About Cradle

Calm, grounded answers for the parenting questions you're carrying - from pregnancy through the early years.

Cradle is a free website for parents and caregivers. You describe what's happening - in your own words, as messy as it really is - and Cradle helps you think it through: what's likely going on, what to try, words you could actually say to your child, and when it's time to check in with a professional.

It is meant for the questions that come up at 3 a.m., on the drive home from daycare, or after a hard bedtime: too small to book an appointment for, too big to stop thinking about.

What you can bring to it

Pregnancy - what's normal, what to ask your midwife or OB, preparing for the baby.
The newborn months - crying and colic, feeding, tummy time, day-night mix-ups, how you are doing.
Sleep - naps, night waking, routines, sleep training and the alternatives.
Feeding - breast, bottle, starting solids, picky eating.
Behavior and big feelings - tantrums, hitting, biting, "no!", siblings, transitions.
Dads and partners - finding your footing, sharing the load, bonding.

Three ways to use it

Ask a question. "My 2-year-old hits me at pickup. What do I do?"
Check a plan. Paste your plan for bedtime, weaning or limits, and see what's strong and what to change.
Challenge advice. Test something you read or were told ("a swat never hurt anyone") before you act on it.

Every answer can keep going: ask a follow-up underneath ("she's actually 18 months", "what if that doesn't work?"). You can type or speak.

Where the guidance comes from

Cradle doesn't make up its own philosophy. It answers from a small, readable library based on well-known parenting voices - What to Expect, Emily Oster, Janet Lansbury, Dr. Becky Kennedy, Dr. Aliza Pressman, Boundaries with Kids, How to Talk So Kids Will Listen, The Whole-Brain Child and others - and, on health and safety, mainstream pediatric and obstetric guidance. Each answer shows which library topics it drew on.

The library is written in plain language as summaries, not quotations, and Cradle is independent: none of these authors are affiliated with it. Read more in Sources, browse the Library, or go straight to the people and books themselves on the Resources page.

What Cradle is not

Not medical advice, and not for emergencies. If your baby is under 3 months with a fever, you're pregnant and bleeding or not feeling movement, someone is in danger, or you're having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, call 911 or your local emergency number, your provider, or 988 (the US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). Cradle is built to send you there first on questions like these.
Not a replacement for people who know your child - your pediatrician, midwife, OB, therapist or your own good judgment.
Not always right. Answers are written by an AI model guided by the library. They can be wrong or miss something about your situation. See Terms.

Free, and private by design

No account, no sign-up. Profiles for the people in your household, your children's ages and your history are kept in your own browser, not on Cradle's server.
Nothing is stored on the server. Your question goes to an AI model to be answered and isn't kept by Cradle. The details are in Privacy.
Free to use. Cradle runs on free AI models by default. (You can add your own key for a different model in Settings, if you like.)

Who makes it

Cradle is a project of Digital Common Ground, an independent publisher of free, public-minded tools for everyday life. It has no advertisers and no affiliation with the authors and organizations it draws on.

Learn more

How it works - the steps behind each answer and which model answers.
Sources - what the library is based on and how it's written.
Resources - the people, books, channels, podcasts and apps worth knowing.
Privacy and Terms.