I am all about empowering girls. Especially when it seems like so many media messages out there do just the opposite. So I'm glad to find some handmade girl power on Etsy. The Super Girl doll is handcrafted goodness to the tune of braide…
Owls are some seriously cool animals. They have big eyes, they're nocturnal, and they "whoo." They're also the requisite cute kids motif of the decade, which you know if you're an avid Cool Mom Picks reader. You know what's cooler than a…
I grew up playing with muñecas de trapo (rag dolls ) so when I saw the new modern doll line by Cool Mom Pick favorite Petit Collage I was instantly smitten. They're just like the dolls I grew up with -- except that, well, they're not exa…
Well of course you all know we already love Martha Stewart Living , but we now have an extra- special thing for the February issue, since you'll find Cool Mom Picks in it. What a huge, huge thrill for us! Check page 30 for our tips from …
Enjoy these, our Editor's top picks of 2011 for toys for babies, tots, and big kids too--all of which we think will keep kids happy for more than a few minutes. That's pretty rare these days. And not a battery compartment in sight! Littl…
If Santa's elves make everything, why do the boxes say "made in China?" my little sister asked me several decades ago. Her prescient question rings more true now than ever, where it seems unlikely that the handiwork of elves had much to …
My kids are what you might call serious artists. No they aren't selling their paintings for thousands, they just can't leave the house without a bunch of arts and crafts stuff --just in case inspiration hits in the minivan, I suppose. Fo…
My twin 9-month-old daughters were just diagnosed with asthma (and) I'm having a really hard time finding hypoallergenic stuffed animals. Do you have any ideas or tips? Thanks! -Heidi As a fellow asthmatic, I totally understand the need …
I admit it: I'm a fan of pretty much every one of those daily-deals sites. Hand me an exclusive membership to sweet deals on designer merch and I get a little thrill. And this new site totally supersizes that thrill in the coolest way po…
I never mean to, but I occasionally have a weird mind slip and underestimate the power of simplicity. When a package arrived in the mail from Gween , bearing six pieces of pretty, shiny wood meant to put together into a windmill shape, I…
M y toddler LOVES anything train! Do you all have any ideas for cool train tables that my toddler would love? I wish I had done this research for my son before we got his ugly train table many years ago. Though he loves it, it's a major …
We headed off to see The Muppets this past weekend, both for the nostalgia and to introduce my kids to the beloved characters of my younger years. And while I believe that much of this movie would be lost on kids younger than grade schoo…
As a 4-year-old, my daughter is at the age where her eyes grow wide at the sight of a kid riding a bicycle. Tricycles are so last year--get the girl a two-wheeler, stat! And what could be a more appropriate first bike than a FirstBIKE Ba…
I have this one person on my list that I can't stand holiday shopping for. Why? Because she already has everything . Really. If it's something she likes, she buys it before anyone else has the chance. It's the worst. But, for the first t…
Though my religious affiliation can best be summed up with a long puzzled silence, there are certain things from my youth that I carry with me to this day, like praying when the plane jets down the runway, and setting up the nativity sce…
My kids fell in love with Anamalz right away. Not so much because they were made out of eco-friendly, organic wood and textiles by a super cool Australian company. But because of all the reasons kids like toys--they're cute. And they're …
When we find something as smart and cool as the magnetic blocks by Tegu, we keep an eye out for whatever they come up with next, because we know it's going to knock our socks off. This time, they're knocking our blocks off by adding--- d…
When the toy store ads appear in our Sunday newspaper, I'm mostly uninspired by all the blinky, noisy, plasticky stuff touted as The Next Big Thing. Would these really be the toys that Santa's elves carefully assemble in the North Pole? …
Before the 24-hour carols, the jammed parking lots, and those news stories about people fighting over the latest Elmo toy, there is Neighborhood Toy Store Day today, November 12. This is one that hits near and dear to our indie-loving he…
Here at CMP, we're total blockheads. We've brought you classic blocks, magnetic blocks, and amusingly subversive blocks. But this is the first time we're taking it old school, all the way back to the periodic table. Yes, friends, you're …
Please tell me I am not the only one with such nostalgia for some of our baby clothes, that I've saved them. The little peasant dress from Mexico, the smocked dress from a great-grandmother, the onesie with the swallow tattoos on the che…
We're so thrilled to be teaming up with our sponsor Harris Bank who's asked us to offer up cool picks to help teach money management early. Back when I was a kid, a piggy bank was no more than a basic way to teach money savings to those …
When my kids were younger, they adored lacing cards, though I can't say any of them had illustrations quite so adorable as the Lacing Cards from House 8810 . What I do remember is how quietly and intently they would sew their cards, and …
My son's car obsession knows no limits, which is why we've got tubs and tubs full of plastic race cars and trains packing our playroom shelves. But the play life of those tiny cars seem to be pretty short, which is not at all what I can …