Magazine

A confused mother looking at a jar of honey while holding a baby in her kitchen.

Exactly Why Can't Babies Have Honey Before Their First Birthday

We were in Naperville at my in-laws' house for Sunday dinner. The baby was seven months old, teething heavily, and screaming with the kind of high-pitched intensity that makes your teeth vibrate. I stepped into the guest bathroom for exactly...

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Tired dad staring at a glowing baby monitor in a completely dark nursery

Sleep Training a Baby: A Letter to My Past, Severely Exhausted Self

Dear Marcus of six months ago, You're currently standing in the dark, swaying like a drunken sailor on a turbulent sea. You have an 18-pound weight draped over your left shoulder, and your right hand is frantically typing when to...

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Twin babies awake on a playmat while a tired dad holds a green dinosaur toy and a nursing pillow

Decoding the Baby Bop: Nursing Pillows and 3 AM Sleep Delusions

The biggest myth about infant support cushions isn't that they somehow turn breastfeeding into a majestic, hands-free bonding experience. The real, dangerous myth is the idea that this giant, firm foam croissant is a safe place to deposit a milk-drunk...

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Sarah holding a cold cup of coffee while looking stressed next to a pile of vintage toys.

My In-Laws, A Drop-Side Crib, And The Great Grandparent Divide

It was 10:14 AM on a Tuesday, I was wearing a nursing tank that smelled strongly of sour milk and desperation, and my mother-in-law had just proudly wheeled a vintage, splintering drop-side crib into my living room. I'm pretty sure...

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Confused dad holding his baby while looking at a smartphone screen with TikTok

Decoding The Baby Boo Meaning Youngboy TikTok Trend For Dads

Dear Marcus of six months ago. You're currently sitting on the mid-century modern living room rug you definitely couldn't afford, obsessively logging the baby's exact milk intake into an app (4.2 ounces, up from 3.8 yesterday). The Portland rain is...

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A blurry photo of a baby throwing steamed green vegetables from a highchair.

Dear Past Me: How To Cook Baby Bok Choy & Baby Bok Choy Recipes

Dear Sarah from exactly six months ago, who's currently standing in the produce aisle of Whole Foods at 8 AM wearing yoga pants that have definitely seen better days and a fleece pullover covered in what I hope is yogurt....

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An unplugged flat iron cooling precariously close to a crawling baby on a tile bathroom floor.

The Truth About Baby Bliss (And Why It Doesn't Have a Power Cord)

The smell of singed nylon bathmat is something that stays with you. I was standing in my cramped Chicago bathroom, trying to salvage two hours of sleep with some under-eye concealer, when Kiran started doing his signature banshee wail from...

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Stressed mom looking at a sticky bottle of pink baby benadryl liquid

The 2 AM Baby Benadryl Panic and What I Actually Did Instead

It's 2:14 AM on a Tuesday in February. The wind off Lake Michigan is rattling the windowpanes of our Chicago apartment, and my toddler is sitting on the bathroom counter looking like a lightly boiled lobster. We had tried a...

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Toddler standing near a muddy pond at a Chicago nature center

What a wild baby beaver in Chicago taught me about toddlers

We were standing ankle-deep in mysterious brown water at the North Park Village Nature Center when I saw it. The temperature was hovering around forty-eight degrees. My son had already thrown his left shoe into a patch of reeds. I...

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