Halloween Archives | Cool Mom Picks

100+ easy Halloween costume ideas for kids and parents. Because it’s all last-minute these days!

It’s not too late to pull together an easy last-minute Halloween costume idea that helps make Halloween awesome.Even if you’re doing everything last-minute lately. It’s not just about the costumes, by the way; Liz recently shared some incredible...

Cool non-candy Halloween gift for a cynical tween or teen? Reader Q & A

by Liz Gumbinner | Kids

When Lisa asked us for cool non-candy Halloween gift ideas for her tween/teen nieces and nephews, I was on the case! I checked with my own Halloween-loving but decidedly…particular tween and teen to see what kinds of things they would think are cool. I mean, of...

12 awesome kids and baby Halloween costumes made with pajamas. Comfy, easy and cool.

by Kate Etue | Baby, DIY, Kids

For years, I’ve had tons of fun using plain pajama sets — like the ones you can find at Primary or Hanna Andersson — as the base for my kids’ Halloween costumes. With some head-to-toe monochromatic pajamas, all I’ve had to do is add some...

From Elle Woods to Fresh Prince: 12 of the best 90s Halloween costumes for kids

by Caroline Siegrist | Holiday Picks, Kids, Party Ideas

For my fellow millennial parents who need a laugh, I present these hilarious 90s throwback Halloween costumes for kids, all inspired by the decade of our misspent youth. We’ve got Fresh Prince! Wayne’s World! Clueless! As if… you couldn’t tell...

Roald Dahl’s The Witches is great campy fun, and don’t believe anyone who says differently.

by Liz Gumbinner | Entertainment + Media

As a movie buff, I tend to be skeptical of reboots. Especially reboots of movies like Roald Dahl’s The Witches which became an instant Halloween classic in the 90s. But the 2020 version, now on HBO Max, is more of a reimagining than a reboot. And a needed one,...

Tim Burton and diaper bag: Two phrases we never thought we’d hear together.

by Kate Etue | Baby

For some of us fans, the Tim Burton cult favorite The Nightmare Before Christmas is not just a movie you watch around Halloween. And then some of those people grow up to become moms. And when they do, now at last they will have access to the very diaper bag they never...

9 creepy, spooky, and scary board games for Halloween. IF YOU DARE.

by Kate Etue | Toys + Playthings

The truth is, I don’t need an excuse to play scary board games for Halloween with my. kids. We’re full-fledged board game geeks at my house, and all games are an option for us, any time at all. But with so many families looking for safe trick-or-treat...

Safe trick-or-treat alternatives for a very 2020 Halloween. It can still be fun, promise!

by Liz Gumbinner | Entertainment + Media, Kids, Party Ideas, Tips + Tricks

It’s official: I’m writing about safe trick-or-treat alternatives after weeks of putting it off. The CDC has even officially recommended against trick-or-treating during COVID-19, at least in the traditional way, and oof. I need some safe trick-or-treat...

How to trick or treat for UNICEF virtually this year

by Kate Etue | Doing Good, Kids

Raising money for UNICEF at Halloween has become a tradition for many of our readers and their kids, and it’s a cause we’ve supported since the very beginning of our site. That’s a long time! So we’re thrilled to announce that this year, even...

We found 5 great trick-or-treat signs for candy, for a safe and socially distant Halloween

by Kate Etue | DIY, Tips + Tricks

We’ve had quite a few readers ask for some trick-or-treat-signs for candy to help keep a socially distanced Halloween. This is a time that we may want to hand out candy but uh, maybe in a less-contact way. And hey, we found some great ones, most of them...

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).

We still love what we do every single day. And we're so glad you're here.