Gift Guides - Cool Mom Picks

From Elle Woods to Fresh Prince: 12 of the best 90s Halloween costumes for kids

by Caroline Siegrist | Holiday Picks, Kids, Party Ideas

For my fellow millennial parents who need a laugh, I present these hilarious 90s throwback Halloween costumes for kids, all inspired by the decade of our misspent youth. We’ve got Fresh Prince! Wayne’s World! Clueless! As if… you couldn’t tell...

When we say we need this Dolly Parton advent calendar, we mean WE NEED THIS DOLLY PARTON ADVENT CALENDAR!

by Caroline Siegrist | Holiday Picks

Whether the Christmas season is a stressful time for you or a glorious season of joy, I believe with all my heart that it will be infinitely improved with this Dolly Parton Advent calendar Yes, a Dolly Parton Advent calendar! The very thing we didn’t know we...

20+ cool backpacks for teens this year | Back to School Guide 2021

by Liz Gumbinner | Back to School Shopping, School Gear

When we look for cool backpacks for teens, it’s not enough for them to just be, you know, cool. As kids head to middle school or high school— especially after a whole year at home more or less (sigh) — they need bigger, sturdier backpacks, better shoulder...

15 of the coolest backpacks for preschool and kindergarten this year | Back to School Guide 2021

by Kate Etue | Back to School Shopping, School Gear

For some of our kids, the wait for this school year has been two-years long. They are seriously geeking out over school supplies, starting with the quest for the perfect backpack. For those kids who are headed to preschool or kindergarten for the first time this year,...

12 smart personalized label ideas for back to school, from a completely label-obsessed mom

by Liz Gumbinner | Back to School Shopping, Tips + Tricks

With back to school coming up, I’m sharing some of my favorite personalized label ideas to help keep you organized, keep you sane, save you money (whoo!) and even keep the peace. Hey, parents of more than one kid! You know what I’m talking about. We have...

The coolest lunch box accessories, water bottles, and other goodies to make school lunch more fun | Back to School Shopping Guide

by Liz Gumbinner | Back to School Shopping, School Gear

Each year, in our annual back to school shopping guide, we always love tracking down those cool lunch box accessories, water bottles, bentos, and other fun goodies that help make opening that same old lunch box every day a little more special. Only last year… we...

12 must-have electronics and small appliances for dorm rooms | Back to School Shopping Guide

by Kate Etue | Back to School Shopping, School Gear

It’s kind of amazing that we’re searching for the best small appliances for dorm rooms these days — with our own teens in mind! It’s like we blinked and our team went from back to school shopping for preschool backpacks to sending some of our...

Which lunch boxes and bags hold up the best? After testing dozens, here are our 5 picks. [updated for 2021]

by Liz Gumbinner | Back to School Shopping, School Gear

Hi Cool Mom Picks, I know you’ve tested so many lunch boxes every year and I was hoping you could tell me what you think really are the best lunch boxes. I want something I don’t have to get rid of at the end of every year! And it should be sturdy and...

14 brilliant last-minute gifts for Dad. So many ideas! | Father’s Day Gifts 2021

by Liz Gumbinner | Father's Day Gifts

We always love helping you all out with great last minute gifts for Dad, Grandpa, your stepdad, or anyone you’re celebrating this Father’s Day. Because it helps us out too! While Father’s Day gifts have been on our minds — and our shopping...

19 cool subscription gifts for men this Father’s Day…from fair trade coffee to tech toys and everything in between | Father’s Day gifts 2021

by Kate Etue | Father's Day Gifts, For the Menfolk

This has been a tough year on parents, period. With Father’s Day coming up, there’s no more perfect time to think about a subscription gift for men that shows him you really, really get him. Not only are subscription gifts available with basically every...

A cool Father’s Day gift idea that celebrates the dad in your life, all year long.

by Cool Mom Staff | Father's Day Gifts

We love the idea of gifts that keep on giving, long after the celebration is over, which is why we’re so fond of photo gifts for Father’s Day. Sure, it’s not golf t-shirt or pair of cufflinks (no offense to either, of course), but we think...

11 creative Father’s Day gifts for hard-to-shop-for dads

by Liz Gumbinner | Father's Day Gifts, For the Menfolk

We’ve been thinking about creative Father’s Day gifts for a while now, and how much the idea of gifting has changed over the past year. We’ve always valued experience gifts, together time, and keepsake Father’s Day gifts from the heart, but...

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

We started Cool Mom Picks in 2006 to help make life cooler, more meaningful, and more fun for parents of all kinds.

Trivia: It was called Cool Mom Sh*t for the first two days. (Yeah, we rethought that.)

We had no idea our site would grow to become a major lifestyle network, that we'd end up sharing our finds with the TODAY Show and Martha Stewart, that we'd be able to make a real difference for so many small businesses and women-run companies, or that we'd end up with an incredible community of the coolest readers on the planet. (If we do say so ourselves).

We still love what we do every single day. And we're so glad you're here.