When you've got a little one, you probably know that means you have a whooooole lot of preschooler birthday party gifts to look for over the course of the year. One gift for each party for each kid in your child's preschool class? Yeouch…
As a first time mom-to-be, I am already thinking about creating a household where my child can be whatever they want to be. A doctor, lawyer, sandwich artistan, or even a Silicon Valley techno mastermind. And given that my husband's an I…
Some kids are just not down with full-body Halloween costumes. If you've ever tried to wrestle a screaming baby into that adorable plush monkey onesie and ended up covered in bodily fluids, you know just what I mean. Luckily, these adora…
My youngest child is still learning to tie his shoes. He can get it right about 50% of the time -- just enough to be absolutely confident he can do it himself with no help from me thankyouverymuch. As you can imagine, this makes it hard …
Cool jewelry for both girls and boys that inspires the makers of tomorrow? Found it. Pico Kid , a line of jewelry for girls and boys (or the young at heart), is the latest collection by Pico Design. We've featured Andrea Panico's archite…
This summer my family hit a new milestone on our bikes: my youngest learned to ride without training wheels, and my oldest is now big enough to be trusted to ride his bike a couple blocks to his friend's house on his own. (Although I sti…
I'm always a sucker for books for toddlers and early readers that make use of modern art. We've covered Where's Warhol (a Where's Waldo parody) most recently, Henri Matisse and Alexander Calder pop-up books , and now there's a cool new o…
There is never a bad time to throw a pirate themed party and look for cool pirate party ideas. Of course there's always Halloween -- and then today's Talk Like a Pirate Day. (One of our favorites!) But it's a cool birthday party theme al…
If you've been reading Cool Mom Picks for long while now, you know how much we love to support small indie shops that make amazing gifts for kids or families -- like the beautiful handmade jewelry at Julian & Co or geeky wooden teething …
I've never actually forgotten to send the invites out to one of my kids' birthdays, but I've definitely waited until the very last minute to plan their parties. The thing is: if your child's birthday happens to land during one of the cra…
As we turn the corner into All Things Pumpkin Spice, let us not forget that being up all night with a scary book can be truly delicious. These YA reads for teens (and adults!) who dig dark themes range from silly vampires to magical devi…
Guiding a tween through fashion choices can get pretty squirrely. They want to seem grown up, but they also adore cuteness. It's a bear of a problem for even the most chipper of moms. That's why we've rounded up a staggering selection of…
This summer's hot black-and-white trend (remember the cool swimsuits we found from Nununu and Marimekko ?) is still going strong this fall. So we pulled together our favorite black-and-white fall dresses for girls -- from twirly styles t…
Way back when my mom packed lunch for me, the brown paper bag always came adorned with a smiley face, a heart, or on days she was feeling really ambitious, a rough portrait of our dog, Maggie. And as a kid, it made such a difference, esp…
When I discovered the incredibly adorable, beautifully handcrafted fairy doors from Sugar Bush Fairies on Etsy, I instantly fell in love. Because I’m all about bringing a little magic and enchantment into my kids’ lives -- but I’ll be ho…
I love having a daughter. Her bright, energetic, and (yes) sometimes emotional personality is such a treat to have in our home. We've had a very open relationship so far, which I am very grateful for, and now she's creeping up on the age…
This is a sponsored message from MacMillan In honor of the launch of Hand in Hand , the beautiful new book from popular kids' author Rosemary Wells of Max and Ruby fame, you could win a special $250 literary prize pack, plus everyone who…
I have a soft spot for quirky children's books with captivating illustrations , which is why I keep picking up the brand new Pablo and His Chair by the French artist and author Delphine Perret to read to my kids. The story is simple -- a…
My youngest child started Kindergarten this week -- sniff -- and he's learning to read so quickly. I'm thrilled to find out he loves books, and I've been scouring our bookshelves and grilling our librarian for some great beginner chapter…
Whether your little artist is more of a Versace or a Van Gogh, they can become the hottest new designer... and wear a creation of their very own. Picture This is an awesome new mom-run business that will print your kid's drawing directly…
This is a sponsored message from EasyKicks Shoe shopping with kids can be pretty challenging, then when you do find just the right pair, it's like the shoes are outgrown or destroyed before their time. That's where EasyKicks comes in, to…
We all know the transition from balance bike to training wheels to full-on bicycle takes a while (and can get a little wobbly). Add the required coordination to ring that out-of-my-way-new-rider-here bell and your kid may be in danger of…
My younger kids usually need a little one-on-one time to decompress after school, and one of our favorite ways to do this is reading together. After a few minutes in my lap, they're ready to go play again. But, I have to admit, I'd much …
While there are all kinds of kids lunch bags and boxes that I find are really durable and effective, I've long been a fan of the lunch bags from Built NY -- in no small part because the size and styling means I can borrow them from my ki…