Sections
8 squares on the sampler
Last stitched
Friday, August 14, 2026
Written by
Devon Ashworth

The sampler sheet

Affiliate Disclosure

Last updated August 26, 2026

Growing Up at Home is reader supported. Some links in the articles are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something after following one. What you pay is exactly the same either way.

Where you will see it

Any article carrying affiliate links opens with a short disclosure above the first paragraph, in line with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission guidance on endorsements and testimonials. It is not buried in a footer and it is not printed in grey.

What a commission does not buy

It does not buy warmth. I write about a thing after living with it in a house with children in it, which is a harder test than a showroom, and whatever broke or annoyed me stays in the piece. A good number of articles here end by telling you to move what you already own, wait six months, or buy nothing at all, and those earn precisely nothing. That is the correct outcome. A parenting site whose every answer is buy something is not much use to anyone at two in the morning.

Gifted items

If something arrived at no cost, the article says so in the first few lines. Accepting an item is not a promise of coverage or of a kind verdict, and nobody outside this house reads a draft before it goes up.

Safety items in particular

Where an article touches anything safety related, car seats, cots, gates, sleep equipment, the recommendation follows the current safety guidance and the manufacturer instructions, never the commission. If the safest answer is the one that pays nothing, that is the one in the article, and if the honest answer is ask your paediatrician, the article says that instead.

Prices and specifications

Where a price or a range appears, it was right when written and will drift. Sizes, weight limits and age ratings drift too, because manufacturers revise them between production runs. Check the retailer and read the label on the actual item before deciding anything on the strength of a number here.

Questions

If you want to know how a particular recommendation came about, ask at [email protected] and I will tell you.