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developmentmilestonesparenting humourplaymattummy time
A baby learning to sit up independently on a play mat with wooden toys.

The Truth About When Your Baby Actually Sits Up

When my daughter Maya was five months old, I got three entirely different pieces of advice about her sitting up in the span of about twenty-four hours. My mother-in-law, bless her, came over and immediately started shoving Maya into the...

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developmenthealthparenting humoursafetwin dad
A tired father holding a baby while staring anxiously at a smartphone screen in a dark room

The 3 AM Google Spiral: Early Signs of Autism in Babies

I'm sitting on the freezing bathroom tiles at 2:14 in the morning, bathed in the blue light of my smartphone, watching my daughter E repeatedly line up three plastic bath boats in absolute silence. In the next room, her twin...

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baby safetybaby teethdevelopmentfatherhoodhealthteething
Bewildered dad holding an avocado teether while looking at his drooling baby

When Do Babies Get Teeth? A Dad's Troubleshooting Guide

Dear Marcus from six months ago: Put down the tactical flashlight. She is not going to let you look in her mouth, and shining a 1000-lumen beam at a five-month-old's face at 2 AM is exactly why your wife is...

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Dad catching a baby falling over sideways on a playmat

Debugging Gravity: When Do Babies Start Sitting Up Usually?

It's currently 7:14 PM, and I'm building a fortress of couch cushions around my eleven-month-old daughter on our living room rug. She is folded entirely in half, staring intensely at a piece of lint she found near the coffee table....

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developmentearly developmenthumorhydrationmotherhoodteething
A tired mother holding a teething baby while looking at her phone in a dim room.

Why raising a toddler feels exactly like domesticating a wild mammal

It was three in the morning and my son was slick with sweat, drool, and the unmistakable rage of a creature who had just discovered teeth. He was thrashing against my chest, refusing the bottle I was offering. I was...

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90s nostalgiababy clothesdevelopmentsibling preparationsustainableteething
A toddler with a front tooth gap wearing organic clothes while holding a silicone teether.

My Guide to Every Type of Gap Baby You Will Actually Encounter

I was sitting on the sticky linoleum floor of the Woodfield Mall family restroom when the reality of my life choices hit me. My toddler was screaming at a decibel level that usually triggers a code blue on a pediatric...

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developmentfourth trimesterinfant caremilestonesmotherhoodnew born
Tired mother looking down at a staring newborn baby on a playmat

Waiting For The First Real Smile Without Losing Your Mind

It was three in the morning during a brutal Chicago February, and the radiator in our apartment was making that rhythmic hissing sound. I was holding my son after a feed, staring at his squished face in the dim light...

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developmenthumourParenting Guidesafetoddler
Toddler banging on the keys of a dark wood baby grand piano in a messy living room

The Reality of Fitting a Baby Grand Piano in a House with Toddlers

I'm currently on my hands and knees in the lounge, holding one end of a metal tape measure while Maya, who's two, tries to eat the other end. Her twin sister, Lily, is repeatedly smashing a wooden spoon against the...

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baby caredevelopmenthumourparenthoodparenting tips
Exhausted dad trying to make his unimpressed twin babies laugh

Waiting For A Giggle: When Do Babies Actually Start Laughing?

Right now, you're standing in the middle of the living room wearing a bright yellow plastic colander on your head while rhythmically striking a wooden spoon against your thigh. You're sweating through a t-shirt that smells faintly of sour milk...

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