by Christina Refford | Toys + Playthings
Even if our plans today don’t include a French military parade on the Champs-Elysées, in honor of Bastille day today, we’re giving a special nod to our fashionable friends on the other side of the pond by featuring some of our favorite French gifts for...
by Christina Refford | Toys + Playthings
We adored Lille Huset’s eco-friendly, laminated, recycled paperboard DIY dollhouses the moment we discovered them at Toy Fair earlier this year. Founder Alyson Beaton’s mission is so wonderful: to encourage kids to build and customize their homes, not...
by Christina Refford | Toys + Playthings
Tis the season for playing in the sand (yay for summer!) so we’ve rounded up some of the most fun and coolest-looking new beach toys for kids. If you’ve got a seaside trip planned,we hope these help you amp up the standard buckets and shovels. Because...
by Kate Etue | Toys + Playthings
My kids love to build clubhouses and can turn anything into a fort—our playground, the shady spot under the deck, you name it. So with summer here, I was pretty excited discover Stick-lets, a new toy that lets them do that very thing. Stick-lets are thick pieces of...
by Liz Gumbinner | Toys + Playthings
We missed the boat on a big fancy modern swing set for my kids–maybe because we live in the city and don’t have a yard? Yeah, that could have a little to do with it. But their Grandma and Papa put up a handmade swing for them which made me realize that...
by Delilah S. Dawson | Toys + Playthings
Okay, so M is actually for Monkey in this set of flash cards for kids, but X really is Xantus–Xantus’s Hummingbird, to be exact. We’re stunned by the modern, gorgeous, high design illustrations on these Animal Alphabet Flash Cards by illustrator Paul...
by Christina Refford | Art + Decor
They aren’t as sly as a fox, as wise as an owl, or as puffy as a hedgehog, but the unassuming sloth is poised to be the next big thing for kids, as Liz and I noticed as we toured Toy Fair earlier this year. These slow-moving, surprisingly adorable creatures even...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
This is a sponsored message from Generation Grit Mom of four, Laura Hale, was looking for action figures for her sons that would offer some of the wholesome, creative play accompanied by thoughtful storybooks that so many girls had already discovered with their own...
by Christina Refford | Toys + Playthings
We love balance bikes here at Cool Mom Picks because they do such a great job of teaching young kids how to get around safely on two wheels. I was sold on them after learning the hard way how challenging it is to wean a fearful child off of training wheels (oy, my...
by Cool Mom Team | Family Travel
It’s officially the season for travel (whoo!) and whether you’re planing it, driving, or taking the subway uptown for a picnic in the park, we’re all for getting out with the kids. A top question from our readers is always “but what do I...