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baby developmentearly developmenteducational toysplaytimesustainabletoys
Wooden building blocks scattered on a rug next to a play gym.

Why Most "Educational" Toys Are Just Overpriced Plastic

I'm currently staring down a plastic monstrosity that speaks three languages, flashes like a discount Vegas casino, and cost my mother-in-law forty-five dollars. It has a giant sticker on the box screaming that it'll teach my baby geometry, and let...

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6-month-oldearly developmentParenting Guidetwin dadUKwooden toys
Wooden baby activity center with hanging toys on a rug

The 15-Minute Peace Treaty: Surviving Baby Activity Centers

At exactly 4:12 PM on a rainy Tuesday, I realized I had made a terrible, terrible mistake. I was sitting on our battered London flat's living room rug, nursing a desperately lukewarm cup of tea, while my twin daughters, Maya...

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baby safetyearly developmentmental healthnurseryorganictoxic materials
A tired mother looking at a spider plant in a baby nursery.

A Letter To Myself About The Spider Baby Panic

Dear Priya from six months ago. You're currently standing in the doorway of the nursery at two in the morning, holding the Dyson stick vacuum like it's a loaded weapon. You're wearing a milk-stained nursing bra from yesterday, your eyes...

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babyearly developmenteducational toysparenthoodparenting tipssustainable
Toddler playing independently with natural wooden toys on a living room rug

Raising Kids With True Grit: A Normal Mom’s Take on Nepotism Babies

Three years ago, I marched right into the office of our local Methodist preschool, smiled at the director, and shamelessly dropped my grandmother’s name to bump my oldest kid to the top of their two-year-long waitlist. I didn't even blink....

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4-month-oldbreastfeedingearly developmentmaternal mental healthscreen time
Tired mom holding a wooden toy instead of a smartphone

Lil baby wham tour: why a rap concert is not a pediatric milestone

I was sitting in the dark at three in the morning, covered in something sticky that I was praying was just spit-up, watching search results populate on my glowing phone screen. Half the mothers in my local Chicago moms group...

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babyearly developmentparenting humourtwin dadtwinsUK
A chaotic living room floor covered in toddler toys and half-eaten rice cakes

Rihanna A AP Rocky Third Baby: The Madness of Three Under Four

It was 7:13 AM on a Tuesday, and I was attempting to pry a half-sucked rice cake from the iron grip of twin A, while twin B was vigorously trying to feed a wet wipe to the cat. My phone...

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baby dollsearly developmentsibling preparationtoddlertwinsUK
A toddler holding a very realistic silicone baby doll by the leg

A letter to myself before buying real life baby dolls for twins

Dear Tom from six months ago. You're currently standing at the kitchen island at 11:42 PM, holding a Stanley knife, staring at a cardboard box that just arrived from a specialty toy retailer. When you slice through that packing tape...

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babybaby sleepearly developmentparenthoodtech gear
Dad holding an 11-month-old baby who is reaching for his smartphone

The Ping Requests: Why Your Infant Knows When You Grab The Device

It's 3:17 AM here in Portland. The rain is doing that annoying misty thing against the window where it doesn't quite sound like rain, just a low-level static. I've my 11-month-old daughter in my left arm. I've a bottle of...

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9-month-oldbaby milestonesearly developmentorganicparenting humoursafe play
An 11 month old baby boy stuck in the corner of a living room

Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner: A Dad's Guide To The Reverse Gear

It was exactly 6:14 PM, the thermostat was holding steady at 68.5 degrees, and I was watching my 11-month-old son slowly reverse himself into the precise 90-degree angle where the drywall meets the glass sliding door. He looked like a...

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