Back to School Shopping Archives

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...

The best laptop sleeves for kids: The features to consider before you buy.

by Kate Etue | Back to School Shopping

Laptop sleeves may not an item that’s generally on your back to school shopping list, especially if you have younger kids. But then, this back to school season isn’t like any other. Whether kids are embarking on hybrid options that require them to go to...

7 cool face mask accessories for kids, to help them keep their masks to themselves

by Kate Etue | Back to School Shopping, Health, Fitness + Wellbeing, Tips + Tricks

The past few weeks, my Instagram feed is full of my friends’ adorable kids in their back-to-school outfits… complete with fresh, new face masks.I’m so proud of these kids for being responsible about in-person schooling, and for parents for insisting...

Setting up a study space at home for distance learning or homeschool: How to make it one your kid will actually use

by Liz Gumbinner | Back to School Shopping, Kids' Furniture, School Gear, Storage + Organization, Tips + Tricks

Right now, so many parents are trying to figure out how to set up a study space at home for the kids because hey! 2020! Whether your kids are going to be doing distance learning with their school, or homeschooling — maybe for the first time — I can only...

Free printables for kindergarten: Sight word help, 12 ways | Back to School Guide

by Liz Gumbinner | Back to School Shopping, DIY

Finding all of these free sight word printables for kindergarten instantly brings me back to those sweet early days of school, sniff. Now that I have a middle schoolers and a brand new high schooler (OMG) I remember how scary it could be to send your kid off to...

7 time-saving hacks that are back-to-school lifesavers for parents | Back to School Guide 2019

by Kate Etue | Back to School Shopping, DIY, School Gear, Tips + Tricks

You know, our 2019 Back to School Guide may feature the coolest new gear, but it’s also got lots of helpful tips for you, parents! Like the best school year planners to keep you organized. And today, time-saving hacks that we all could use. After all, back to...

Back-to-school trend alert! 5 tie-dye sneakers we love for kids.

by Kate Etue | Back to School Shopping, Kid Fashion

I feel like I’ve seen a lot of the same-old sneaker trends recently — florals and metallics are back. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. But this year, when we all started to see lots of tie-dye sneakers for our older kids, we got kind of...

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.