#child-development
190 episodes
#5535: What's It Like Inside a 15-Month-Old's Head?
Rich sensation, no inner narrator, and memories that form but can't be retrieved — a tour of the fifteen-month-old mind.
#5489: When Your Toddler Swallows a Screw
A screw and a washer from the same drawer are two different emergencies. Here's the triage protocol for the sixty seconds after the double take.
#5448: Toddler Mom-Clings After Daycare: What's Normal?
A 15-month-old suddenly wants only mom. Here's what attachment science says about daycare, clinginess, and whether dad can break in.
#5429: Bathtime Safety: What the Data Actually Says
Two-thirds of child drownings inside the home happen in the bathtub. Here's what the research says about temperature, supervision, and the towel.
#5368: When Both Parents Get Sick and No One Can Help
Two caregivers, no family nearby, and a stomach bug. What actually happens when the backup plan doesn't exist.
#5363: One Well Adult vs. a Stomach Bug
Solo caregiver, sick kid, sick partner — how to run fluids, spot red flags, and decide on night checks.
#5164: Reading the Child Who Can't Say What Hurts
How pediatric emergency specialists assess and sort children who can't describe their own symptoms — and what their observational discipline teache...
#5158: A Pulse Oximeter Said 97%. That Was the Problem.
A reassuring oxygen reading can hide a child in respiratory distress. Here's what home devices actually tell you — and what they can't.
#5142: How Parenthood Rewires Your Identity and Purpose
What does becoming a parent actually do to your brain, identity, and sense of purpose? The research — and one father's story — says more than you'd...
#5141: Teletubbies vs. Sesame Street: What Kids' TV Is Really For
Didactic or creative? The philosophy baked into every kids' show—from Sesame Street to Teletubbies to Bluey.
#5115: Do Early Milestones Actually Predict Success?
Early walkers, early talkers, early readers — does timing matter? Research says most milestone differences wash out.
#5100: Why Daycare Drop-Off Hits So Hard: A WEIRD Problem
Is the daycare drop-off misery universal or a product of Western culture? We explore attachment, alloparenting, and what non-WEIRD societies do dif...
#5081: Babies Communicate Before Words — Here's the Science
Why "baba" might mean everything and nothing — and why your baby is already conversing with you.
#5075: Monitoring a Warm Toddler Without Losing Your Mind
What to track when your kid feels warm but reads normal — and which apps help without becoming a second job.
#4959: Can Tolerance Be Taught? The Psychology of Coexistence
Is tolerance a personality trait or a skill you can learn? What Jerusalem's mixed neighborhoods reveal about coexistence.
#4953: What Actually Drives Crime Rates?
Youth bulges, alcohol, lead exposure — the surprising science of what makes crime rise and fall.
#4897: Traveling with a Toddler: The Bag Weight Problem
Daniel's broken luggage scale, the physics of airport fatigue, and how to stop fighting your own luggage.
#4873: Screaming Toddler on a Beach: Parenting in Public Without a Net
What happens when you're stranded on a layover with a melting-down toddler and no family to help?
#4869: The ADHD Stimulant Family Tree and What's Next
Why Vyvanse dominates ADHD treatment and what could finally challenge it.
#4798: Why Knots and Baby Carriers Break Your Brain
Why you can build a PC but freeze up on a baby carrier — the cognitive science of mechanical reasoning.
#4745: What It Takes to Handle Death Every Day
Who becomes a funeral director, how they cope, and what they know about religious burial rituals.
#4744: Lyme Disease: Facts, Myths, and Tick Safety
What Lyme actually is, why Storrs is ground zero, and how to stay safe outdoors without spiraling.
#4643: The Baby Cluck: A Tiny Vacuum That Captures Every Infant
Why do people across cultures make that rhythmic tongue-click at babies? It's a lateral click — and it's perfectly designed to grab an infant's brain.
#4574: The Hidden Airport Layer: Traveling with a Toddler
From stroller logistics to security secrets — everything first-time parents need to know before boarding with a baby.