We've found the cutest new children's toy, and it includes fairy dust. Or a treasure map. What more could any child want, really? The new, cool nature kits from Rose & Rex are what little kids' dreams are made of, packed neatly into a cu…
The school year is winding down and I'm looking forward to nights with no homework (yay!) and fewer extracurricular activities on our calendar (double yay!). That means board game night. So I started to track down the best board games fo…
If you know us at all, you know we geek out when we find cool toys or kids' gear that promote inclusivity. So when we discovered Braille Bricks, the LEGO-inspired building blocks that help visually impaired kids can learn to spell throug…
If our most popular post of 2015, which introduced the brilliant and much coveted Blankie Tails , is any indication, there are now swarms of kids across America, flipping (ha) for their super-soft, well-made mermaid and shark tail blanke…
You may remember Cuddle and Kind's beautiful hand-knit dolls , which we featured last fall. We gushed over how cute the line is, and even more impressive, their amazing mission to feed hungry kids with ten meals donated to major hunger-f…
The internet's been all atwitter about the re-release of the Misty Copeland Barbie doll . Can we blame the buzz? It's Misty Copeland -- brilliant prima ballerina, African-American trailblazer, and all-around girl crush . Apparently we're…
With family picnics and outdoor parties on the horizon, I'm loving Jaq Jaq Bird's Chalk Board Table Runner that gives kids -- and adults, if we're being honest -- a creative canvas on which to doodle while they (cough) patiently wait for…
While I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of horse racing , I do usually pour myself a mint julep and watch the Kentucky Derby (without the hat) each year. My kids and I are fascinated by the sheer beauty of the stunning horses -- an interest …
You don't need to live in a galaxy far, far away to grab one of these cool inner-space worthy Star Wars kites from Think Geek on May the Fourth or any other day. And you won't even need the force to get one of these babies into the air -…
I love that it's become par for the course these days to raise our girls with the knowledge that they can do whatever they want and be whomever they aspire to be -- astronaut, organic farmer, singer, plumber, President. And we're all hop…
I am so happy to discover Melanites , a new line of dolls created in a "celebration of brown boyhood," thanks to the wonderful mind of Boston entrepreneur and minority youth mentor, Jennifer Pierre. While we're always on the lookout for …
When both of my big kids became older siblings for the first time, they wanted to take over most of my mothering duties for me. Feeding the baby, changing diapers, and of course, babywearing. I eventually passed an unused baby sling down…
With a hint of spring in the air, it's time to take stock of the cool ride-on toys out there so that our kids can stop hibernating with their handhelds and enjoy the great outdoors instead by pedaling, gliding and zooming around our side…
This post has been updated with corrections. Fisher-Price is of course the brand behind many of our favorite childhood toys like that now iconic telephone and the little gumball machine looking push-toy. So their big announcement this we…
Now that they've been revealed, I'm looking at the new Disney LEGO minifigures with great interest. I mean, I doubt there's a kid on this planet who doesn't imagine an array of 18 Disney characters transformed into LEGO minifigures and k…
Anyone who has seen my garage knows that we do not lack for bicycles. But, I always wished for a bike small enough to just toss into the trunk of my car alongside the kids' scooters for weekend rides in the park or on the boardwalk. Whic…
To commemorate what would have been Mister Rogers' 88th birthday today, we're going to get him all dressed up for the special occasion. How about a purple cardigan and a pair of roller skates? Or maybe a fireman's hat, sunglasses, and a …
Ready for Easter? We weren't either until we started searching the web for ideas, and got excited when we found so many totally adorable bunny gifts for Easter out there! And there's no chocolate, Peeps, or jelly beans in this bunch -- n…
We're big fans of toys that inspire creativity in our kids . And if they're small enough to fit in a backpack, even better. The Dollhouse Book by Rock and Pebble is perfection. This house-shaped cardboard-cover book is a 30-page blank ca…
Walking the toy aisles of most big discount stores can make any parent feel dizzy, to use a polite word. Where are all the cool wooden toys? Where are the toys that inspire imagination? Why does it seem like every toy made for kids these…
My daughter loves her screen time, that's for sure, but lately I have been keenly aware of the other creative toys that she, as an 8 year old, really gravitates to, without any prompting from me. Or really, the toys that I realize I'm al…
I still remember how special it would feel to get a brand new box of 64 Crayola crayons just for myself -- and that was before Crayola My Way , a super cool new way to create a box of totally custom Crayola crayons . Not only can you per…
There's something special about getting a doll that looks "just like you." It's one of the many reasons Cool Mom Picks loves companies like Corolle who make baby dolls of color as well as boy dolls for our sons to love. Of course it's pa…
Since Cool Mom Picks started a decade ago, we've made it our mission to find small, independent stores that sell unique, eco-friendly, hard-to-find toys for your kids so that all you have to do is scroll and shop. My newest favorite, Oh!…