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animal learningautumnhealthnature learningsafety tipstoddler
Toddler reading a book about mice in a safe indoor playroom

What to Do When Your Toddler Finds a Wild Baby Mouse in the Yard

My Tuesday morning began with a half-dead rodent. I was standing in our Chicago backyard, clutching a lukewarm coffee, while my two-year-old proudly held out her hands to show me her new treasure. Our family cat was sitting a few...

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Toddler standing on a coffee table knocking over a tall tower of blocks

When Your Toddler Turns Into a Baby Godzilla Destroying Your House

Yesterday at exactly 4:15 PM, I found myself hiding in the pantry eating stale Goldfish crackers in the dark while my two-year-old stood victorious on the coffee table, roaring at the top of his lungs after methodically sweeping my last...

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animal learningbabyoutdoorparenting humoursafety tipstoddler
A confused dad holding twin girls looking at a small wild canine in a garden

Surviving a baby coyote encounter with jetlagged twin toddlers

It was 4:17 in the morning in suburban California, and I was losing my mind. We had foolishly decided to drag our two-year-old twin girls on a twelve-hour flight from Heathrow to Los Angeles to visit my wife's brother, operating...

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baby feedingchoking hazardsparenting tipssolid foodtoddler
Mom cutting roasted carrots on a wooden cutting board for her baby's lunch.

The Brutal Truth About Feeding Baby Carrots To Your Little Ones

I was standing at the kitchen counter hacking these little orange bullets lengthwise with a dull paring knife while my oldest, bless his heart, screamed at my shins because he wanted a snack right that very second. It was four...

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Mom holding a wooden bunny teething ring while a toddler plays

Why That Adorable Baby Bunny Is a Terrible Idea for Your Toddler

I was elbow-deep in a basket of mismatched toddler socks last night when a post in my local county Facebook group made me drop my phone right into the laundry basket. Some sweet, incredibly naive mom had posted, "Looking for...

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A messy minivan backseat with a booster seat and cracker crumbs everywhere

Figuring Out the Baby Booster Meaning Before You Lose Your Mind

It was 8:14 on a Tuesday morning, I was wearing my husband Dave's faded college sweatshirt that smelled faintly of stale Cheerios, and my third cup of coffee was already cold. I was sitting at the kitchen island filling out...

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A stressed mom in sweatpants drinking coffee while her toddler plays with a wooden baby drill toy on the living room floor.

What The Drill Baby Drill Slogan Actually Means For Parents

Dear Sarah from last October, I know exactly where you're right now. It’s 7:14 AM on a Tuesday. You're standing in the kitchen wearing those tragic gray sweatpants with the mysterious hole in the left thigh, holding your secondβ€”no, let's...

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animal learningearly developmentorganic cottonparenting humourtoddler
Two toddlers in rain boots pointing at a sheep in a muddy farm park enclosure.

Farmyard Crises and Explaining Baby Sheep to Toddlers

I'm standing ankle-deep in something I'm desperately praying is just mud at Mudchute Farm, trying to wipe half a chewed oat biscuit off Twin A’s cheek, when Twin B extends a sticky, demanding finger toward the livestock enclosure. The sky...

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Exhausted dad holding two toddlers while trying to dodge a flying wooden block

Why "hit me baby one more time" is my parenting reality

Last Tuesday at our local library's rhythm and rhyme session, Florence landed a shockingly accurate left hook directly onto my nose just as we were gearing up for the second verse of The Wheels on the Bus. The elderly librarian...

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