Magazine

A vintage plush toy sitting safely on a high nursery shelf away from the crib

Why gifting a vintage november 24th beanie baby gives me hives

I watched my sister-in-law unearth a vacuum-sealed plastic bag at my baby shower, her eyes shining with that specific millennial nostalgia that usually precedes a terrible financial decision. She pulled out a dusty plush turkey from 1997. She proudly announced...

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Exhausted dad doing a crossword puzzle while twin toddlers chew on sustainable silicone teething toys.

Why The Baby Beluga Musician NYT Clue Destroyed My Sleep Entirely

The glowing rectangle of my phone was the only light in the nursery at 3:42 am last Tuesday. Twin A (Maya) was draped across my left shoulder like a heavily sedated sack of potatoes, occasionally whimpering and aggressively gnawing on...

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Toddler playing with wooden toys on the living room floor

Raising a Gemini Baby Without Losing Your Mind Or All Your Friends

"Don't tell Mr. Henderson that his grass looks like garbage. I don't care if that's what Daddy said in the kitchen, you keep your mouth shut because your wife is my friend and I've to sit next to her at...

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Golden spaniel puppy chewing on a toy next to twin toddler girls.

When Do Dogs Lose Their Baby Teeth? A Twin Dad's Survival Guide

I stepped on it barefoot at exactly six in the morning. It was sharp, cold, and entirely unyielding, which naturally led me to assume I had discovered yet another rogue piece of plastic from the twins' supposedly tidied toy box....

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Sliced soft cooked pear pieces on a divided silicone suction plate for baby

That First Slippery Baby Pear And The Constipation Chronicles

My thumb was covered in aquaphor and desperation. It was day four of the great solid-food bowel strike, and my son was looking at me like I had betrayed him. Starting solids at six months is heavily romanticized on the...

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Exhausted parents looking at a complicated written birth plan on a table.

Megan Walerius, Birth Plans, and the Chaos of Expectations

When we announced the twins were on the way, I received three distinct pieces of advice within a forty-five-minute window at my local pub. My mother, clutching a small glass of sherry, told us to simply let nature take its...

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A pile of white cloth diaper inserts next to a bathtub

The ugly truth about deep cleaning your reusable cloth diapers

I was standing over the changing table last November, the Chicago wind rattling the windowpanes, pulling a supposedly fresh cloth diaper off my toddler. It smelled exactly like the gerbil enclosure at a rundown pet store. I had washed that...

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A pregnant mother drinking coffee and resting her hands on her belly.

Navigating The Difference Between Gas Bubbles And Baby Moving

It was 11:42 PM on a Tuesday, I was wearing Dave’s stained college sweatpants that smelled vaguely of old laundry detergent, and I was absolutely convinced there was an alien trying to claw its way out of my lower intestine....

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Tired mom rocking and patting a baby's back in a dimly lit nursery

When Can You Finally Stop Burping Your Baby? A Mom's Honest Story

I remember sitting in the dark in the rocking chair that squeaked every time I leaned back, aggressively patting my oldest son's back like I was trying to dislodge a stuck vending machine snack. It was probably 3:14 AM on...

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