Cool Mom Picks Holiday Gift Guide: Best Advent Calendars for Kids
LEGO, Hot Wheels, Build-a-Bear and more!
Cool Mom Picks Holiday Gift Guide: Best 2026 Advent Calendars for Adults
Adult advent calendars include chocolates, puzzles, Dolly Parton gifts, wine, and grown-up toys.
Q&A with middle grade author Jamie Sumner
Jamie Sumner is a best-selling middle grade author who often writes about the disability experience. • Wish You Well follows three kids who feign friendship to scam a wish-granting foundation.
Your Tailgate Style Playbook for a Sideline Chic Look this Football Season
Our favorite picks from Aviator Nation, J. Crew, Newport Knits, Vans and more for tailgating fashion this football season.
What to pack? Be sure to include these girls' weekend beach essentials
What we took as a moms' girls' beach weekend getaway in Destin, Florida. • Author named the Laura Ashley buttery soft robe the #1 robe in their collection. • Sherpani Jetsetter Totes has tons of space and exterior pockets for tickets and passports.
Henderson Beach Resort: Our top pick for a girls’ weekend in Destin, Florida
Relaxing and fun girls' weekend beach destination — active or gloriously lazy with lots of on-site options.
Sweater weather, meet Garage’s favorites for fall
What kinds of fall-friendly jackets does Garage offer? Garage’s fall jackets include faux-leather styles, sherpa jackets, anoraks, worker jackets, puffers and trenches.
This week's meal plan: 5 light dinners for hot summer nights
I can safely say we’re team "light dinners" for summer. This lasting heat wave has me craving salads, fish, and light summer pasta salads that don’t leave me feeling heavy and bleh — and honestly, who wants to be stuck in a blazing hot k…
Q&A with children's book creator LeUyen Pham
If you've been following us lately, you know how excited we are about our new Q&A books series. The chance to chat with authors like Sophie Blackall , LeUyen Pham, and the others coming up soon has been thrilling and delightful. And we'r…
Q&A with children's author Sophie Blackall
Cool Mom Picks readers, we are so excited to launch a new series for you. We are obsessed book lovers over here at the CMP headquarters, and we have a particular soft spot for children's books (even though we're moving our kids into coll…
The best tech to get your family organized this school year
My husband and I are both educators, and our middle- to college-age kids are all in different schools this year. Throw dual enrollment for the high schooler in the mix, and we're juggling seven school calendars for six people. I'm going …
The kids' backpacks we're swooning over right now
Back-to-school shopping has a way of turning into a marathon, but finding a backpack your child actually wants to carry shouldn't be the hardest part. That's why we're so excited about the brand-new collaboration between STATE and Magnet…
Our favorite lunchboxes for Back to School 2026
Packing lunch is one of those back-to-school rituals that happens every single day, so the right lunchbox can make mornings smoother and afternoons a little more enjoyable. Whether you're shopping for an adorable preschooler who needs ea…
NON-essential dorm room items your college student will totally love
We've seen a million posts about dorm room essentials. Hey, we even have our own . That's okay! Those are the things they need . But we also wanted to take a minute to talk about some things they don't need, but will totally love. Becaus…
My Skylight Calendar definitely lives up to the hype
I've been sent hundreds of samples over the years I've been at Cool Mom Picks—everything from perfume to tablets to vitamins. The one item I still use on a daily basis is my who-knows-how-many-years-old Skylight Calendar . At first, I wo…
11 dorm room essentials your college student needs
My second child is off to college this year, and oh boy, it doesn't get easier. But one thing you can do to prepare is have your dorm room essentials packed and ready to go. That way, when you're moving them in you can focus on them rath…
Our favorite summer wellness supplements
Summer is the season of pool days, beach vacations, morning walks, and squeezing every last drop out of those long sunny evenings. While you're making sure everyone else has sunscreen, snacks, and enough water, don't forget to give your …
It's time for a summer kitchen refresh
If you're like me, it's time to take a walk through the kitchen and refresh a few of our everyday items that are either full of grime and sticky fingerprints, or just flat on their last legs. With kids home all summer, we're hard on our …
13 things to make your summer travel with kids easier
Traveling with kids is equal parts memory-making and logistical gymnastics. Somehow you're packing for tiny humans who require seventeen snacks, three backup outfits, and a very specific stuffed animal they obviously can't live without. …
Our ultimate Father's Day Gift Guide, 2026
Father's Day is sneaking up on us, but don't let it get lost in the busyness of end-of-school, graduation, summer camps, and all the other fun stuff you have going on this year. It's your chance to let Dad know how truly special and impo…
Our ultimate high school graduation gift guide
Graduation season is here, and finding a gift that feels meaningful, useful, and not completely predictable can be a challenge. Sure, cash is always appreciated, but there’s something special about giving a gift that helps launch the nex…
10 books for Kindergarten graduation gifts that you, and your child, will love.
We love giving sweet, inspirational books for Kindergarten graduation gifts. Especially when they deliver messages about empowerment, adventure, living your values, and pursuing your dreams. So we've highlighted some of our favorites you…
Our summer reading list for moms. (Why should kids get all the fun?)
School's out, and it's time for you to put together your summer reading list alongside your kids. This year’s fiction lineup is delivering exactly what we want: sharp women, messy relationships, glamorous (and really un-glamorous) proble…
15 Mother's Day gifts under $30 that are seriously great gifts
Sometimes you want to totally spoil mom with a luxury gift, but it's just not in the budget. If anyone will understand, it's mom. But just because your budget it small, it doesn't mean you can't get a gift that means a lot. Here are 15 g…