalist baby playing on a soft organic linen playmat with a wooden ring instead of loud plastic toys

The 3 AM Plastic Meltdown That Redefined Babys Spielzeug For Me

It was 3:14 AM on a Tuesday, and I was wearing my husband’s inexplicably stained college sweatpants. Leo, who was eight months old at the time and deep into a sleep regression that made me question all my life choices,...

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A baby reaching for a wooden play gym in a modern nursery

Raising Gen Beta: AI Anxiety, Wooden Toys, And Finding Peace

I was sitting in the dark nursing my son while the Chicago winter tried to break my living room windows. My phone screen was the only light in the room. I had fallen down a 3 AM internet rabbit hole...

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A tired mom holding a crying baby while looking shocked at an iPad screen

The Truth About That Devil May Cry Baby Search You Did Last Night

Dear Jess from six months ago, I see you. You're standing at the kitchen island, up to your elbows in mashed sweet potatoes, trying to finish two custom embroidery orders for the Etsy shop before the post office in town...

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Exhausted mom holding a cold cup of coffee in a messy kids room

The Circus Baby FNAF Incident: Why My 7-Year-Old Stopped Sleeping

It was exactly 3:14 AM on a Tuesday. I know this because the glowing red numbers of my alarm clock were practically burning a hole in my retinas. I was wearing my husband Dave’s old Villanova hoodie—the one with a...

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