Magazine

Toddler in organic cotton pointing at a pink baby rose bush in a Texas yard

Dear Jess: Please Stop Panicking About That Prickly Baby Rose Bush

Dear Jess from six months ago, I know exactly where you're right now. You're standing at the kitchen window, staring out at the sweltering Texas yard with a cup of coffee that went cold three hours ago. You’ve got a...

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A cardboard brooder box setup for small poultry with a heat lamp overhead

Before you get quail chicks for the kids, read this

At 3:14 am on a Tuesday, I found myself dropping glass marbles into a milk bottle lid while two frantic, thumb-sized birds watched me with what I can only describe as big suspicion. In the next room, my two-year-old twin...

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A toddler wearing flexible baby shoes while trying to stand up next to a living room couch.

The Truth About Baby Nike Shoes From a Mom Who Learned the Hard Way

I'm standing in the middle of Target, holding a pair of tiny, sixty-dollar sneakers that weigh more than a sack of flour, while my phone blows up with conflicting text messages. My mom is telling me my ten-month-old needs sturdy...

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Toddler mid-tantrum on a living room rug next to a plush teething toy

Who Are The Baby Monster Members? (From K-Pop To Toddler Tantrums)

Yesterday at a Sunday pub roast, over a sticky table covered in mashed peas, I casually mentioned we were dealing with a massive "baby monster" situation at home. I received three entirely contradictory pieces of advice in the span of...

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Toddler holding a game controller while wearing a red organic cotton bodysuit

My toddler found baby mario and my screen time rules evaporated

The console was just sitting there on the coffee table, a glowing rectangle of temptation my husband forgot to dock the night before. It was 6:15 in the morning. I was in the kitchen trying to make coffee with one...

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A toddler reaching up for a modern lever door handle in a dark hallway

The Great Toddler Escape and Why Door Safety Is So Controversial

My mother-in-law told me to just flip the lock on my toddler's bedroom door around so it secures from the outside. A mom in my local Chicago Facebook group said locking a child in their room is literal abuse and...

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Toddler sitting safely in a dark grey stroller wagon with a five-point harness on a Chicago sidewalk

Why this skeptical pediatric nurse finally bought a baby wagon

It was mid-July at Montrose Beach, the kind of Chicago summer day where the humidity feels like a wet wool blanket draped over your shoulders. I was dragging a premium traditional stroller backward through the sand, my sandals sinking with...

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A tired mom holding a coffee mug next to a toddler bed

The 3 AM Panic Over an Imaginary Baby Wolf and Real Spiders

It’s 3:14 AM and I’m standing in the hallway wearing my husband’s stained college sweatpants, entirely unable to process what's happening. The baby monitor is just blinking this angry little green light at me, and through the static, I can...

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A frustrated mom looking at her toddler who just shoved a green pea up their nose during dinner.

Baby You Got Something In Your Nose: A Toddler Survival Guide

I was standing at the kitchen sink yesterday, frantically trying to scrub crusted oatmeal off a plastic dinosaur plate while three loads of laundry soured in the washing machine. I had the radio playing, and I was actually singing the...

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