Magazine

12-month-oldBabygearoutdoorsafety tipssummer baby
Mom riding a bicycle with a toddler in a rear-mounted seat on a rural dirt road

What I Wish I Knew Before Buying a Bike Seat for My Baby

Dear Jess from six months ago, You're currently sitting on the concrete floor of the garage, sweating through your favorite oversized t-shirt in this humid Texas heat, trying to decipher an instruction manual that appears to be written entirely in...

Read more

12-month-oldhumororganic clothingplaytimesensory play
Two toddlers playing in a modern indoor foam infant play pit

The absolute chaos of the home baby ball pit (and why we caved)

"Get them a tub of plastic spheres," my mother-in-law announced over Sunday roast, waving her fork for emphasis, "it tires them out." "Don’t you dare," warned Clara from my NCT group a week later, eyes wide over her flat white,...

Read more

12-month-old90s nostalgiababy dollsmilestonesparenting humor
Confused dad holding an American Girl Bitty Baby doll while his toddler looks on in the nursery.

Surviving the American Girl Bitty Baby Hardware Update

It was 2:18 AM on a Tuesday. The ambient temperature in the nursery was exactly 68.4 degrees, according to the three different sensors I had calibrated that afternoon. I was executing a standard tactical stealth retreat after successfully resetting my...

Read more

12-month-oldbabybaby carebaby teethparenting humorsustainable
Tired father holding a tiny electric infant toothbrush while twin girls run away

Dear Past Me: The Baby Sonic Toothbrush Wars Will Break You

Dear Tom of six months ago, It's currently Tuesday evening, and you're sitting on the cold, damp tiles of the family bathroom. You have a standard-issue manual infant toothbrush clutched in your sweating right hand, while your twin daughters have...

Read more

12-month-oldbaby accessorieshydrationparenting humorpediatriciansafety tips
Toddler drinking safely from a soft silicone cup instead of a metal tumbler

Why giving your toddler a baby stanley is a pediatric nightmare

Tuesday morning. My fourteen-month-old has both hands wrapped around the base of my forty-ounce metal tumbler, trying to deadlift it off the coffee table. He is vibrating with effort. The cup outweighs his head. He manages to tilt it just...

Read more

12-month-old9-month-oldbaby developmentbaby stepsgross motor skillsorganic baby clothes
A baby cruising along a living room couch wearing soft sole sneakers

The Truth About Controlling Your Baby's First Steps

I'm hunched over at a ninety-degree angle, my lower back screaming, holding Maya's tiny hands straight up in the air like she's a miniature hostage. It's, like, a Tuesday at 9 AM, I'm on my third cup of lukewarm coffee,...

Read more

12-month-oldbaby gearinfant safetyparenting humorstroller
Marcus pushing a baby stroller in the rain while looking confused at a car seat adapter

Debugging The Infant Travel System Compatibility Matrix

It's currently forty-two degrees and raining sideways in the parking lot of a Portland Target, and I'm aggressively jiggling a piece of molded plastic while my eleven-month-old son screams as if I've deeply betrayed him. I'm trying to attach his...

Read more

12-month-oldbaby developmentbehaviorboundariesmotherhoodparenting tips
Frustrated mom sitting on the floor while her toddler throws a tantrum.

Are You Raising A Baby Tyrant Or Just A Normal Toddler

We were standing in the kitchen on a Tuesday. Dev was holding a blue plastic cup. I had just handed him the blue plastic cup because, three seconds prior, he had demanded the blue plastic cup. He looked at the...

Read more

12-month-oldbaby weightgrowthparenting anxietypediatrician
A dad looking stressed at a pediatrician office holding a baby

Why I Stopped Treating My Baby's Weight Percentile Like a High Score

The crinkly paper on the exam table was already soaked with drool by the time Dr. Miller walked in holding the printout. I was bouncing our eleven-month-old on my hip, trying to keep him from disassembling the otoscope on the...

Read more