Rita | Cool Mom Picks

Baby quilts approved by those of us who know baby quilts

I’m from small-town Iowa, so when my daughter was born, the Quilting Ladies (as they are known) whipped up something custom, no problem. I didn’t even have to ask. But fear not, Quilting Lady-less mamas, for Etsy has delivered once again.Baby Jayne’s...

Something new in baby bibs? Believe it or not, yes.

by Rita | Baby, Kid Style

I know, organic cotton is cool, plastic is not. But cotton gets … wet. With the drool. And the spit-up. And the yams.I’m grossing myself out just thinking about it.Never fear, though — Wow Baby has a new line of US made, double-lined, organic...

You say Maria, I say Mariah. Or, nah. Let’s stick with Maria.

by Rita | Books for Adults

Linda Rosenkranz and Pamela Redmond Satran raised baby naming to an art form with their original 1988 baby-naming book, Beyond Jennifer & Jason – names that practically seem pedestrian with today’s Talullahs and Artemises. Now the authors are...

Childrearing advice for when you’ve misplaced your gay uncle

by Rita | Books for Adults

Fellow blogger and Vanity Fair contributor Brett Berk has unleashed on the world his parenting perspective with The Gay Uncle’s Guide to Parenting: Candid Counsel From the Depths of the Daycare Trenches. Berk obviously has no uterus and no children. That said,...

Comicon fans, this one’s for you. Or your kids.

by Rita | Books for Kids

From skateboard and sneaker design to children’s picture books, Australian artist Luke Feldman has created quite a cult following of his waif-like illustrated characters known as Skaffs. They hang in the Cartoon Art Museum, they delight hipster animation fans,...

Rabbit season. Duck season. Rabbit season. Duck season.

by Rita | Books for Kids

The wonderful Duck! Rabbit! is the newest book from the prolific Amy Krouse Rosenthal, who you might know for children’s books like Little Pea or even her wonderful adult book, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. In this title, she’s teamed up with...

Art + poetry = more than just another alphabet book

by Rita | Books for Kids

I recently got a look at Alphabetica: Odes to the Alphabet, Diana Spieker and Krista Skehan’s mind-blowing alphabet book filled with multisyllabic metaphors and modern, deep-inked illustrations.This book bursts with detail. Each page contains more than...

Read only the best, seriously.

by Rita | Books for Kids

I bet you’ve wondered how we find the great children’s books we review here at Cool Mom Picks. Well, we will share one hot tip: Bookmark sites like the brand new One Potato.This children’s book site is like literary nirvana for book-loving parents....

Oh, this old thing? It’s just my impossibly fashionable Sudoku book.

by Rita | Toys + Playthings

Whether you need a last-minute Mother’s Day gift or just want to appear more stylish than everyone else while waiting for the pediatrician, I love the Posh Puzzle books by The Puzzle Society. These are the people who bring you nationally syndicated crosswords...

When you need your own personal children’s librarian

by Rita | Books for Adults

What happens when you need to find a book on heroes the night before your kid needs it for kindergarten?After you’ve exhausted our favorite children’s books, you can do what I did and check out the selections in What to Read When, by LitLife founder Pam...