Romper

When a new mom welcomes their baby, newborn photoshoots often follow close behind. These ethereal shots of a peacefully sleeping infant, a sun-drenched nursery, and glowing parents create a serene scene. And while those images capture a sweet moment in time, they certainly don’t tell the whole story. Katie Holter, a 36-year-old mom from Wisconsin, knows that well. When she brought her first baby home, she remembers feeling less like a goddess and more like a hot mess.

Susie Cobb remembers the first time she carried her newborn son down the stairs. She was still healing from giving birth and unsteady on her feet, so she held the banister in one hand and her tiny child with the other. Suddenly, an image flashed in her mind of the then-35-year-old mom dropping her fragile infant, his skull hitting the tile floor below. “A feeling of dread and panic washed over me, and I sat down on the stairs immediately,” she says.

If you asked us which beloved cartoon character still puts a smile on our faces, we’d answer without hesitation: SpongeBob SquarePants. From after-school snacks in front of the DVR to introducing Bikini Bottom antics to our own kiddos, SpongeBobSquarePants has shaped our humor and culture for decades, and that isn’t stopping anytime soon.

When Nisha Patel brought her newborn home from the hospital in November 2023, she struggled with how best to feed him. He was having difficulty breastfeeding, and Dr. Patel, a board-certified internal medicine and obesity medicine physician in San Francisco, was constantly questioning whether he was getting enough milk. During one routine checkup shortly after he was born, she learned he’d lost weight since being discharged from the hospital, and burst into tears.

Your mom calls hourly. Your friends are checking in. Your OB-GYN and your baby’s pediatrician screen you for postpartum depression (PPD). People in your life are concerned about your mental well-being, and it makes sense. After all, moms endure the physical aftermath of giving birth, not to mention the eat-play-sleep grind, hormonal shifts, and the general chaos of having a newborn at home. But you don’t have to give birth to feel like your entire world has been turned upside down by a baby.

If you've recently heard about Baby of the Year, you're not alone. Every year, thousands of families discover the nationwide online competition through a friend's social media post, a family text message, or a shared voting link. Naturally, one of the first questions they ask is: What exactly is Baby of the Year? Baby of the Year is a nationwide online competition open to babies under 24 months old.

With the dog days of summer creeping in, moms and dads everywhere have one thing on their mind: back-to-school season. While the start of the school year is exciting, prepping for a new year can be stressful for parents and kiddos alike. Think frustrating fitting room sessions, trying to find a first-day fit that your kid likes and doesn't break the bank, hectic mornings trying to get everyone out the door on time, and more chaos.

The moment your algorithm figures out you’re pregnant, it starts saying goodbye to the old you. The feed that once knew you as someone looking for your next book club read, training for a 10K, or hunting down the latest skin-care launch slowly morphs into hospital bag checklists, baby carriers, and the stroller that’s supposedly going to change your life. (Seriously, why are there more stroller models than cars?

Your first baby comes with a steep learning curve that can be both exhausting and exhilarating. But by the time a second arrives, you at least know what to expect. You’ve survived the sleepless nights, mastered the swaddle, and learned which baby gadgets are actually worth buying (sorry, wet wipe warmer). And if your first postpartum experience was relatively smooth, it’s only natural to assume the next one will be, too.

Life The Very Honest Reason I Shop My Own Closet For School Supplies I realized, while I love back to school shopping, it was a completely unnecessary endeavor. Parenting Do You Sign Your Youngest Up For Stuff Or Are You Like Me? When I realized my third kid should probably have an activity of his own, too. Parenting The Hidden Back-To-School Supply Parents Can't Buy: More Bandwidth Staying informed about school shouldn’t take this much.