Why Most Toddler Khaki Shorts Belong Straight In The Garbage
Three different people gave me completely conflicting instructions about dressing my kid for my cousin's outdoor wedding last summer. My mother-in-law cornered me at the mehndi to declare that a proper beta needs stiff, pleated trousers to look respectable in...
The Messy Reality of Children's Neckerchiefs
My mother-in-law stood in my Chicago kitchen last November holding a knitted wool scarf, insisting that if I didn't wrap my son's neck immediately, the draft would settle in his chest and give him pneumonia. Three hours later, a woman...
The Absolute Truth About Toddler Boy Sweaters
"Put him in raw wool, it builds character and keeps the chest warm," my mother-in-law announced over Thanksgiving turkey while Leo, my four-year-old, was actively trying to staple a piece of ham to the dining room table. Meanwhile, my best...
The ultimate onesie romper debate and why baby clothes confuse me
I was exactly 34 weeks pregnant with Maya, standing in the baby aisle of Target wearing maternity leggings that smelled vaguely of stale coffee, holding a tiny mint green garment and legitimately crying. My phone was aggressively vibrating in my...
The truth about surviving winter with a toddler in a chunky sweater
The wind off Lake Michigan was doing that thing where it physically hurts your face, and I was losing a wrestling match with a five-point harness. My son was wearing this massive, beautiful, hand-knit chunky sweater his Dadi had mailed...
I Thought $35 Bamboo Pajamas Were a Scam (I Was Wrong)
Itβs 3:14 AM in mid-July. My firstborn, Jacksonβwho I love dearly but remains my walking, talking cautionary tale for all things parentingβis screaming his lungs out. Heβs wearing one of those rigid, aggressively adorable cotton zip-ups my aunt bought him....
Why Traditional Toddler Rompers Are Actually A Complete Nightmare
I'm balancing my lukewarm iced vanilla latte on the edge of the incredibly questionable diaper changing station in the Target family restroom while my then two-and-a-half-year-old, Maya, is doing the frantic, knee-knocking pee dance. She is wearing this absolutely precious,...
The Truth About Babys Rompers (And Why Onesies Are A Trap)
I was standing in the blistering Target parking lot with my firstborn, trying to shove a pair of rigid denim baby jeans over a snapped bodysuit while he screamed loud enough to wake the entire state of Texas, when an...
Why Your Kids Need Heavy-Duty Fishing Bibs This Year
I'm watching my three-year-old sink waist-deep into a clay puddle out by the barn, wearing what some beautifully curated Instagram ad promised me was the ultimate Scandinavian toddler rain suit. The jacket has ridden up to his armpits, the pants...