Parenthood Prep

We've talked about sleep training babies, older kids, and even yourself. But what about the other beloved family member currently ruining your sleep? Yes, I'm talking about your pet.        In this episode, I'm taking a little detour into pet parenting and showing you how many of the same principles we use with babies can also apply to cats, dogs, foster kittens, and any other creature in your hou...

Is bath time one more thing standing between you and bedtime, or could it actually become the best part of the day?     In this episode, I'm making the case for bath time as more than just another chore on the endless parent to-do list. Yes, your child gets clean. But bath time can also be fun, calming, and a magical little reset when everyone is cranky and the day has gone fully off the rails.  ...

Do you have a tough baby, or are you currently pregnant and low-key terrified you might end up with one of those babies who seems impossible to soothe?       After years of working with babies, I've learned that some babies really are harder than others. Sometimes there's something going on beneath the surface, sometimes it's temperament, and sometimes you can do everything "right" and still have...

What does it actually look like to welcome a baby in a polyamorous or multi-adult family? Spoiler alert: it involves a lot more than everyone just being "extra help."     In this episode, Margaret Mason Tate fills in for Devon and sits down with Laura Boyle, author of Monogamy? In This Economy? , to talk about pregnancy, postpartum, parenting, finances, and family life outside the traditional two-...

Are you expecting a baby and staring at your beautifully curated nursery, wondering if any of it is actually going to matter once your new roommate gets here?       Between Pinterest-perfect nurseries and endless baby gear recommendations, it is very easy to feel like you need a fully decked-out magazine-worthy setup before your baby arrives. But the truth is, your newborn does not care about aest...

Do you ever think about which TV parents had the most influence on your own parenting journey?   Whether it was the idealized world of Rugrats or the chaos of The Simpsons, TV parents have shaped how we view raising kids whether we like it or not. So, what makes these on-screen moms and dads so compelling, and what can we learn from them?   In this first ever episode of  Parenthood Prep After Dark...

Let's face it, feeding your baby can sometimes feel like an endless series of decisions - nursing or pumping? Which is better for you? How do you know when to make the switch, or do you even need to? It's a lot to consider.   In this episode, I sit down with leading lactation expert and founder of One with the Pump, Tamari Jacob, to break it all down. She's here to help parents like you understand...

What if one tiny parenting shift could give you more breathing room, help your child become more independent, and make your life feel a whole lot less like an endless game of emotional whack-a-mole?   Let's be honest, a lot of you are answering before a question is even fully out of your child's mouth. You're solving, anticipating, fixing, translating, and then wondering why you're somehow the onl...

Motor skills development is one of those things parents are understandably curious about, but most people aren't actually taught much about it. You hear about tummy time, rolling, and crawling, but beyond that, it can feel really unclear what matters, what's normal, and when something is actually worth paying attention to.   In this episode, I'm talking with Dr. Allison Mell, founder of Tots on Ta...

Listener questions are my absolute favorite because they're usually the exact thing twenty other parents are quietly wondering. Margaret is in the host seat for this one, pulling questions straight from the DMs and keeping me on track while we dig in.   Today, I'm answering two big questions: when to start a baby schedule and what to do when your big kids are suddenly in your bed at 2 a.m causing...

You know those phrases everyone throws at you the minute you have a baby? Sleep when the baby sleeps. Never wake a sleeping baby. Keep them up so they'll sleep better tonight. Some of them sound wise. Some of them sound vaguely threatening. And some of them make you want to scream into a pillow at 3 a.m.   In this episode, I'm breaking down the most common pieces of baby advice and telling you whi...

If you're pregnant, someone has almost certainly asked you whether you plan to breastfeed (usually before you've even had time to process the fact that you're growing an entire human). And while breastfeeding can be a wonderful option for many families, it's not a no-brainer, a requirement, or a measure of your worth as a parent.   This episode is about choice, relief, and removing unnecessary pre...

First-time parents tend to white-knuckle everything . The germs. The wobbling. The crying. The feeling that if you look away for two seconds, something catastrophic will happen. And I get it. When everything is brand new and you haven't spent much time around babies before, your nervous system is doing its absolute best to keep this tiny human alive.   In this episode, I share why I wish I could h...

The first few months with your baby often feel like a time warp, where the days pass in a blur of bottles, burps, and (unpredictable) naps. But what happens when you realize that feeding, changing, and putting your baby to sleep are just the tip of the iceberg?   In this episode, I share a reality check that many new parents face: the endless time drains that nobody tells you about before you have...

If you've ever set a resolution only to watch it fade by February, it's time to try something that works.   Margaret Mason Tate is back on the show, and she's guest-hosting this time! Setting New Year's intentions is a tradition she's been practicing since she was 17 (yes, she's that person). And today, she's sharing her tried-and-true method for setting intentions that you can actually follow thr...

Do you ever look at your baby and think, "What do you need right now? Because I truly cannot tell"? If so, welcome. This episode is for you.   Schedules get a bad rap thanks to people who treat them like boot camp: rigid feeding times, no flexibility, crying because "the clock said so." That is not what we're doing here.   Listen in this week as I walk you through how a simple daily schedule can t...

If you've never been around a newborn and you're picturing a chubby, cooing, bright-eyed baby straight from a diaper commercial… oh honey. That's not what's arriving on birth day. Not even close. This week, I'm walking you through exactly what to expect in those first minutes, hours, and weeks with your baby - the wrinkly skin, the bug limbs, the "why does this look like a grumpy old man?" phase -...

Have you ever wondered what really goes on behind the scenes in the surrogacy world? The truth is, surrogacy can be an incredible gift, but it's also an industry where families often have little protection between a doctor's diagnosis and an agency selling them services. When things go wrong - and they do more often than you might think - it can turn a dream into something deeply painful.   In thi...

Honestly, the stuff that makes you want to climb the nearest wall: the hitting, the five-star, opera-worthy tantrums, and those delightfully defiant "NO!"s? Yeah, that's your toddler doing exactly what they're programmed to do.   This week, I'm chatting with Devon Kuntzman, the author behind Transforming Toddlerhood. She founded Transforming Toddlerhood with the mission to dispel the myth that tod...

The patriarchy isn't just a buzzword thrown around by feminists. It's a system of assumptions that shows up in your daily life, especially once you become a parent.   From the moment a baby arrives, fathers get praised for basic caregiving while mothers face relentless scrutiny and impossible standards. These patterns affect everyone, including the men who feel pressure to be instantly competent o...

If you're drowning in a sea of baby apps, video monitors, and spreadsheets of diaper logs, this episode is your lifeline.   Join me this week as I break down newborn monitoring in a way that actually makes sense.   From those first few days when keeping an eye on wet diapers matters, to later months when timing every nursing session becomes overkill, you'll learn how to find a balance between usef...

Trying to snap back to your pre-baby self while also transforming into a completely different version of you is… exhausting. Society tells you to be exactly who you were before kids, but also to revolve entirely around your children. The result? Many parents feel lost in the push and pull of identity, wondering if "them" even still exists under all the diapers, feedings, and middle-of-the-night ch...

If you're listening to this episode now, it's a little throwback, but the lessons still hit just as hard. I'm revisiting one of my favorite analogies from Parenthood Prep: how having a baby is a lot like going to Burning Man.   Yep, you read that right. At first, it sounds absurd, but hear me out. Both come with mountains of advice (some useful, some ridiculous), and both will leave you questionin...

Reflux. Just hearing the word makes parents brace for months of sleepless nights, endless feedings, and a life spent holding your baby upright. It feels like exhaustion is just part of the package. But here's the thing: a lot of the conventional wisdom about reflux is actually making it harder for both you and your baby.   This week, I'm breaking down why reflux doesn't have to derail your baby's...

Sleep training. It's probably one of the most misunderstood topics in parenting, right? You get bombarded with conflicting advice on when to start, what methods to use, and whether it's even okay to sleep train at all. Parents end up exhausted, waiting months longer than they need to, all because of the myths and confusion surrounding the topic.   This week, I'm here to set the record straight. Tu...