Magazine

Toddler sitting safely in a dark grey stroller wagon with a five-point harness on a Chicago sidewalk

Why this skeptical pediatric nurse finally bought a baby wagon

It was mid-July at Montrose Beach, the kind of Chicago summer day where the humidity feels like a wet wool blanket draped over your shoulders. I was dragging a premium traditional stroller backward through the sand, my sandals sinking with...

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A tired mom holding a coffee mug next to a toddler bed

The 3 AM Panic Over an Imaginary Baby Wolf and Real Spiders

It’s 3:14 AM and I’m standing in the hallway wearing my husband’s stained college sweatpants, entirely unable to process what's happening. The baby monitor is just blinking this angry little green light at me, and through the static, I can...

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A frustrated mom looking at her toddler who just shoved a green pea up their nose during dinner.

Baby You Got Something In Your Nose: A Toddler Survival Guide

I was standing at the kitchen sink yesterday, frantically trying to scrub crusted oatmeal off a plastic dinosaur plate while three loads of laundry soured in the washing machine. I had the radio playing, and I was actually singing the...

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A toddler playing with a crying baby doll next to a wooden play gym

The Messy Truth About That Cry Baby Doll You're Thinking of Buying

Dear Jess from six months ago. You're currently standing in the middle of Target, heavily pregnant with number three, staring at a wall of wide-eyed, plastic toys in fuzzy animal onesies while convincing yourself this is the magic bullet for...

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A mom holding a coffee mug while looking at a tablet with her son

How The Rapper Baby Kaely Totally Changed My Digital Parenting

It was Tuesday at exactly 4:38 PM, which, if you've children, you know is the absolute worst time of day. The witching hour. My four-year-old, Maya, was actively crying because her string cheese was "too stringy," and I was standing...

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Exhausted twin dad staring at a sticky tablet screen looking deeply confused

Why my toddler's search for baby hotline lyrics gave me a heart attack

It's 6:13 AM on a Tuesday, and my left knee is submerged in what I can only hope is lukewarm porridge. Twin A, who I'm increasingly convinced is an agent of chaos sent to test my blood pressure, has somehow...

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Mother placing soft acoustic earmuffs on her infant daughter's head at an event

The Medical Reality of Buying Baby Headphones: A Nurse's Guide

We were sitting in row fourteen at my cousin's sangeet in Schaumburg when the bass from the dhol vibrated through the floorboards and straight up into my sternum. My daughter was barely three months old. I had my hands clamped...

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Metal safety barrier hardware mounted at the top of a wooden staircase swinging outward toward the hallway

My Humiliating Physics Lesson on Staircase Barriers

I was standing at the top of our fourteen-step Portland craftsman staircase holding a plastic tension rod barrier, a laser level, and a completely false sense of confidence. My wife, Sarah, paused on her way to the kitchen, shifting our...

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Frustrated dad looking at his phone while twin toddlers play on the floor

Dear Past Tom: The Baby Dragon Evo Is Not A Wooden Toy

Dear Tom of six months ago. You're currently sitting on the kitchen floor at 6:13 AM, watching Maya meticulously paint the skirting boards with organic oat porridge while Lily tries to negotiate with a rogue Cheerio she found under the...

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