Real-Life Guides for Pregnancy, Babies, Toddlers & Travel

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I remember wondering whether a car seat that turns into a stroller could really be worth the price. Now, after using the Doona with two babies, I can confidently say it's one of my favorite baby products we've owned. I've used it for everything from everyday errands to airports, airplanes, Ubers, and taxis. And while I don't think every family needs one, it's one of those products that has genuinely made my life easier. What I love most

Black Friday is one of the best times to shop for baby gear, especially if you're pregnant, building your baby registry, or finally ready to buy one of those bigger-ticket items you've had your eye on. But here's the thing: just because something is on sale doesn't mean you need it. I'm a mom of two, and I've learned that when it comes to baby gear, less is often more. Instead of rounding up hundreds of Black Friday baby deals, I'm focusing on the products I've actually used,

Shopping for a one-year-old can be surprisingly difficult. They're no longer tiny babies, but they're not quite toddlers who can run around and play independently either. And because they're developing so quickly, it can be hard to know which gifts they'll actually enjoy versus which ones they'll outgrow in a few months. As a mom of two, I'm a big believer that less is more when it comes to baby and toddler gear. I don't think you need a playroom overflowing with toys, and I'

Shopping for a two-year-old can be surprisingly tricky. They're no longer babies, but they're not quite big kids either. Their interests are changing constantly, and it's hard to know which toys they'll actually play with versus which ones will end up collecting dust. As a mom of two, I'm a big believer that less is more when it comes to baby and toddler gear. I'd much rather invest in a handful of toys that my kids genuinely love than fill our house with things they'll lose

Flying alone with a baby can feel intimidating, even if you've flown with kids before. Between getting through security, managing a stroller or car seat, and wondering what you'll do if your baby cries the entire flight, there's a lot to think about when you're the only adult traveling. I've taken more than 20 flights with my kids, but I was still nervous before my first solo flight with my daughter. We were taking a red-eye from Los Angeles to Boston, and she was around four

One of the questions I get asked most often whenever I put up an Instagram question box about traveling with babies is: How do you get your baby to nap on the go? And I get it. When you're planning a vacation with a baby, one of the biggest questions is what you're supposed to do about naps. Do you have to go back to the hotel room every few hours? What if your baby is used to sleeping in a dark room with a sound machine? And what happens when your baby just refuses to sleep?

Traveling with kids is already stressful enough. Between the luggage, stroller, diaper bag, snacks, and everything else you need to bring, the last thing I want to deal with is a bulky car seat. After taking more than 20 flights with my kids, I've learned that simplifying travel wherever possible makes such a difference. And one thing I would never do? Bring our everyday car seat on vacation. It's heavy, bulky, and just not practical for the way we travel. Instead, I'm a big

If you're looking for an easy fall breakfast that the whole family will love, this pumpkin spice ciabatta French toast is worth trying. I made it for my husband and three-year-old over the weekend, and my toddler absolutely loved it. The secret? Ciabatta bread. It holds up beautifully when soaked in the egg mixture, giving you a golden, slightly crispy outside and a soft center. I also added cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice for a cozy fall flavor, and it turned out so good. It'

If you're looking for an easy fall snack for toddlers, these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are a great option to try. They're made with pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, warm fall spices, and mini chocolate chips. They're simple to prepare, easy to make ahead, and the perfect size for little hands. I love having homemade snacks ready to go, especially ones that can double as a quick breakfast or something to pack in my toddler's lunchbox. And while pumpkin recipes are especially

When I was building my baby registry for my first child, I didn't spend nearly as much time researching high chairs as I did strollers, car seats, or baby monitors. I figured a high chair was a high chair. How different could they really be? Now, after using the same high chair with my son for nearly three years and again with my daughter, I have a much better understanding of what actually matters. And spoiler alert: It's not the fancy accessories. My biggest priority? A hig

When you have a premature baby, figuring out when to start solids can feel a little more complicated than it does with a full-term baby. Do you go by their actual age? Their corrected age? Do you wait until six months, or can you start earlier? These were all questions I had with my daughter, who was born at 33 weeks and one day, almost seven weeks before her due date. With my son, who was born full-term, we started introducing solids around four months. So naturally, when my

When I first introduced solids to my daughter at six months, I expected some funny faces, maybe a little confusion, and probably a lot of food ending up everywhere except her mouth. What I didn't expect was for her to cry hysterically. I had put a little purée from a pouch onto a silicone spoon and offered it to her. She was absolutely not interested. She seemed completely confused about what was happening and wanted nothing to do with it. Fast-forward about a month, and she'

Choosing a stroller was one of those baby registry decisions that felt much more complicated than it needed to be. There are travel systems, convertible strollers, lightweight strollers, car seat-stroller combinations and strollers that cost more than some pieces of furniture. And before you actually have a baby, it's really hard to know which features you'll care about once you're using the thing every day. After two kids, my biggest piece of advice is simple: don't start by

If you have a toddler who is obsessed with Spidey, you probably already know that putting Spidey on basically anything makes it instantly more exciting. My 3-year-old is currently in a major Spidey phase. The remote-control car? Huge hit. Spidey stuffed animals? Obsessed. A Spidey watch he got for his birthday? Loved it. He even got an Oral-B Spidey electric toothbrush for his birthday, and somehow brushing his teeth became exciting. So if you're looking for the best Spidey g

Shopping for a 3-year-old is fun because they suddenly have opinions. Very strong opinions. My son is three, and right now, he is completely obsessed with Spidey. If it has Spidey on it, there is a very good chance he wants it. But after three years of accumulating toys, I've also learned that there's a big difference between something that gets an exciting reaction when he opens it and something he actually continues playing with months later. I'm trying to be much more inte

Flying with a baby or toddler can make it tempting to stuff your diaper bag with everything you could possibly need. After more than 20 flights with my kids, I’ve learned that I’d much rather have a diaper bag that’s organized and easy to access than one packed with every baby item we own. My system is pretty simple: I keep anything I’m likely to need during the flight in the diaper bag under the seat in front of me. Extra supplies and things I’m bringing “just in case” can g

When my son first started daycare, I knew he was probably going to get sick more often. I don't think I fully understood just how quickly it would happen. I started him at daycare about a month before I was scheduled to go back to work after maternity leave. At the time, part of me wondered what I was going to do with myself for an entire month while he was at daycare and I wasn't working yet. Then, within about a week or two, he got sick. And then I got sick. I am someone wh

One of the things I found surprisingly confusing when we started solids was figuring out whether to offer solids before or after milk. And by milk, I mean breast milk or infant formula, not cow’s milk. Should I give my baby solids first so she’s hungry enough to eat? Should I give her a bottle first because formula is still more important? And if she has a full bottle, will she have any interest in food at all? My daughter is 6 months old, and right now formula is still very

Starting solids somehow feels just as confusing the second time around as it did the first. My daughter is my second baby, and I still found myself wondering: How often am I actually supposed to be feeding her solids? Once a day? Three meals a day? Should I offer food before her bottle or after? And how do we eventually get from a few bites of mashed banana to eating actual meals? Right now, at 6 months old, my goal is pretty simple: I try to offer her solids at least once a

I didn’t have a bottle washer or a bottle sterilizer with my first baby. I washed all of his bottles by hand, sterilized new bottles in a big pot of boiling water, and survived just fine. Then my mother-in-law gave me a Momcozy bottle washer when I had my second baby, and I became obsessed with it. We run it about twice a day, and it washes, sterilizes, and dries everything in the same cycle. I joke that it saved my marriage, which is obviously an exaggeration, but after wash