adoption Archives | Cool Mom Picks

Adoptive parents: These are the forms you need to ensure your adopted child’s US immigration status is safe.

As an adoptive parent, the recent ICE raids have left me more than a little uneasy. Across almost all the adoption boards I’m on, in any social media channel, I’m seeing parents ask what documents they need to ensure their child’s adoption status is...

Trump’s proposed tax bill will keep parents from adopting. That sucks for everyone.

by Kate Etue | Thinking : Parent

As an adoptive mom, I’m committed to fighting against Trump’s new tax bill that, among other things, eliminates the essential adoption tax credit for families. Here’s why. Adoption is expensive. Like, crazy expensive. While it’s 100% worth it...

Bandages to heal kids’ emotional boo-boos: Helicopter-y or helpful? | Thinking: Parent

by Cool Mom Staff | Thinking : Parent

This post is written by guest contributor Anna Caudill, Executive Director of PALS (Post Adoptive Learning Services) and adoptive mom of two. Recently, Dutch bandage company Hanasplast created a limited time box of Hearts bandages designed to “heal emotional...

Thinking about adopting? Here’s how to get started, from a parent who’s been through the journey.

by Kate Etue | Helpful Services, Tips + Tricks

If your family has been thinking about adopting, I’m here as a BTDT mom to help. This year, my family grew by one more child when my husband and I adopted our daughter, a spunky 2-year-old from South Korea. It feels like we’re experts on adoption at this...

10 of the best, thoughtful gifts for newly adoptive parents and their kids

by Kate Etue | Baby, Fashion, Kid Fashion

As a newly adoptive parent, I’ve received a lot of generous adoption gifts from friends and family that celebrate our daughter’s culture and heritage, and speak volumes about the fact that she came into our family in a way very different from our other...

Swell Forever takes personalized baby blankets to a whole new level.

by Kate Etue | Baby

This spring, two of my friends have had kid number four which as we all know, makes it a little tougher in the gift-giving department. What baby gift do you give to the veteran mom who has three of everything already? Think heirlooms and personalized gifts. (Unless of...

What one remarkable family is doing to support adoption

by Liz Gumbinner | Doing Good

We are lucky to have Kate Etue, one of the most incredible writers and all-around loving, wonderful people on our staff. And when she showed me what she was doing to help support the 147 million orphans around the world, and her own pending adoption, let’s say I...

Web Coolness: Breastfeeding confessions, celebrity dads on fatherhood, free printable crafts

by Liz Gumbinner | Best of the Web

Every Friday we share our favorite links that we’ve found around the web. Here they are, and we hope you like them too! Must buy: Mike Boon’s Pixar Alphabet. [h/t whatanart] Must see: The worst apps for kids. Beyond what we could have imagined...

Web Coolness: Calvin & Hobbes IRL, hilarious Pins for Parents, and great books for strong girls

by Cool Mom Staff | Best of the Web

Here are some of our favorite links from around the web this week. We hope you like them too! Calvin & Hobbes in real photographs – love these! (via Laughing Squid) Big smiles for this mama who fulfilled her adoptive 13 year old son’s wish for a birth...

National Adoption Day gives us reason for thanks

by Christina Refford | Baby

While most of us will give thanks on Thursday for Thanksgiving, there will also be many families giving thanks today, for National Adoption Day which falls almost midway through November’s National Adoption Month. In honor of this special time for so many, we...

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, 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).