Magazine

Baby eating spaghetti while wearing a long-sleeve terry cloth smock

Why long-sleeve terry bibs actually saved my sanity and my rug

It was 11:14 AM on a Tuesday, and I was wearing a cream-colored cashmere blend sweater. I know. Stupidity at its absolute finest. Leo was exactly six months and four days old, strapped into his high chair like a tiny,...

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A messy toddler wearing a terrycloth bib eating spaghetti

The Frottee LΓ€tzchen Era: Why Terrycloth Bibs Finally Fixed My Meal...

It was a Tuesday night, about six years ago, and my oldest was covered in what looked like a marinara-themed crime scene. I’m talking sauce in his eyebrows, sauce down his neck, and somehow, sauce inside his diaper. He was...

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Toddler wearing a long sleeve smock covered in spaghetti sauce.

The aesthetic feeding myth and why you need a lΓ€tzli mit Γ€rmel

Instagram sells this absolute lie that babies learning to eat is a minimalist, beige-hued journey of discovery. The video always starts with a perfectly clean child in a ribbed neutral outfit, sitting in a wooden high chair. They gently mouth...

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A heavily stained cloth baby bib next to a clean silicone pocket bib.

Dear Past Me: The Messy Truth About Waterproof and Plastic Bibs

Dear Sarah from six months ago, You're currently standing in the baby aisle of that ridiculously overpriced boutique downtown. It’s exactly 10:15 AM on a Tuesday, and you're wearing those black lululemon leggings that definitely have a crusty yogurt stain...

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Dad checking meat thermometer while holding a baby near a backyard smoker

How I Found the Right Baby Back Ribs Done Temp for My Toddler

Smoke is stinging my left eye, my digital meat thermometer is flashing 145 degrees, and Sarah is holding our 11-month-old who's currently attempting to eat his own foot on the patio. The grill is hissing. My phone is buzzing with...

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A bewildered dad looking at an 11-month-old baby covered in green pesto.

The Great Baby Pesto Disaster (And How To Actually Do It Right)

It was 6:42 PM on a Tuesday, and my kitchen looked like a lawnmower had exploded indoors. My wife was holding a wet washcloth, staring at me with that highly specific look she gets when I've confidently executed a task...

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A baby making a hilarious sour face after tasting a pickle spear for the first time in a highchair.

The Truth About Giving Your Baby Pickles for the Very First Time

It was August 2017, and we were in my brother-in-law’s backyard for a family barbecue. I was standing there, sweating through a stained maternity tank top that I absolutely should have retired three months prior, balancing a seven-month-old Leo on...

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Marcus holding thin slices of baby swiss cheese next to a high chair

Dear Past Marcus: Please Stop Panicking About Baby Swiss Cheese

You're standing in the glowing light of the open fridge. It's 2:13 AM on a Tuesday. You have a block of sharp cheddar in your left hand and your phone in your right, aggressively cross-referencing milligrams of sodium on a...

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A messy baby covered in bright orange butternut squash puree sitting in a high chair

Dear Past Jess: The Butternut Squash Baby Food Survival Guide

Put the dull paring knife down, honey. Just lay it gently on the cutting board and step away from the counter before you end up in the rural Texas ER explaining to a very tired nurse how a vegetable completely...

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