Magazine

Close up of a confused dad holding a baby with a small red spot on their cheek.

Troubleshooting the Sudden Red Bumps on Your Baby's Face

I was shining my iPhone flashlight at my son’s left cheek at 2:14 AM when my wife gently, but firmly, confiscated my phone. I had been hovering over his crib like a forensic investigator for ten minutes, trying to determine...

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Mom holding a crying baby in a rocking chair at night while singing a lullaby

Why Nursery Rhymes For Babies Actually Work Better Than White Noise

It was 3:17 AM in the dead heat of a Texas July, the cicadas were screaming outside my window, and my oldest son Liam was screaming even louder right directly into my collarbone. I had sour milk on my shirt,...

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A tired mom applying baby oil gel to her squirmy infant after bath time.

The Honest Truth About Using Baby Oil Gel on Newborns

My mother-in-law told me to massage my son in warm mustard oil until he resembled a glazed donut. My favorite attending physician from the pediatric ward said to stick to dry air and benign neglect. The internet moms told me...

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A tiny black portable breast pump sitting next to a half-empty cup of cold coffee

The 3AM Pumping Crisis and the Tiny Machine That Saved Us

The kitchen tiles in our London flat are roughly the temperature of a mortuary slab at 2:14 in the morning. I know this because I was lying face down on them last Tuesday, desperately searching for a microscopic silicone membrane...

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A tired mother checking a baby diaper on a changing table

The Ultimate Baby Poop Chart: A Letter to My Anxious Past Self

Listen, Priya of six months ago. You're currently standing in the semi-darkness of our freezing Chicago apartment at three in the morning, holding a soiled diaper mere inches from your face. You have your phone flashlight clamped between your teeth....

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A sleeping newborn with arms extended in a sudden Moro startle reflex

Before And After Nursing School: The Truth About Baby Reflexes

I dropped a metal travel mug on our hardwood floor at two in the morning. The sound echoed like a gunshot through our cramped Chicago apartment. My two-week-old son, who was dead asleep on his back in the bassinet, violently...

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A stack of addressed baby announcement cards sitting on a messy wooden table next to a half-empty chai mug.

Baby Announcement Cards: A Postpartum Letter To My Past Self

It's two in the morning. The Chicago winter wind is rattling the bedroom window, and I'm staring at a stack of heavy-stock envelopes sitting next to a cold mug of chai. My breast pump is making that rhythmic, dying-cow sound....

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Close up of twin baby girls looking confused with big blue eyes

The Staring Contest: The Truth About Baby Blue Eyes

At exactly 3:14 AM on a Tuesday, I found myself holding Twin A directly under the hallway spotlight, trying to determine if her irises were the colour of the ocean or just the murky grey of the Thames at low...

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Newton baby bedside sleeper setup next to an unmade master bed

The Messy Truth About That Washable Newton Baby Bassinet

My mom sat on the edge of my couch, sipping iced tea, and told me to just put the baby in a plastic laundry basket lined with a thick quilt, because bless her heart, that’s exactly what she did with...

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