More coolness from recent weeks…
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: The time our holiday shopping guide launches.
The winter sweaters are out, the tinsel is already in the store windows, and the annual Cool Mom Picks Holiday Gift Guide is live and, if we do say so, kicking. We've scoured the web to help you solve your every gift giving dilemma, from your adorable pirate-obsessed...
A bag that brings your work and your babies together in one
Yes, I'm an avowed bag fanatic, but that doesn't mean I want to carry a second one for my laptop along with my diaper bag. However I had yet to come across a hybrid diaper/laptop bag that I'd actually carry until I discovered the classic Vert Tote from Acme Made.Okay,...
Definitely not your granny’s crochet
Thanks to my not-so-quickly shrinking postpartum body, the only items that are guaranteed to fit me are accessories. So at the top of my "dear santa pleeeeeeeeease" list are these Floral Crochet Earrings spotted at Three Lovelies. Artist Claudia Lobao actually...
I always knew books could save the world
I suppose they could've come up with a different name for Better World Books, but when you're really making a better world for everyone through a love of books, well, the name fits. Perfectly.Next time you shop for books, consider the option that is both saving books...
Baby Bjorn makes the bouncy seat of my dreams
BabyBjorn did a really brilliant thing when they launched their fantastic, comfy new BabySitter Balance bouncy seat - they created an adult-size version and let the product review editors all sit in it. What they didn't do is figure out a way to cajole us out of it...
Not since the mimeograph have we been more excited to sniff paper
I'm one of those goofy, sentimental types where it comes to personal correspondence. If you send me a card, you can be sure it will occupy a place of honor on my refrigerator. But if you send me one of these holiday scratch 'n' sniff cards from Jack and Lulu,...
We’ve got the buzz right here
Timing is everything. Like I finally discover the excellent boutique Baby's Buzz, only to learn that they're closing up shop and moving onto other endeavors. Bad timing. But then I learn that it's actually all 40% off. Good timing!Head there now for terrific baby and...
Invisibelt – Putting an end to plumber’s butt for life
Invisibelt is basically an invisible belt that every fashionista seems to be buzzing about these days. Yes, it's invisible in that magic Wonderwoman airplane sort of a way because it's clear plastic, but also invisible in that it's designed to lie flat so it won't...
And the best kids music of 2008 is…
Last year, we helped introduce you all to the first ever Fids + Kamily music poll winners, decided by an incredible panel of judges who subjected themselves to endless hours of aural pain just to find the rare kids CDs that don't suck for your own listening...
Deck your halls all year long
Talk about getting a bang for your nursery decor buck: The whimsical set of mini hand-painted artwork is not just wall art, it's a whole set of ornaments. Personally, I'd hang them in the baby's room, but sneak them out to the tree every December so that the whole...
Diaper bags get a makeover with oilcloth, believe it or not
I've come across enough leaky bottles, squished tubes of diaper cream and spilled snacks to realize that the stuff of mothering should be strong enough to be hosed off in the backyard. Michele Sommer and Yvette Yelardy of Boston-area MY Oilcloth understand this too...
Nice unit blocks
We have our fair share of toys that beep, blink or speak, but one of my son's favorites are his no-battery-required wooden unit blocks from City & Country School. Now available through the cool Kid O website, these 100% European Beech blocks don't just become a...
Look mom, no hands
I know I'm very lucky to only have to pump as an extra curricular activity. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the benefits of owning a PumpEase, a cool mom-created product that allows you to use your regular old electric breast pump with no hands.Okay so the...
You know what Bugaboos really need? A way to cost even more.
Sure we all marveled at the Bugaboo strollers (and their price tags) when they first came out. They were the ergonomic and stylish answer to every chic mom's prayers. However some dads needed a little...more.Well, Iacono Designs, brains behind the $2500 Roddler...
Organic kids clothes take over the world. Starting with the holidays.
With all the holiday invitations coming up, I'm trying to broaden the girls' party wardrobe without succumbing to either scary appliquéd sweaters or velvets and tulles that will be a bitch to get the Christmas punch out of.Sparrow LA is answering my prayers with a...
Raising a glass to glass baby bottles
I'm actually glad that I pitched all of the bottles I used for my first two kids and had to buy new ones for surprise baby #3. Because with all the recent news about plastics leaching BPA and who knows what chemicals into the milk, I've gotten a lot more choosy...
Do animals smile? Anamalz do.
All three of my kids totally dig toy animals. Even the baby happily bangs the horse and cow and pig against the roof of our wooden play barn. It's pretty easy to see that a bunch of new animal figurines would make fantastic stocking stuffers around here, and I've got...
The only thing cooler than giving kids books for Christmas – giving kids personalized books
As I read my own childhood picture books to my daughter, I also read the handwritten dedication penned on the first page of most of them. To Rita, on her third birthday, from Mommy and Daddy. To Rita, from Grandma and Grandpa. But of course that was long before...
See Dick. See Dick wipe up puke.
I'm a sucker for vintage fabrics, even when I know they're going to be used to sop up body fluids that you could never have imagined you'd spend quite so much time with back in your prepartum days. That's why I'm loving the handmade Dick and Jane burp cloth from...
Hand-me-downs go digital
Let's face it, Freecycle is filled with scary people (uh, no, I don't want your used Kleenex) and the prices on eBay can be out of control. I've all but given up on great places to find gently used kids' clothes online, and if I don't have a friend who can use our...
Deck the walls with pretty things
With certain types of decor, your standard glittery, tinsel-y holiday trimmings just don't fit. They're festive, sure, but sometimes you just need something simple, something sophisticated. Something cool. For those occasions, think we've found the solution....