My kids were in a museum gift shop with friends this summer and of everything in the store, all four spent the entire time fighting over (I mean, taking turns with ) what's best defined as a handmade voice or music recording gadget from …
H i Cool Mom Picks! Can you put to gether some unique holiday gift ideas for creative kids that go beyond the same craft kits I see everywhere? Thanks so much! Ooh, I love this question. We know that all kids have creativity in them, so …
We love finding new ways to teach our kids about the big, diverse world that extends far beyond the boundaries of their neighborhood and town. And while nothing can replace actually going to the countries themselves, playsets like this o…
Now that it's officially December, I will soon unpack and set up my childhood nativity set, even if our holidays are largely secular nowadays. However after three kids who turned my nativity into a sort of dollhouse toy each year, it's t…
Since the first November it launched several years ago, even long before American Express started sponsoring and championing the campaign, we've been staunch advocates for Small Business Saturday. And we're still thrilled to mark on our …
If you could use a little help picking out toys for the kids on your list this holiday, we're about to make things a lot easier for you with a mini holiday toy gift guide, starting with the best educational toys for kids. This is the fir…
Since their launch, we've been huge fans of Tegu , makers of the smart, high quality, sustainable wood and magnetic block sets that have just blown up over the years. While their collection of choices has gotten bigger, now Tegu has a wo…
Though there are sure to be many awesome high-tech toys out there this holiday season , our latest obsession is the adorably low-tech wooden peg dolls by Wooly Llama on Etsy. I mean, what could be better than hearing your kids playing th…
A new baby may be small, but they all have some magical ability to fill an entire home with all of their things. So we're always looking for those gifts and gear essentials that both baby and you will love looking at, like baby play gyms…
The very first thing my son does when we sit down to eat at a restaurant (well, after ordering both ice water and milk) is ask for my iPhone. I'll admit that I’m often tempted to hand it over because it’s such an easy way to keep him ent…
When I first saw a picture of The Swurfer in my local toy store's summer catalog, I thought that it looked like a nice wide swing for those of us who can't quite, ahem, cram ourselves into our kids' smaller swings. And while it can defin…
Just when I think it's time to put the baby blocks away, my kids will surprise me by building some huge creative structure on the living room floor, enhanced by LEGO men and dollhouse furniture. Still, I can tell the basic square blocks …
This past week I was fortunate to attend the New York Baby Show as a guest of New York Family Magazine . In the past, we've found some of our favorite new baby gear there ( Ubbi Diaper Pails !), and there is a lot. I'm talking both produ…
When you're going through the pain of cutting teeth and the indignity of drool everywhere, you deserve a little reward, don't you think? Of course, there's no more appropriate gift for your teething six-month-old than a designer handbag.…
We fell so in love with Candylab Toys and their gorgeous, modern-looking wood cars when we saw them over the holidays last year, they easily made 2014 Best Toys, Dolls, and Games list . Now our engines are all revved up again to see that…
Whether you call it Autism Awareness or Autism Acceptance like one of my good friends, April is a great month to learn more about autism and how to make our world more supportive to those families living with it. That's one reason we've …
This is the time we start thinking Easter for you all, and as always, we love finding special little treats for the Easter baskets that aren't necessarily your typical drugstore-shelf chocolate bunny. So I think this Easter Bunny paintin…
Most preschoolers can tell you that M is for Monkey and N is for Nut , but a hip preschooler may know that those letters also stand for Moustache and Narwhal . Since I'm pretty sure my three year old doesn't, I've got my eye on this Hips…
Ever in search for more colorful playthings to brighten up the dreary northeast weather, I am so happy to discover Laughing Crickets , an Etsy shop creating the most beautiful, bright, happy-making handmade toys for kids, with a focus on…
As I'm looking around the web for ideas for a little token Valentine's Gift for my kids, I came across this adorable wooden stacking heart blocks toy from Natural Family Shop on Amazon and yes, I heart it. It comes with 8 natural, beauti…
I've been cleaning up and paring down lately, and that includes some of the wooden blocks my kids got as gifts when they were young. So I started thinking about upcycled wooden blocks craft ideas that might breathe some new life into the…
I'm always happy to introduce you to beautifully-curated independent web boutiques and here's one more new one that's caught my attention since its launch just a few weeks ago. Mini Life is an exquisite children's lifestyle boutique pack…
It seems the masters of all things cozy for baby have done it again; our friends at Aden + Anais , have added yet another baby registry must-have to their collection with new Aden + Anais teething toys and ooh are they cute. Made of mapl…
From amazing dolls to cool new games and imaginative toys, there have been so many fantastic options out for kids at play this year that encourage things we love, like creativity, imagination, building, interest in STEM pursuits, defianc…