Magazine

eco-friendlyplaytimesafety tipsToddlerwooden toys
A wooden indoor jungle gym for toddlers set up on a vegan leather play mat in a Portland house.

Ranking the best indoor jungle gym for toddlers as a new dad

My 11-month-old’s left big toe was wedged firmly into the cooling vent of my PlayStation 5 while his right hand maintained a white-knuckle death grip on the edge of the media console. He was attempting to scale the living room...

Read more

baby geareducational toyssafetoddlerwooden toys
A toddler playing with a wooden block set on a living room rug.

Why we finally switched to holz kinderspielzeug (wooden toys)

It was a Tuesday. 6:14 AM. Leo was three, Maya was basically a blob, and I was holding a cold mug of coffee while wearing a stained Nirvana t-shirt I’ve owned since college. I was staring at our living room...

Read more

educational toysparenting humoursensory playsustainabletoddlerwooden toys
A minimalist toddler room with a few wooden blocks and a very tired mom holding a giant coffee cup.

What I wish I knew about spielzeug fΓΌr kleinkinder back then

I was sitting dead center on the rug in our tiny apartment living room, wearing yoga pants that I’m pretty sure had crusty sweet potato purΓ©e smeared on the left thigh from three days prior, just staring blankly at a...

Read more

baby toyseducational toysparenting humoursensory playtoddlerwooden toys
Two toddlers playing with wooden shape sorters on a living room rug

Why Wooden Toys for a 1-Year-Old Might Actually Save Your Sanity

It's 5:42 am on a Tuesday, and I'm currently staring at a plastic farm animal that has been singing the same off-key rendition of 'Old MacDonald' for fourteen consecutive minutes. Maya has her tiny foot firmly planted on the cow...

Read more

apparelBabyorganic cottonsafety tipstoddler
Frustrated toddler in a dance studio trying to pull off a scratchy synthetic long-sleeve bodysuit.

The Great Dance Recital Rash and Why I Burned That Nylon Bodysuit

We were wedged in the stall of the tiny, non-air-conditioned bathroom at Miss Patty's School of Dance, and my four-year-old was screaming like I was actively peeling off her actual skin. Lily had just finished the dress rehearsal for her...

Read more

apparelbaby boyorganic cottonouterweartoddlerwinter
A toddler boy in a neutral organic cotton sweater playing outside in the cold

Toddler Sweaters Boy Edition: What Actually Works for Winter

My mother-in-law told me to put three layers of thick wool on him or his lungs would freeze the second we stepped onto the Chicago pavement. The moms in my playgroup swore by fifty-dollar beige cashmere rollnecks that require dry...

Read more

Babyclothingorganic cottonparenting humoursustainabletoddler
Dad trying to put stretchy hosen kinder on an actively rolling 11-month-old baby.

Hosen Kinder: Why Stiff Baby Trousers Are a Hardware Failure

There I was at month four, holding what looked like a perfectly scaled-down replica of my own selvedge denim jeans, staring at my son while he executed a perfect, continuous death roll on the changing table. I had exactly three...

Read more

clothingmotherhoodorganic cottontoddler
Toddler girl sitting on a playmat wearing ribbed baumwoll leggins.

My Honest Review on Why We Finally Switched to Baumwoll Leggins

I'm currently sitting cross-legged on the floor of my guest roomβ€”which is actually just my Etsy shipping room masquerading as a guest roomβ€”staring at a plastic tote bin full of toddler clothes my oldest daughter wore three years ago. I...

Read more

baby carebibsorganic cottonsafety tipsteethingtoddler
A crumpled Pippi lΓ€tzchen bandana bib on a coffee table next to a half-empty mug.

Why Pippi LΓ€tzchen Saved Us from the Teething Drool Nightmare

I'm standing in my kitchen at 4:12 PM on a Tuesday in late November. I'm wearing my husband's oversized grey fleece that smells vaguely of stale coffee and desperation, and I'm holding my five-month-old son, Leo. He is screaming. Not...

Read more