Magazine

A tired dad holding a paint swatch next to a crib with baby blue bedding

Why the Baby Blue Color Is More Than Just a 90s Nursery Cliche

I was standing in the middle of our empty guest roomβ€”soon to be the nurseryβ€”holding a paint swatch that looked like a depressed smurf. It was 2 AM, I was aggressively caffeinated, and my wife, Sarah, was staring at me...

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Tired mom holding a sleeping baby in a bamboo wrap doing a crossword puzzle

Dear Exhausted Jess: The Baby Beluga Magic You Need Right Now

Dear Jess from six months ago. You're sobbing into a sour-smelling burp cloth right now. It's 3:14 AM. The baby is doing that rigid-plank scream that makes your own spine ache, the toddler is asleep in the hallway for some...

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A confused dad looking at his baby pointing at a wild animal in the grass

The Portland Backyard Bug: Debugging Encounters with Baby Animals

I'm standing in my perpetually damp Portland backyard at 6:15 AM, holding a lukewarm mug of coffee like a shield, while my 11-month-old son, Leo, points a chubby, sticky finger at what appears to be a vibrating pile of dead...

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Exhausted dad staring at a glowing baby monitor smartphone app in the dark

Why I Cannot Stop Staring at the Night Vision Baby Monitor

It's 3:14 AM, and the blue light of my smartphone is the only thing illuminating our bedroom ceiling. My wife is completely unconscious next to me, breathing in a steady rhythm that I deeply envy. Meanwhile, I'm zoomed in 400x...

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Jess looking stressed reading her phone at the kitchen island

What the Adriana Smith Baby Case Taught Me About ER Visits

It was 11:45 PM on a Tuesday, and I was standing at my kitchen island slapping shipping labels onto poly mailers for my Etsy shop while the baby monitor glowed next to my tape dispenser. I should have been sleeping,...

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Three men looking confused while holding a baby and baby gear

What a 1980s Movie Taught Me About Dads and Newborns

Dear Sarah from last October, You're currently sitting in the driver's seat of your Honda Odyssey in a Starbucks parking lot. You're wearing those black Lululemon leggings that have an unidentifiable crusty stain on the left thigh, clutching an iced...

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A wet baby wrapped in a towel looking annoyed at a bottle of unscented baby wash

Stop Washing Your Baby Every Night (And How to Pick Better Shampoo)

I was standing in the baby aisle of our local grocery store at 9 PM on a Tuesday, holding a violently pink bottle of "calming lavender bedtime wash" in one hand and my phone in the other. I was trying...

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A wooden baby play gym set up on an organic cotton blanket in a sunny room

Why I Tossed My Plastic Toys For A Wooden Spielbogen Baby Gym

It was 2:00 PM on a Tuesday, and I was sitting on my living room rug nursing a lukewarm coffee while a giant plastic jungle gym flashed neon green lights directly into my six-week-old's eyeballs. The thing was blaring some...

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A stressed mother holding her highly congested infant next to a cool mist humidifier at night

Why the "It's Just a Cold" Myth is Dangerous for Infants

It was December 2019, I was running on exactly three hours of sleep and half a pot of lukewarm Folgers, wearing a hideous green sweater that already smelled like sour breastmilk, when Dave's aunt Linda peered into four-month-old Leo's car...

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