Magazine

A realistic look at navigating crowded baby product expos and TV screen time rules for infants

The brutal truth about baby shows: Expos, screens, and survival

Listen. I was thirty-four weeks pregnant, my ankles were swelling over the tops of my sneakers, and I was standing in the middle of McCormick Place in downtown Chicago. A very enthusiastic woman with a microphone was trying to sell...

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A tired mom holding three different types of baby pacifiers in her hand.

The Brutal Truth About Pacifiers When Everyone Has an Opinion

I was sitting in the hospital bed on day two with my oldest, icing parts of my body I didn't know could swell, when the advice assault began. The hospital lactation consultant pointed a stern finger at my overnight bag...

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A confused mom looking at tiny baby mittens while holding a cold coffee

Dear Past Me: The Ugly, Honest Truth About Useless Baby Mittens

Dear Sarah from exactly six months ago, You're standing in your sister's nursery, surrounded by a mountain of crumpled tissue paper and tiny, impossibly small socks. You're holding a little mesh bag of baby mβ€”wait, what are these even called?...

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A dad looking defeated while holding two tiny winter beanies

The Great Infant Hat Standoff: When Your Child Refuses to Wear One

My forehead is currently resting against the cold Victorian anaglypta wallpaper of our hallway, and I'm quietly pleading with a ten-month-old. She is holding her mustard-yellow knitted beanie in her left fist like a triumphant gladiator holding a severed head....

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Dad researching safe piercing spots on his phone while holding his sleeping baby

Finding Safe Baby Ear Piercing Near Me: A Dad’s Honest Review

Hey Marcus from six months ago. You're currently sitting in the dark, bathed in the blue light of your phone at 2:14 AM while Maya sleeps on your chest, casually typing baby ear piercing near me into Google Maps like...

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Exhausted dad trying to figure out a complicated fabric baby carrier

The absolute origami nightmare of strapping on a baby carrier

I was standing in the middle of our cramped London kitchen at two in the afternoon, sweating profusely, completely tangled in eighteen feet of modal fabric. One twin was screaming from the bouncy chair on the floor, the other was...

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Priya staring at a pile of pureed sweet potatoes in tiny plastic cups

Dear Priya: The messy truth about that baby bullet blender

Dear Priya from six months ago. You're currently standing in the kitchen at eleven at night, staring at a massive pile of organic sweet potatoes. You just bought a specialized baby bullet blender, and you're entirely convinced you're going to...

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A nice dinner table setup with a subtle clothing protector folded next to a plate

Finding the Best Adult Bibs for Dignity at the Dinner Table

The gravy hit her white silk blouse before I even had a chance to drop my fork. I'm sitting there at Sunday dinner, wedged between a screaming toddler and my grandmother, watching a massive brown stain spread right across her...

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Tired dad researching the dreamland baby sleep sack at 3am

Why a weighted sleep sack almost broke my parenting resolve

The glow of my phone screen was the only light in the nursery, casting long, vaguely sinister shadows over two cots containing infants who had apparently unionised and agreed to strike against sleep. It was 3:14 in the morning. My...

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