Magazine

Tired mother holding a baby with a spit-up cloth over her shoulder

The ugly truth about reflux in babies and the endless laundry

A mom came into the pediatric ER at two in the morning a few years ago carrying a bassinet mattress that looked like it had been constructed into a crude ski ramp. She was exhausted, practically vibrating with anxiety, and...

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Mom rocking her baby to sleep in a dimly lit nursery chair

Rockabye Baby: The Unfiltered Truth About 3 AM Infant Sleep

I was sitting in the dark at 3:14 AM with my oldest, Jackson, smelling vaguely of sour milk and utter desperation, rhythmically swaying in a hand-me-down wooden glider that shrieked on every single backswing. I was humming the only tune...

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Marcus staring at his phone in a dark room while a baby sleeps nearby.

What I Learned Googling the Rosemary's Baby Cast Late at Night

It was 2:14 AM, the exact ambient temperature of our Portland living room was 64.2 degrees according to my heavily customized smart home dashboard, and my 11-month-old was finally asleep on my chest after what felt like a critical firmware...

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Exhausted dad staring at a thermometer while holding a baby

Truths About the RSV Vaccine for Babies (And Surviving Winter)

There's a spectacularly dangerous lie told to first-time parents by well-meaning older relatives, usually delivered over a lukewarm cup of tea. They lean in conspiratorially and tell you that a mild winter cold is actually brilliant for building up a...

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Marcus holding his screaming infant in a dark nursery next to a glowing white noise machine.

Checking For Shaken Baby Syndrome Symptoms At 3 AM Is Terrifying

It was 3:14 AM on a Tuesday, and the decibel meter app on my Apple Watch was aggressively tapping my wrist to warn me about prolonged exposure to loud environments. My son was hitting 92 decibels. I was doing this...

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Twin girls wearing flexible toddler walking shoes in the park

The Great Arch Support Myth and Stride Rite Baby Shoes

The lady in the shoe shop was looking at me with a mixture of pity and mild alarm. I was kneeling on the carpet, wrestling with Twin A's left foot, trying to compress what looked like a perfectly round, dimpled...

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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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Exhausted mom holding a baby in a dark room watching a micro-drama on her phone

Midnight Feeds & Why Surprise Baby Daddy is the CEO Saved Me

It was 3:14 AM. I know this because I had checked the clock on the microwave four times in the last hour. I was wearing my husband Dave's gray sweatpantsβ€”the ones with the mysterious bleach stain on the left kneeβ€”and...

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Confused mom looking at baby products on the Target app while drinking coffee

How to Actually Do a Target Baby Registry Search Without Tears

When I was about seven months pregnant with Maya, three different people gave me three completely contradictory pieces of advice about how getting people to buy us newborn gear actually worked. My mother-in-law insisted that guests just walk up to...

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