As someone living in Massachusetts, I've always gotten the appeal of having a great playhouse for kids. For many of us, our kids' primary playtime through the winter will take place indoors where it isn't 20 degrees and icy. So if you're…
The other night my ten-year-old son was looking for something to read at bedtime. I handed him my review copy of Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson, not sure what to expect. When I checked on him an hour later, he was just a few pages away…
We've loved our annual new year tradition of compiling the best kids' books of the year, thanks to all the major (and not entirely major) best-of lists and big children's book awards of 2015 from publications, experts, and organizations …
Kudos to my sister-in-law who scored with arguably the biggest hit of all the gifts this holiday season, Telestrations . Or actually, credit may go to my 9-year-old niece who saw it in a store and said, "hey, that looks fun" which was th…
The weather outside may finally have us shaking in our boots, but I'm feeling kind of warm inside just looking at the cutest handmade winter fleece hats for babies and toddlers from Mrs PTB on Etsy. They'll almost make you want to leave …
When you think back to the best toys of the year (and other playful gifts for kids) you probably think about tech, tablets, and things that require cords and batteries. And yet there's so much more, from wonderful board games, to handmad…
What a treat it is to put together our list of the best children's books of 2015. Not that it's easy; we've collectively read hundreds of great kids' books this year -- from cute, sweet board books, to excellent picture books for early r…
We're so excited to wrap up our year by featuring our very top picks in all sorts of categories, starting with our very favorite cool baby gifts and gears that were new or new to us in 2015. This is a tough category to be sure, so we wen…
I have a longstanding love affair with Sesame Street, so you can imagine my excitement when I discovered that our friends at Tattly recently teamed up with the Sesame Workshop to create a Sesame Street character set of temporary tattoos …
This is a sponsored message from Flare Play Kids love video games, but understandably, parents can justify the gaming time better when kids are actually playing something educational. That's where Flare Play comes in to make everyone hap…
Okay, so the world is obsessed with Star Wars right now in light of the premier of The Force Awakens . And hey, we count ourselves among you all. Now we can't exactly say we've covered Star Wars "since before it was cool" because 1.) no …
I made a quick stop at my local toy shop the other week to grab holiday gifts for Liz's kids, and the second I saw the squishable food stuffed animals I was pretty sure I had found winners. Well, after listening to the shrieks and squeal…
My kids were in a museum gift shop with friends this summer and of everything in the store, all four spent the entire time fighting over (I mean, taking turns with ) what's best defined as a handmade voice or music recording gadget from …
H i Cool Mom Picks! Can you put to gether some unique holiday gift ideas for creative kids that go beyond the same craft kits I see everywhere? Thanks so much! Ooh, I love this question. We know that all kids have creativity in them, so …
We've mentioned before that only 3% of children's books feature characters of color , and there are even fewer that feature kids with special needs. This makes me really sad for the millions of kids out there who want to open up a book a…
Every once in a while, a children's picture book will capture me in a way that I just don't expect it to. The Only Child by Guojing is one that has got me right now. This beautiful story, told only through illustrations, includes a littl…
Paper jewelry kits are a pretty awesome gift, giving your crafty kids something wonderful they can make and wear -- even when you're sure you want one more little bead, button, or plastic charm strewn about your house. I adore paper jewe…
We love finding new ways to teach our kids about the big, diverse world that extends far beyond the boundaries of their neighborhood and town. And while nothing can replace actually going to the countries themselves, playsets like this o…
The challenge of a winter babe is constantly having to layer up every time you leave home. But since vacating the house for actual adult human interaction at your local coffee shop is necessary, I'm all about cute layered basics for babi…
We've got a few passionate skateboarders in our lives so we've been super excited to have the opportunity to spend some time searching around for cool skateboarding gifts then sharing our faves. We are stoked (see how we did that?) to we…
This is a sponsored message from GiftLit. You really can't go wrong when you give books over the holidays, but a special way to make your gift keep on giving all year long is a personalized subscription to GiftLit . GiftLit offers more t…
Wintery white snowy days are coming whether we are ready for them or not. This year I am going to try to be prepared with updated snow gear for the kids that fits and is comfortable, encouraging longer outdoor playtime . So lucky us, we …
If there is one gift we always hope our kids get unwrap this holiday, it's an art toy or craft kit , or something that encourages and help develops their artistic sides. For us, toys that build on children's natural creativity are as imp…
Now that it's officially December, I will soon unpack and set up my childhood nativity set, even if our holidays are largely secular nowadays. However after three kids who turned my nativity into a sort of dollhouse toy each year, it's t…