Magazine

A tired mother sitting in a nursery with a baby elephant wooden play gym

What I wish I knew about elephant parenting six months ago

The timer on the phone says four minutes and twelve seconds. You're standing in the dark hallway outside the nursery, staring at the baseboard, listening to him scream. Your shoulders are touching your earlobes. You know the sleep training protocols...

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My daughter Maya dressed in a farm animal costume while drinking from a cup.

The Baby Cow Confusion: Milk Rules and Adorable Bovine Trends

It was 2018, I was wearing a stained nursing tank that smelled faintly of sour yogurt, and I made the ultimate rookie parenting mistake. Leo was ten months old, we were completely out of his usual formula, and it was...

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Three men looking confused while holding a baby and baby gear

What a 1980s Movie Taught Me About Dads and Newborns

Dear Sarah from last October, You're currently sitting in the driver's seat of your Honda Odyssey in a Starbucks parking lot. You're wearing those black Lululemon leggings that have an unidentifiable crusty stain on the left thigh, clutching an iced...

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A wet baby wrapped in a towel looking annoyed at a bottle of unscented baby wash

Stop Washing Your Baby Every Night (And How to Pick Better Shampoo)

I was standing in the baby aisle of our local grocery store at 9 PM on a Tuesday, holding a violently pink bottle of "calming lavender bedtime wash" in one hand and my phone in the other. I was trying...

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A stressed mother holding her highly congested infant next to a cool mist humidifier at night

Why the "It's Just a Cold" Myth is Dangerous for Infants

It was December 2019, I was running on exactly three hours of sleep and half a pot of lukewarm Folgers, wearing a hideous green sweater that already smelled like sour breastmilk, when Dave's aunt Linda peered into four-month-old Leo's car...

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Tired mother holding a medicine syringe and a baby in a dim kitchen

The Absolute Truth About Dosing Baby Fever Medicine at 3 AM

I used to think that if Maya was six months old, she just automatically got the "six-month" squirt of medicine. Like it was a shoe size or a milestone. I vividly remember standing in our tiny galley kitchen in our...

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Mother babywearing her newborn infant in a dimly lit nursery.

Dear Past Priya: Your Newborn Is Basically Just a Baby Monkey

You're currently standing in the hallway at 3:14 AM, swaying like a seasick sailor. There's spit-up on your left shoulder that has dried into a crust. Your feet are aching, your back is completely shot, and the tiny human in...

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Exhausted dad sweating in a hallway while trying to stuff a thrashing toddler into a winter snowsuit.

Winter With Twins: A Freezing Dad's Guide to Infant Layering

Dear Tom of six months ago. You're currently standing in the narrow, draughty hallway of our Victorian terrace, sweating profusely through your jumper while trying to stuff Evie's left arm into a fleece-lined snowsuit. Isla is already dressed and currently...

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A tired mom holding coffee looking at a baby sleeping safely on their back on an organic cotton playmat.

Why the Baby Got Back Lyrics Actually Make Terrible Parenting Advice

2:14 AM. Tuesday. I'm wearing Dave's old college sweatpants with a mysterious, crusted-over yogurt stain on the knee, desperately bouncing a screaming three-week-old Leo while whisper-rapping the words to Sir Mix-a-Lot in the dark. You know the exact scene from...

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