I spent a good portion of my childhood coloring, drawing and creating and was very proud of what my mother assured me was some serious talent. I can't even imagine how excited I would have been if she then had one of my creations turned …
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…
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 you're the type who likes to fill your holiday gifts with handmade love, we've got a whole bunch of beautiful ideas for you. My grandmother was a crocheter who made such hilariously bad gifts ( sorry, Grandma! ), they were the highlig…
I was wondering if you could recommend a classic dollhouse for my two daughters' Christmas gift? Would love any suggestions you have. Thank you!! -Amy Ooh, dollhouses! One of our favorite things to look for, now that there are so many to…
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…
Sometimes it feels like we're in the middle of a plastic doll takeover. Those little dudes are everywhere (pretty sure most of them are in my living room) I am more convinced than ever that the last thing the world needs is another plast…
Need a gift for the superstar girl who has everything? She could be 8. Or heck, 38. Either way, I think she'll like this adorable necklace which it turns out, is a lot more than a necklace. The Super Star Stamp Necklace is an adorable, e…
As a homeschool mom, I've got plenty of creative ways to teach numbers and counting to my littler ones. But that doesn't mean there aren't more creative options out there, like this one from artist and mom CarrieSue Gustafson who I recen…
You may have already gotten wind of the world's first Breast Milk Baby Doll , now available in the US. And of course, it's stirring up all sorts of controversy. As hard as my husband and I tried, we could only get my older three breastfe…
I can't help loving these artist-created bunnies made with vintage fabrics from some of our favorite designers. I just want to squeeze them and love them; especially the one with the apples. The vintage bunnies and rag dolls from UK Etsi…
I'm such a huge Alice in Wonderland fan that I spent no less than five days trying to come up with just the right title to pay homage to this amazing Etsy find. And I love it so much that threatening my children with imaginary monsters w…
Don't tell the Easter Bunny, but there's a new rabbit in town. Actually, a few new rabbits. Mirabelle is a dancer and Balthazar is a magician and I think they probably have French accents. Don't they look like they would be great guests …
The next Twilight movie doesn't come out until this November-- don't ask me how I know . So for now, if you've got teens into Twilight or tweens into goth gone adorable, you might want to check out the Vamplets. This coven/nursery of snu…
I know that this year I'm going to end up with a bunch of kids I've forgotten about on my holiday list, so I try to amass a repertoire of fun, not too expensive gifts to keep on standby. If they don't get given out this month, there's al…
I have this fantasy every Christmas of convincing my extended family to go together on one big gift for my children. You know, instead of everyone doing their own thing and my kids ending up with a playroom full of blinky-light, noise-ma…
I'm kind of in love with anything vintage, especially when it comes to toys. We always joke that generations of children somehow made it through life without dolls that walked, talked, or did the cha-cha, and ours can too, darn it. And g…
The list of things my 3-year-old daughter doesn't love is a lot shorter than the list of things she does. But if there's one thing she digs more than anything else right now, it's dolls. Specifically, dolls to whom she can assign the per…
When it comes to iPhone apps and kids, I'm a big believer that simple is better. Too many bells and whistles usually means too many "Mom, come fix this!" calls from the other room. (And it's usually far more dire sounding and less polite…
We just can't get enough of the adorable knit dolls and beautiful baby mobiles from one of the fair trade pioneers in the kids category, Blabla Kids. They are consistently some of the best baby gifts out there. Truth be told, I'm a bit o…
We've been fans of the Handmade Toy Alliance since this organization formed in 2008 in response to Congress's [expletive deleted] Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act. This ill-conceived (and ironically named) law is the impetus for …
I have nothing against boys embracing pink, but when I went to buy a little boy doll for my nephew to love while his mama was caring for a newborn, I found that 99% of the baby dolls in the big toy store were of the female persuasion. Fr…