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6-month-oldbaby developmenteducational toyshealthy babymaternal mental healthmotherhood
Raising a brainy baby naturally with simple toys and floor time.

Confessions on Raising a Brainy Baby Without Losing Your Mind

Dear Jess of six months ago: I see you sitting on the rug in our Texas living room, sweating through your shirt, surrounded by Mandarin language flashcards, trying to get a ten-week-old to focus on high-contrast black-and-white shapes while the...

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3-month-oldbaby gearfourth trimesterhealthy babyinfant safety
Tired mom drinking coffee next to an infant in a bouncy seat on the floor

The Real Rules of the Bouncy Seat (And Why They Can't Sleep In It)

I was standing in my tiny, mildew-speckled master bathroom shower at exactly 6:14 AM on a Tuesday, wearing nothing but a layer of dried overnight spit-up and deep, bone-deep exhaustion, staring through the water-spotted glass at my three-month-old son, Leo....

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baby poopfourth trimesterhealthy babyhospital baginfant health
A pregnant woman looking down at her belly with a skeptical and amused expression

The Murky Truth About Fetal Digestion and Prenatal Poop

I was halfway through a slightly stale samosa in the L&D breakroom at Northwestern Memorial when I heard a first-time mom down the hall completely lose her mind. Her water had just broken, and instead of looking like a clear...

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6-month-oldearly developmenthealthy babymillennial mommusic
Baby dancing and playing on a wooden mat while listening to upbeat music

Why I Finally Let My Kids Listen to Fantastic Baby Lyrics

It was 2:14 PM on a rainy Tuesday, I was wearing a nursing tank top that smelled strongly of old milk and desperation, and my husband Dave was having a full-blown basement rave with our then six-month-old daughter, Maya. Like,...

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baby safetybabyproofingeco-friendlyhealthy babyparentingtoddler
Mom drinking coffee looking nervously out the patio door

What to Do When You Look Outside and See a Baby Rat Near Your Kids

It was 6:15 on a freezing Tuesday morning, and I was standing in my kitchen wearing a pair of inside-out Target leggings—you know the ones with the side pocket that always sags?—drinking my third espresso because Maya was going through...

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4-month-oldbabyhealthy babyinfant healthmaternal mental healthmotherhood
A tired mom in a messy bun holding a congested baby wrapped in an organic cotton blanket.

Surviving The RS Virus With A Baby: What I Wish I Knew Sooner

I was wearing my husband’s college track sweatpants—the ones with the embarrassing hole right at the knee—and a t-shirt that literally smelled like sour milk and desperation. It was 3:14 AM on a freezing Tuesday in November. Maya was four...

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6-month-oldbaby skinhealthy babyinfant caremillennial
Priya sitting on a bathroom floor holding a soft baby washcloth

Dear past Priya, please stop trying to scrub baby skin raw

You're sitting on the cold tile of our Chicago apartment bathroom. It's February, which means the air inside the apartment is roughly as humid as a saltine cracker. The green plastic infant tub is taking up the entire shower floor,...

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12-month-oldbaby feedingBaby-Led Weaningearly developmenthealthy babynutrition
Messy toddler in a highchair covered in mashed sweet potatoes looking confused

The Absolute Real Truth About Having a Sugar Baby 2024 Edition

I was literally standing in the middle of the Target baby aisle on a Tuesday at 9 AM, wearing yesterday's yoga pants that definitely had dried oatmeal on the knee, holding a pouch of pureed pear and spinach, when my...

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6-month-oldbaby sleepdiaperinghealthy babymotherhoodorganic baby clothes
Exhausted mother changing a wet baby on a round play mat in the dark

The Leaks Lil Baby: Surviving The Midnight Diaper Blowouts

The smell of ammonia always hits you before the wetness does. It was three in the morning. My toddler was standing in his crib, sobbing softly, completely drenched from the ribs down. I stood there in the dark, calculating how...

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