Magazine

animal learningorganic baby clothesparenting humoursafety tips
London dad holding a peachick and two toddlers

The Absurd Reality of Raising a Baby Peacock With Toddlers

I'm currently watching my two-year-old daughter attempt to post a piece of heavily chewed toast into the ventilation slat of a heated poultry brooder. Inside that plastic tub sits a bird that cost more than my first car, looking less...

Read more

6-month-oldanimal learninganxietybaby sleepearly developmentoutdoor
Marcus holding a sleepy baby in an owl sleep sack next to a stack of toddler books.

The Baby Owl Bug: Sleep Hacks, Separation Panic and Bird Law

My mom told me on Tuesday to just let him cry it out because he's testing my authority, which is hilarious because he's eleven months old and mostly communicates by blowing raspberries at the dog. On Wednesday, our ultra-crunchy Portland...

Read more

animal learningautumnhealthnature learningsafety tipstoddler
Toddler reading a book about mice in a safe indoor playroom

What to Do When Your Toddler Finds a Wild Baby Mouse in the Yard

My Tuesday morning began with a half-dead rodent. I was standing in our Chicago backyard, clutching a lukewarm coffee, while my two-year-old proudly held out her hands to show me her new treasure. Our family cat was sitting a few...

Read more

animal learningbabyoutdoorparenting humoursafety tipstoddler
A confused dad holding twin girls looking at a small wild canine in a garden

Surviving a baby coyote encounter with jetlagged twin toddlers

It was 4:17 in the morning in suburban California, and I was losing my mind. We had foolishly decided to drag our two-year-old twin girls on a twelve-hour flight from Heathrow to Los Angeles to visit my wife's brother, operating...

Read more

animal learningbaby safetyearly developmentoutdoorparenting humoursurvival
A bewildered dad holding a baby while looking at a fluffy duckling

Backyard Baby Ducks: A Dad's Guide to Feathers, Fluff, and Chaos

If you've ever seen a cartoon or read a children's book, you probably think a baby duck’s default state is bobbing happily in a crystal-clear pond while eating breadcrumbs, which is exactly why I nearly short-circuited when my wife pointed...

Read more

animal learningfamily careorganic cottonoutdoorsurvival
A tiny newborn squirrel resting safely on a smooth cotton cloth inside a dark cardboard box

My chaotic guide to finding an orphaned baby squirrel in your yard

The wind in Chicago in April is basically a personal insult. I was already standing in the kitchen watching my toddler have a full-scale meltdown because his morning banana had the audacity to break in half. I was mentally calculating...

Read more

animal learningearly developmentorganic cottonparenting humourtoddler
Two toddlers in rain boots pointing at a sheep in a muddy farm park enclosure.

Farmyard Crises and Explaining Baby Sheep to Toddlers

I'm standing ankle-deep in something I'm desperately praying is just mud at Mudchute Farm, trying to wipe half a chewed oat biscuit off Twin A’s cheek, when Twin B extends a sticky, demanding finger toward the livestock enclosure. The sky...

Read more

animal learningearly developmentfatherhoodorganic baby clothessensory play
A bewildered dad looking at a baby platypus plush toy next to a modern laptop and baby gear.

The Baby Platypus Taught Me More About Parenting Than Books

When it came time to figure out how we were going to explain the birds and the bees—or just basic mammalian biology—to our kid, I got three entirely different pieces of advice within a 24-hour window. My mother-in-law told me...

Read more

animal learningautumnmotherhoodparenthoodsafety tips
A tiny wild hoglet resting in a cardboard box lined with an old towel.

Dear Past Me: The Chaos of Finding a Baby Hedgehog

Dear Sarah from last October, You're currently standing on the back patio holding your third cup of lukewarm coffee, wearing those faded black Lululemons with the tiny hole in the left knee that you swore you were going to throw...

Read more