Mompiphany
The Scratch Tag Is Not the Enemy
That meltdown over the sock seam? Not drama. About 1 in 5 kids are born wired to feel everything more intensely -- and the standard "toughen up" response is doing the opposite of what you think.
Becca Liu·Early Childhood
21 articles
Becca Liu·
It's Not About the Broccoli
We've built an entire industry around what kids eat. But a landmark 2025 study found the thing that actually shapes healthy weight isn't the broccoli -- it's whether they can hear their own body telling them when to stop.
Becca Liu·
Shot Day Is My Villain Origin Story
Shot day is the one appointment where doing the right thing and bracing for a hard moment happen at the exact same time. Here's what the 2026 AAP immunization schedule actually covers -- and everything you need to know before you go in.
Becca Liu·
The Pause That Changes Everything
What if the pause before you react is more powerful than any parenting strategy? Here's what attachment science, mindfulness research, and cross-cultural psychology reveal about the practice of truly seeing your child.
Maya Okafor·
I Know the ADHD Research. Now It's My Kid.
Former pediatric neuroscience researcher. Now reading ADHD studies at 2am because her child just got diagnosed. Here's what the evidence actually says about treatment — and what no paper prepared her for.
Sarah Chen·
It's Not Their Screen Time We Should Worry About
We obsess over children's screen time. But the research suggests the device in the adult's hand matters just as much. Here's what the evidence on parental technoference actually shows — and what to do about it.
Sarah Chen·
It's Not Defiance. It's Blood Sugar.
The afternoon meltdown isn't a character flaw. Here's what the research on childhood nutrition and physical activity reveals about why kids fall apart at 4pm — and what actually helps.
Becca Liu·
Raising Kids Who Love the World Back
Children's eco-anxiety may actually be a developmental signal as old as childhood itself. Here's what developmental science and anthropology reveal about raising children who can hold the weight of the world and still love it.
Maya Okafor·
Teeth: The Final Boss of Bedtime
Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in the U.S., and most parents have no idea. Here's what the research on early childhood caries means for the nightly toothbrush battle and what actually helps.
Becca Liu·
Childproofing Isn't a Project. It's a System.
Most parents treat childproofing as a one-time task. But children age into new hazards constantly. Here's how to run a room-by-room safety audit and build it into a system you can actually maintain.
Jess Thornton·
Connection Is the Whole Job
The research on what actually protects children over time isn't about perfect parenting. It's about reliable connection. Here's what the science says about presence, phones, and what kids are really tracking.
Sarah Chen·
Give Kids Real Money. Then Get Out of the Way.
Most parents skip the money talk until it's too late. Here's an age-by-age system for building real financial skills in kids, starting with the brain science behind why it works.
Jess Thornton·
The Childcare Checklist Nobody Gives You
You've got 12 browser tabs open and no actual framework. Here's what developmental research says matters when choosing childcare — and six questions to ask on every tour.
Jess Thornton·
What AI Can't Teach Your Child
Every generation faces a technology that changes what children need to know. Here's what developmental science tells us about the human capacities AI genuinely cannot build, and what parents can do to cultivate them.
Maya Okafor·
Give the Kid a Job
The research on kids and household contribution is annoyingly clear: giving kids real jobs builds executive function, self-reliance, and competence. Here's the age-by-age reality check, the science behind it, and why the messy, slow process is completely worth it.
Becca Liu·
The Science of Make-Believe: What Your Kid's Wild Imagination Is Actually Building
We treat creative play like the reward for finishing real learning. But the evidence says it might actually be the real learning. Here's what the research on imaginative play, reading aloud, and creative development actually shows.
Sarah Chen·
What Picky Eaters Know That We Don't
Picky eating appears at every table, across every culture, throughout all of human history. Developmental science and anthropology reveal why — and the answer changes the dinner table entirely.
Maya Okafor·
The Architecture of Growing Up: How Independence and Emotional Regulation Build Each Other
Independence and emotional regulation aren't two separate goals to pursue — developmental psychology and anthropology reveal they are two expressions of one underlying capacity, and they grow each other in ways that reshape how we think about our children's big feelings.
Maya Okafor·
Your Abuela Was Right: The Science on Raising Bilingual Kids Is Better Than You Think
Everyone warned you that speaking two languages at home would confuse your child. The research says otherwise. Here's what the science actually tells us about bilingual language development, and why the "just pick one" advice was never based on much.
Becca Liu·
You're Already Raising a Reader. You Just Don't Know It Yet.
The science of early literacy says what exhausted parents need to hear: you're already doing most of it. Here's what actually builds a reader -- and why the messy, imperfect moments already happening in your home are exactly what your child needs.
Grace Ramirez·
What Screen Time Actually Displaces: The Science Behind the AAP's Updated Guidelines
The AAP's updated screen time guidelines have moved away from counting minutes. The research on sleep, movement, and shared reading tells us what actually matters — and what to pay attention to instead.
Sarah Chen·