The Parenting Journal

Age and Stage
Baby Scratching Their Face: Nails, Mittens and Night Scratching

Baby Scratching Their Face: Nails, Mittens and Night Scratching

Short, smooth nails are the AAP’s main fix for face scratches, with mittens as a backup, safe sleep at night and signs it’s time to call the pediatrician.

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Age and Stage
Baby Refusing the Bottle: Nipple Flow, Shape, Temperature and Other Fixes by Age

Baby Refusing the Bottle: Nipple Flow, Shape, Temperature and Other Fixes by Age

Why babies refuse the bottle and what to try at each age, from the nipple and milk temperature to teething and daycare, plus when to call the pediatrician.

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Age and Stage
Baby Carrier and Wrap Safety: Positioning Airway and Hip Health

Baby Carrier and Wrap Safety: Positioning Airway and Hip Health

Standing in the baby carrier aisle, holding two different products, you may feel unsure which one won’t hurt your kid. The packaging all says "ergonomic" and "safe from birth," but none of it tells you what goes wrong. Here’s what...

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Age and Stage
Stroller Safety Tips: Brakes Harnesses and Terrain Awareness

Stroller Safety Tips: Brakes Harnesses and Terrain Awareness

Every stroller trip starts the same way: you buckle in, grab the handle, and head out the door. But the safety decisions you make in the first thirty seconds of that routine, and every thirty seconds after, are what keep...

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Age and Stage
When Do Babies Start Rolling Over: Safety Prep for the First Big Move

When Do Babies Start Rolling Over: Safety Prep for the First Big Move

Most parents miss the window. Not by much, but by enough. Your baby has been sleeping flat on their back in a bare crib, and then one morning you walk in and find them on their tummy in the corner...

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Age and Stage
What Age Should You Stop Baby Proofing? A Milestone-Based Timeline

What Age Should You Stop Baby Proofing? A Milestone-Based Timeline

There is no single day when you pack up the cabinet locks and declare the house safe. Baby proofing is a process that shifts with your child, not a project with a completion date. The measures that matter at 8...

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Age and Stage
Baby Proofing for Toddlers Who Climb Everything

Baby Proofing for Toddlers Who Climb Everything

Somewhere around 22 months, my older daughter figured out that dresser drawers make excellent ladder rungs. I walked into her room one afternoon to find her standing on the third drawer, eye level with the top of a five-drawer chest,...

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Age and Stage
Baby Proofing During Potty Training: Bathroom Access vs. Safety

Baby Proofing During Potty Training: Bathroom Access vs. Safety

Potty training is one of the first times you hand your toddler a key to a room you’ve spent two years keeping locked. That shift is real and necessary. Independence at the toilet requires independent access to the toilet. But...

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Age and Stage
Baby Proofing for Parents of Premature Babies: Adjusted Timelines

Baby Proofing for Parents of Premature Babies: Adjusted Timelines

The day you bring a premature baby home, you’re handed a discharge packet, a list of follow-up appointments, and an enormous amount of anxiety. What you probably don’t get is a clear answer to the question most parents ask around...

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