Tech CMP-Style Archives | Cool Mom Picks

4 smart, simple tips to help kids make good media choices with their screen time.

by Cool Mom Staff | Tech CMP-Style, Tips + Tricks

We write a lot about the importance of raising good digital citizens. The way we see it, the internet isn’t going away, and the older your kids get, the harder it is to start teaching them good behavior. So we start young, so that as kids get older,...

How the new HomeHawk by Panasonic makes home monitoring simpler, easier, and way less expensive | Sponsored message

by Cool Mom Staff | Living, Tech CMP-Style

This is a sponsored message from Panasonic HomeHawk If you don’t yet have a smart home monitoring system, it can seem overwhelming to get started. Systems can be expensive, and complicated, with professional home-wiring to schedule, and installation to figure...

Can we please stop freaking out about kids and social media? : How to raise responsible digital kids | Spawned Ep 170

by Cool Mom Staff | Podcast, Tech CMP-Style, Tips + Tricks

After seeing so many discussions in our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook community filled with parents who seem panicked — or at least very concerned — about kids and texting and social media, we thought it would be helpful to devote this week’s episode...

Coding with Kids: The live, online classes that get kids of all ages excited about coding | Sponsored Message

by Cool Mom Staff | Kids, Tech CMP-Style

This is a sponsored message from Coding With Kids If you’re trying to balance fun and educational after school activities for your kids this year, Coding With Kids has you covered with both at once. Because, coding! For five years, Coding for Kids has taught...

Reading Eggs has helped millions of kids worldwide learn to read. Try it for 4 weeks free. | Sponsored message

by Cool Mom Staff | Kids, Tech CMP-Style

This is a sponsored message from Reading Eggs If there’s one desire all parents have in common, we want to make sure our kids are doing well in school, learning the skills they need for success, and working to the best of their ability. And there’s...

The best Amazon Prime Day deals July 15 and 16: Just the good stuff

by Cool Mom Staff | Baby, Kids, Living, Style + Beauty, Tech CMP-Style

Yep, Amazon Prime Day is here. It’s that day on Amazon that it either looks like someone emptied out your great-grandmother’s junk drawer and put it for sale on the internet…or the day that thing you wanted/needed/discovered is on massive sale and...

17 great high school graduation gift ideas that kids will actually want. Besides cash.

by Liz Gumbinner | Kids, Tech CMP-Style, Tips + Tricks

With high school graduation time here, I’ve been getting so many questions from friends about appropriate high school graduation gift ideas that kids will actually want. So I’ve been asking around, and the answer is most often, “cash.” Followed...

Coding with Kids: The online summer camp that blends fun and real world STEM skills. | Sponsored Message

by Cool Mom Staff | Kids, Tech CMP-Style

This is a sponsored message from Coding With Kids If you’re trying to balance fun and educational activities for your kids this summer, Coding With Kids is a fabulous solution offering both! Coding With Kids offers live, week-long online coding camps for kids...

Is raising unplugged kids a terrible idea? Spawned Ep 146

by Cool Mom Staff | Podcast, Tech CMP-Style

Let’s face it, parents: screens are here to stay. So why are we still so ambivalent about them? Maybe being unplugged isn’t actually the best way to help our kids thrive in this digital world. On this week’s Spawned podcast, we’re chatting with...

15 great kinds of videos to watch with your kids besides toy unboxing

by Cool Mom Staff | Entertainment + Media, Tech CMP-Style

Video is the new TV for this generation of kids, if you hadn’t quite noticed. (Ha.) When we say to our kids, “let’s watch a show!’ their inclination is to turn their favorite video app or video platform on their little screens, and click play....

2 safe, fun new apps for preschoolers that just may get you a little shower time

by Cool Mom Staff | Tech CMP-Style

We love apps that let our younger kids explore, play, and get creative all in a safe, controlled environment. And recently, we shared two apps on Cool Mom Tech on behalf of our sponsor Kinsane Entertainment that do just that. Since the response has been so positive...

Join us for a Twitter social to help combat online bullying. Because #ItsCoolToBeKind.

by Cool Mom Staff | Tech CMP-Style

Online safety and cyberbullying have surpassed the list of parents’ concerns over even drugs and alcohol. And we get it — we have kids who are online too and it can be a little scary to let them loose on the Internet. In fact, 28% of students have...

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, easier, more organized, 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).