by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
Recently I mentioned having discovered that the beloved Lincoln Logs of my youth are now mass produced in China, and a savvy reader pointed me towards Roy Toy. Score!If you’ve got a budding Bob the builder (or Brayden or Bianca) on your hands, I can’t...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
For almost two years now, we’ve been pointing our readers towards cool gifts, toys and gear alternatives to the stuff you find in your local ginormous mass retailer. But now that buying handmade, indie or fair trade can actually be safer for your kids,...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
Is it me or are there an inordinate number of dolls out there with oddly sultry, sexy, or just plain vacant looks on their faces? When my daughter takes the time to arrange her stuffed friends around the table for a tea party, I want those friends smiling back at her,...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
Crafty parents – we know you’re out there with your embroidery floss and glue guns, waiting for the day that your kids will be old enough to start crafting alongside you. In the meantime, Nico and Zoe has the perfect little project to introduce your child...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
On a recent trek through a big box store, I noticed that even the Lincoln Logs were made in China. Not sure how Lincoln would feel about that, but I certainly know how I feel about it. We found a domestic log-themed toy alternative at Nico & Zoe, a great source...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
I like to think I’ve got some cool tricks up my sleeves for rainy days. But I’m still open to adding to my repertoire. Take these adorable shadow puppets from Owly Shadow Puppets, which can take a day from boring to a blast in a matter of seconds. Never...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
As I sit here, gazing at my four month-old as she sucks the end of a silver rattle, I know I’m doing the right thing in limiting the mass-produced plastic garbage that enters our house. And enters her hands. And thus, enters her mouth. My latest focus: Dolls....
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
Considering a mobile is essentially the centerpiece of your nursery, parents might consider putting as much thought into it as the bedding. But alas, most people just settle for the lame mass-produced mobiles that the big baby stores merchandise along with the cribs....
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
If you’ve always liked the idea of rubber ducks for your kids but don’t like the idea of more plastic crap in your bathtub, here’s a solution: A real rubber duck. Like, one actually made out of rubber. We found this one at GrassRoots. The site claims...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
You can hardly encounter my two year-old daughter without being asked to join her for a tea party. As long as you don’t mind that Puppy gets all the food and Llama bogarts the dessert tray, I guarantee you an enjoyable time. So I’m hoping to add to my...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
Hear that squeal? That’s me having just rediscovered only my favorite ever (ever!) toy from my childhood – the bouncy thing. As it turns out, it has a real name: Space Hopper. Or Super 70’s Space Hopper to be exact, but I’m not sure that that...
by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings
I never really got the expensive silver rattle thing until I had kids (like everything else, right?) and my dear friend gave me the kind that come in the pretty blue box. Either my kid has extremely expensive taste or he just knows a good thing when he hears it, but...
