by Christina Refford | Toys + Playthings
Seeing the kids make a beeline for their stockings is a favorite moment on Christmas morning. But, even though this is their first taste of Santa for the day, “he” can’t afford to spend a small fortune on their stockings. So I thought I’d turn...
by Christina Refford | Toys + Playthings
We at Cool Mom Picks may be great at finding stuff, but that doesn’t mean we’re so great at remembering to actually buy it ourselves in a timely manner. With an uncompleted shopping list that includes a newborn, a few toddlers, some kids and a couple of...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
I’ve long been a fan of the wooden, pedal-less early rider bikes which get kids more confident and more able to ride a real bicycle than anything I ever had back in the Stone Age. But the prices? Holy heck. And by heck, you know – I don’t mean heck....
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
As the nieces and nephews and various children in my life get a little older, I’m increasingly more into finding crafty gifts that not only entertain them for a little while, but let them show off their handiwork when they’re done. Here are a few favorites...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
When the makers of the popular Wave skateboard asked me to send their much buzzed-about new Whiplash Scooter for a test drive, I was like uh…not on your life. But I have a 12 year-old nephew named Brodie who I knew could give me the scoop since that’s who...
by Christina Refford | Toys + Playthings
I’d like to make this holiday the Year Of Fewer Batteries, which could be a bitter pill to swallow for my little robot-aholic who hopes to add a few droids, bots or even a ridiculous robotic hamster to his collection. He’s in luck, though, because...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
We’ve seen quite a few “party in a box” type services. A few are good, but most of them seem like you’re paying for someone else to go down to Target and grab a bunch of matching paper plates and streamers. I feel like if you’re going to...
by Betsy | Toys + Playthings
Playing dreidel is a staple of celebrating Hanukkah, and I have to say our games have been known to get very competitive. Hey, there are M&M’s at stake! But Staccabees take dreidel playing to a new height. Literally. This dreidel game set comes in a cotton...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
Automoblox have taken over more than a few toy chests in the last few years, and it’s not surprising – these modular, creativity-inspiring toys cars and trucks inspire imaginations, while still delivering the joy of vrooming a car around the living room...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
When we made the move to suburbia, one of the first purchases we made was a wagon. But like most people, we were limited to what we could find at our local chain store, which was definitely about functionality and not at all about sleek modern design.Lucky for you,...
by Christina Refford | Toys + Playthings
I’m a little unbalanced when it comes to “Japanese cute” (kawaii!) like Momiji Friendship Dolls, the uber-trendy little resin dolls from London’s Artforum, which are a modern and more affordable spin on the traditional Japanese wooden Kokeshi...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
We’ve all got play dough connoisseurs for children at Cool Mom Picks, so I know that a few of the organic versions I’ve had a chance to try out recently have some tough standards to live up to. Past pick Eco-Dough so far is the benchmark, with great...
