Magazine

A textured natural rubber teething ring resting on a knitted baby blanket

Natural Rubber Teethers: The Mistakes I Made Early On

Three in the morning is a bad time to evaluate your parenting choices. The radiator in our Chicago apartment was hissing, my toddler was trying to gnaw his own fist off, and I was frantically digging through the freezer. I...

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My youngest chewing on a maple wooden teether while sitting in her high chair.

Beißring Holz: Why I Tossed the Plastic for Wooden Teethers

I'm literally sitting on the floor of my laundry room right now, picking golden retriever hair off a neon green, gel-filled plastic teething ring that my three-year-old just excavated from the dark abyss under the living room couch. It’s sticky....

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A tired mom holding a silicone baby teether in her kitchen

Why the Teething Freezer Trick is a Disaster (And the Silicone Fix)

I was standing in front of the open refrigerator at 3:14 AM wearing a t-shirt I’d spilled coffee on twelve hours earlier, holding my oldest son Tucker while he screamed bloody murder. He was about five months old, drooling like...

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A half-chewed natural rubber teething ring sitting on a burp cloth

Why Freezing Your Natural Rubber Teether Is a Terrible Idea

I was standing in my kitchen at 2:14 AM wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt and nursing pads, violently chipping ice off a rubber ring with a butter knife. My oldest son, Leo, was in the background doing that high-pitched,...

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A mother holding a safe one-piece silicone teether instead of a necklace

The ugly truth about silicone jewelry teething trends and safety

I was standing in the checkout line at the Target on Roosevelt Road with a lukewarm cold brew I was too exhausted to actually drink when the geometric mint-green necklace snapped. Maya had a death grip on the nylon string....

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Tired dad holding an 11 month old baby who is happily chewing on his necklace

Dear Past Marcus: You Will Wear Silicone Teething Jewelry

It’s 2:14 PM on a Tuesday, and you’re standing in the kitchen watching Maya try to tape her favorite delicate gold chain back together while our five-month-old daughter looks on with zero remorse. You’re currently thinking, Wow, babies have an...

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A tired mom holding a safe one-piece silicone panda teether in her kitchen.

A Letter to Myself About Those Aesthetic Silicone Teething Toys

Dear Sarah from exactly six months ago, You're currently sitting cross-legged on the gross, unfinished plywood floor of the attic. You're wearing that oversized grey college sweatshirt with the mysterious mustard stain on the left cuff, sweating profusely because it's...

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A tired dad trying to figure out the snaps on a wrap-style infant top.

Surviving the Floppy Head Phase With a Wrap-Style Baby Outfit

I'm sweating entirely through my gray t-shirt in Room 402 of Legacy Emanuel hospital. My daughter is exactly 36 hours old, and I'm holding a piece of yellow cotton with a neck hole that looks roughly the size of a...

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Soft organic cotton infant kimono set folded on a messy nursery changing table

The 3 AM Poop Blowout That Saved Me From Over-The-Head Onesies

There was poop in Leo’s ear. I don’t mean a little smudge, I mean a scientifically impossible amount of bright yellow liquid nightmare that had somehow defied gravity and traveled all the way up his back, past his neck, and...

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