by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
In concept, I’m all for kids making and decorating their own toys. But the fact that they generally involve sharp, pointy tools along with paint that does not come off with a simple bar of soap sort of puts a damper on my plans. But color-your-own cardboard...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
Thanks to my son’s infatuation with cloth books, I’m able to enjoy a good portion of our daily car rides without having to ply him with 400 cheerios I end up cleaning from his carseat later. So I’ve decided to stockpile them, starting with the...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
Taking my kids to a paint-your-own-pottery place is not in my job description. The drive there, the eternity spent as my children pick out the “perfect” piece to paint, my toddler–oh my toddler– in that room of breakables… and then I pay...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
Oh what my daughter wouldn’t give to be able to pack up her beloved dollhouse and take it with her. So imagine what she did when she saw the set of Nested Country Cottages from Olie Bollen. These two brightly colored paper board boxes open from the top,...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
Ever since coming across something called an “eco doll” that was made of pvc and served up in plastic packaging, I’ve been pretty skeptical of the eco label on toys. Sometimes it fits and sometimes…well, at least the intent is good. But Sue...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
For the most part, I don’t spontaneously exclaim awwwww and get all teary when I get a new baby toy for review, but that’s totally what happened when I peeled open the sweet little canvas bag to reveal the plush baby doll from Bumblebird. Designer Heather...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
One of the best outcomes of the toy recalls of 07 is the transparency we’re now finding from so many retailers–where and how their products are made, what they’re made with, and how confident you can be when your 9 month spends the better part of her...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
Update: This site no longer exists. RIP Kid’s Busy Box. I thought that 4 hours of preschool every day would satiate my daughter’s immense hunger for crafts, but alas, she still comes home from school running directly for the glue and construction...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
I’m always on the lookout for ways to teach my four-year-old about conservation other than asking her to turn off the lights 400 times a day (followed by my long boring speech about saving the earth). Thankfully, Eeboo has created these cool Respect the Earth...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
I won’t be winning any cooking awards any time soon, but as far as the concoctions my daughter and son are creating in their play kitchen, courtesy of Haba’s new Biofino line of cloth play food, they’re on their way to winning Top Chef. Like...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
When it comes to buying gifts for my friend’s kids, I really try hard to find unique items that no one else would think of, but aren’t so obscure that the poor kid has to ask his parents what the heck it is.Enter the Dumpling Dynasty Explorer Kit, one of a...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
You wouldn’t think a bunch of blabbermouths like our family would need help starting a conversation, but I’ve got to thank The Chatterbox for providing some welcome encouragement in that area. Instead of questions about obscure Baby Boomer-era trivia, the...
