With so many amazing modern building blocks out there, it's not hard to find a set that I'd love to give to my kids. But I've just discovered SumBlox , the most incredibly original set of durable beech wood blocks that mixes math learnin…
Playing a board game with the kids can be fun, but it's bound to feel a lot more special when your kids get to put their own finishing touches on the games themselves, like they can with DIY Board Games . And, don't worry: The "DIY" does…
Ahoy mateys, it's Talk Like a Pirate Day , one of our favorite should-be-a-real-holiday days of the year. And though my "pirate speak" is a little rusty, my ability to find some of the cutest and coolest pirate-related treasures is right…
Okay, so I'm going to go ahead and say it: The holidays are creeping up. I know that means half of you hate me, and the other half are like "whatever, my list is already done ." In which case, I bow to you. But if you're starting to thin…
We've featured no shortage of kid-friendly storage bins here on Cool Mom Picks, but now that my kids are getting older (sniffle), I'm in the market for a little organizational help that's a little more my taste, like these stylish storag…
Buying a special gift for a four-year-old is so much fun since this is the age that kids really start to show their preferences and interests. Plus, they aren't sticking every little piece into their mouths (phew) and can play independen…
Those iconic handmade wooden crate and roller-skate-bottom scooters from the Great Depression have been retooled and re-imagined to form the fierce-looking Skate Crate , hopefully coming soon to a sidewalk near you. At least if you ask o…
Changing your child's room from an infant's nursery to a kid's functional bedroom doesn't have to be a long (and expensive) project for modern style-and-design conscious parents. In fact, Cool Mom Picks' favorite P'kolino's new Little Mo…
When are utilitarian storage units for kids the most stunning pieces of furniture in the whole room? When they are these gorgeously original Amsterdam Cabinets from This is Dutch. Modeled after Amsterdam's iconic canal houses, these 78" …
It's not always easy for us to find a game for kids that is doable, yet challenging, and that the entire family can play. What can we say, we have high standards. However cool-game maker Blue Orange's new Doodle Quest is giving my family…
When I walked down my son's school hallway this week I couldn't help but giggle when I saw four identical backpacks hanging from the hooks outside his classroom. (Take note: purple leopard print is a big hit with third graders right now.…
Choosing the best gift for a two year old from among ride-on vehicles, construction toys, dolls and more can seem overwhelming, so we've narrowed it down to some favorites that our own boys and girls have loved. Because that first birthd…
We've seen just about everything in the dollhouse world, but we've never seen an elephant you could live in. The natural wooden dollhouse called the Ele Villa ("elephant house"), from natural, sustainable toy company Rock and Pebble defi…
With ride-on toys like the Skoooch , the CycoCycle , and the Explorer Go-Kar t in our garage, our own driveway is often the most fun place to be in the summer. And if you're looking for something totally different to get your kids out an…
Even if our plans today don't include a French military parade on the Champs-Elysées, in honor of Bastille day today, we're giving a special nod to our fashionable friends on the other side of the pond by featuring some of our favorite F…
We adored Lille Huset's eco-friendly, laminated, recycled paperboard DIY dollhouses the moment we discovered them at Toy Fair earlier this year. Founder Alyson Beaton's mission is so wonderful: to encourage kids to build and customize th…
Tis the season for playing in the sand (yay for summer!) so we've rounded up some of the most fun and coolest-looking new beach toys for kids. If you've got a seaside trip planned,we hope these help you amp up the standard buckets and sh…
We missed the boat on a big fancy modern swing set for my kids--maybe because we live in the city and don't have a yard? Yeah, that could have a little to do with it. But their Grandma and Papa put up a handmade swing for them which made…
Okay, so M is actually for Monkey in this set of flash cards for kids, but X really is Xantus--Xantus's Hummingbird, to be exact. We're stunned by the modern, gorgeous, high design illustrations on these Animal Alphabet Flash Cards by il…
They aren't as sly as a fox, as wise as an owl, or as puffy as a hedgehog, but the unassuming sloth is poised to be the next big thing for kids, as Liz and I noticed as we toured Toy Fair earlier this year. These slow-moving, surprisingl…
T his is a sponsored message from Generation Grit Mom of four, Laura Hale, was looking for action figures for her sons that would offer some of the wholesome, creative play accompanied by thoughtful storybooks that so many girls had alre…
We love balance bikes here at Cool Mom Picks because they do such a great job of teaching young kids how to get around safely on two wheels. I was sold on them after learning the hard way how challenging it is to wean a fearful child off…
It's officially the season for travel (whoo!) and whether you're planing it, driving, or taking the subway uptown for a picnic in the park, we're all for getting out with the kids. A top question from our readers is always "but what do I…
We have a thing for personalized dolls at Cool Mom Picks, but I am legitimately swooning over these sophisticated (but still adorable) custom family dolls, handmade by Liliana Tijeras of Citizens Collectible on Etsy. They may be made in …