Magazine

A confused dad looking at jars of organic baby food in the grocery store.

Debugging dinner: My panic-induced deep dive into organic baby food

It was Tuesday night, 6:14 PM, and my kitchen looked like a crime scene involving a very small, very angry sweet potato. My wife, Sarah, was trying to scrape orange sludge off the ceiling while I sat on the floor,...

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An exhausted dad looking at a pediatric dosing chart on his phone

Debugging The Stomach Bug: A Dad's Guide To Pedialyte For Babies

There I was at 2:14 AM, standing in the kitchen in my boxers, holding a plastic cup of Portland tap water while my 11-month-old son aggressively formatted his own hard drive all over my shoulder. The dad-logic in my sleep-deprived...

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Mom sitting on living room floor surrounded by baby feeding gear and wooden toys.

The Truth Behind the Sugar Baby Movie Hype for Modern Parents

Dear Past Jess, It's two in the morning, and I'm currently sitting on the floor of our living room here in rural Texas, staring at a laundry basket that looks like it's actively reproducing. I'm peeling a mysterious, crusty substance...

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Chubby baby with bare feet playing on a wooden living room floor

The Truth About Baby Feet: Why Everyone's Advice Is Dead Wrong

I swear, the minute I brought my oldest, Jackson, home from the hospital, it was open season on his toes. My mom took one look at his bare little feet on a perfectly pleasant 75-degree Texas afternoon and shrieked that...

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Mom standing in rural kitchen looking at safe baby products and first aid kits

Why Everything TV Taught You About Baby CPR is Dead Wrong

I was standing at my kitchen island yesterday, quartering grapes for my three-year-old with the kind of frantic, sweaty precision you only develop after your firstborn nearly checked out over a piece of hidden plastic. I had some medical drama...

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Close up of a sleeping newborn baby with slight red bumps on their cheek

Let's sort out that baby acne on face without losing our minds

I was exactly three weeks postpartum, running on half a REM cycle and cold leftover chai, when I noticed the first angry red bump near my son's nose. By the time my husband got home from his shift at the...

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Baby chewing on an electric toothbrush handle in the bathroom

The Elektrische ZahnbΓΌrste Kinder Guide: What Actually Works

At 7:14 PM last Tuesday, I was pinning my 11-month-old to the bath mat in a gentle, modified jiu-jitsu hold while a neon-green vibrating brush whirred aggressively against my left nostril. He was laughing. I was sweating. The toothpaste had...

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Tired mom sitting in a nursery rocking chair holding a digital thermometer

Surviving Midnight Fevers: The Thermometers That Actually Work

I was standing in the master bathroom completely naked at two in the morning, trying to read a plastic pacifier thermometer by the light of my iPhone flash while my firstborn screamed like I was actively torturing him. That was...

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Wooden bear rattle toy resting on a clean playroom floor

A Rat in the Playroom and Why I Tossed All Our Plastic Toys

I was holding a lukewarm mug of chai, stepping over the scattered debris of my toddler's morning play session. Beside the television stand, there was a grey lump. At first, I thought it was just a discarded lint ball from...

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