Bloomin' Cute

It’s not coincidental that Bloom: A Little Book About Finding Love, comes out just in time for February's Hallmark holiday. And yet Dutch-born author/illustrator Maria Van Lieshout’s sweet little tome on loving the one you're with will delight kids the rest of the year as well ... [More]

Upping the V-Day Sweetness Factor

Valentine’s is the kind of holiday that challenges progress. In other words, Snoopy is about the most cutting edge character I like on my cards. ... [More]

All Natural Teddy

I tend to avoid buying friends and family plush animals as new baby gifts. I figure that like me, the last thing they need is another stuffed bear to collect dust on an already full shelf. ... [More]

Valentine's Chocolate Gets a Run for Its Money

Let's face it, the last thing I want to be doing February 14 is baking cookies. Especially now that we've discovered the adorable Sweet Lil' Gems Valentine cookies. ... [More]

Fine Drooler-y

Now that I understand that every nanosecond of a child's life (especially that first child - sorry siblings) will be photographed and documented, I can make a helluva good case for getting chic with the drool bibs at my friend's baby showers ... [More]

I Want to Be the Girl With the Most Cake

The sigOth and I had this great idea to save all of our daughter's birthday hats, ostensibly to watch the progression from Elmo to Diego to Toodee, if one day Yo Gabba Gabba licenses their characters to party supplies. ... [More]

Minimizing to the Max

After a day of lugging around The Diaper Bag That Can Hold Everything and Often Does, I am more than excited to head out for a rare night on the town with nothing on my shoulders but a spritz of No.5. Oddly, motherhood has turned me into a clutch girl. ... [More]

What Are Other Children's Albums Missing? Oh Yeah, Samuel L. Jackson

It's rare that my toddler will instantly take to music that she hasn't already seen on TV, but that's just what happened when I pressed play on A World of Happiness.
... [More]

Going Nocturnal

Now that I know there are more mobile options than some ugly plush "registry essential" that plays a robotic rendition of Twinkle Twinkle, I'm determined to spread the word to all the new moms out there. ... [More]

Parachute Pants Not Included

It's the plight of pregnant women everywhere, and I'm not talking about constipation. Damn that belly grabbing! No matter how hard I tried, I could never get people to stop pawing at me. ... [More]

Shiny Happy People Dreaming Jam Band

Imagine if the B-52's, Abba, REM and Devo moved into a house with four keyboards and a giant dress-up closet. And then imagine that they sang Beatles and Queen and Carpenters songs and sometimes rapped. ... [More]

Give Me Liberty!

I'm always on the look out for something to do with my favorite pictures, other than frame them. Custom bags, jewelry - you name it, I've got it. But puzzles? Not until now.

Lady in Waiting

We've seen a whole lot of handmade felt hair clips, but none that made us grin quite like The Little Lady Clip at Lily-Pie designs. ... [More]

Gotta Get a Dwell

A reader recently emailed asking about cool toiletry cases for kids. My answer was that most of them are pretty lame. ... [More]

Mr. Destructo

If there's one huge difference between my son and my daughter, other than the obvious, of course, it's that my son has a penchant for total destruction unlike anything I've ever seen. ... [More]

Keeping Clips From Getting Clipped

No one tells you when you start buying cute hair clips for your daughter that you might want to consider some way to put them away properly each night. ... [More]

Little Details Making a Big Difference

My husband decided to invite a few more people than I had intended (um, that would be none) to my son's first birthday celebration. Instead of freaking out and slapping together some terrible goody bag... ... [More]

Little Love Monkeys

I know a few moms who think that Valentine's day is strictly for adult-sized people. But knowing how much my toddler adores holidays, there's no way I could leave her out entirely while her dad and I pop the Moet and scarf down truffles.
... [More]

The Eco Nursery is Here and It's Not Crunchy At All

I got an early look at the new offerings from Spot On Square and...just wow. The lines of the brand new hiya collection are clean and appealing, the wood against polar white works with any decor and every piece is made right here in the US.

The Friendly Skies Just Got Friendlier

I've just returned from our first ever overseas trip with two children in tow. Thankfully (seriously, thank you powers-that-be) they were both exemplary travelers. While I'd like to think that my stellar parenting skills are entirely responsible, I have to throw a hat tip to the FAA-approved CARES restraint system. ... [More]

One Sling Fits All

With all the love that I have professed for the pouch sling, it definitely has one downside: It's made to fit you and only you, which isn't so great when it's your spouse's turn to take the sleepy baby off your hands. So I was definitely intrigued by the Baby Bee sling from Honeywear which is truly one size fits all. ... [More]

The One Time the Babies Kiss the Candidate

Given the wide range of Presidential candidates still in the running this year, why not add one more? ... [More]

Sing Your Math

One of my few claims to fame is that I can sing the twelve cranial nerves to the tune of My Favorite Things. Hey, it got me an A in anatomy and physiology. ... [More]

Armored & Dangerous

I cannot tell you how glad I am to be out of the spitty drooly baby stage. Or maybe I should say my shirts are glad. Even with the loads of burp cloths I collected over almost four years of parenting, I still ended up with cruddy spit-up on my shirts ... [More]

Obama? Hillary? Duck?

I admit that my eyes have been glued to the Presidential debates and caucuses, much to the chagrin of my Noggin-addicted three-year-old. So instead of fighting about when she gets to watch the Backyardigans next, I'm going to get her fired up about a better show: The 2008 Elections. ... [More]

Show the Love All Year Long

We're certainly not anti-Valentine's Day here at Cool Mom Picks; I mean what crazy person is going to turn down an excuse to eat chocolates and get flowers? But we like to think that if you're going to stock up on holiday-type stuff for your kiddo, spend your cash on something that she can wear all year long. ... [More]

So Good That I Don't Mind Licking the Spoon Either

There have been times when I've finished feeding my son and without thinking, licked the spoon. Blech. But since being introduced to Jack's Harvest, I actually have to stop myself from eating more than just the remnants. ... [More]

Not Your Ordinary Mortal Alphabet Book

I've been calling my daughter Wonderbaby for, like, forever. She's always seemed the type of child - even when she was only days old - who might just take off at any moment and leap tall buildings in a single bound. ... [More]

That's Kangaroo Rat to You

With the gaggles of educational animal shows and books out there, the cows, chickens, and puppy dogs of my childhood have been replaced with orangutans, meerkats, and my daughter's current favorite, chinchillas. ... [More]

Stick It To The Kids

When I sent my older daughter off to day care, I scrawled her initials on masking tape and stuck these makeshift labels haphazardly on her bottles, thinking that ought to suffice. Oh, how wrong I was. ... [More]

Enviro+Chic

These days, you can't throw a virtual stone without hitting a new environmentally conscious boutique. As we can attest, not all are created equal. ... [More]

Child Development Expert? Yeah, Me Neither.

As much as I would like to believe I'm an expert on my own child, I've been known on occasion to bring home a book before realizing that yeah, maybe she's not quite ready for the whole "and then Bambi's mother dies" thing. Now Savvy Source is helping me out quite a bit in this department. ... [More]

You're So Green and You Don't Even Know It

In trying my hand at a new greener lifestyle, I have to say it definitely takes effort. But this Re-Run Bag from the Fleurville diaper bag empire spotted at fantastic green boutique Generation Orange, requires nothing but the ability to sling it right over your shoulder. ... [More]

Pulp Non-Fiction

You'd think it would be easy to shop for a newly pregnant woman, but it's harder than it seems. Especially if you don't know whether the mama-to-be would prefer a pedicure or that everyone just leave her alone and stop touching her, dammit! ... [More]

Sleeping More Beautifully

It seems that while baby blankets are bequeathed to new moms in abundance, quilts and toddler pillows are overlooked. ... [More]

A New Take on the Good Old A to Z

I had the great fortune of receiving a lovely personalized Ida Pearle print from my gorgeous and brilliant CMP co-editor upon the birth of my son. ... [More]

Handwashing Should Make You Feel Better Not Worse

I suppose it takes becoming a parent, or in my case, working in a hospital, for you to realize that your own parents knew what they were talking about when it came to the whole handwashing thing. Unfortunately most anti-bacterial soaps contain triclosan, the stuff that gets rid of the bacteria but has a questionable track record when it comes to our health and wellness.

Because Not All Great Gifts Come From Santa

My son has a birthday that falls right after the biggest gift giving holiday of the year, making it a bit hard to figure out what to get him that feels "special." Considering how well he cleaned up at Christmas, it's not easy giving the old guy in the red suit a run for his money. ... [More]

Definitely Beats a Big Sibling T-Shirt

As surprised as I was by my third pregnancy, my older daughter was downright shocked. She may have actually gotten used to the idea more quickly than I did, thanks in part to Making Me: The Pregnancy Activity Book for My Big Brother or Sister. ... [More]

Nipples to Spare

Ever thought to yourself, nursing's great and all but you know what I could really use? Some spare nipples. ... [More]

People Safe, Planet Safe

My husband and I go back and forth about my penchant for sleek, modern design versus his love for the old-fashioned basics. But what we don't argue about is our desire for safe, environmentally conscious furniture for our children. ... [More]

The Amazing Adventures of SuperChloe

Aprons That Get an A

As much as I love those cute flouncy cotton kid's aprons, frankly, they're no match for a toddler and a spatula full of brownie batter. So I absolutely fell in love with the kids aprons from Beansoup the second I took mine out of the package. ... [More]

We've Come a Long Way, Baby

Regardless of how you stand on the candidate herself, the fact that there's a woman leading more than one presidential poll is pretty awesome. ... [More]

Royally Rocking

Right now, with writers striking and award shows canceling, we're in need of some good entertaining. Thank goodness for Princess Katie & Racer Steve stepping in to save the day by pre-releasing Fast & Feisty, a fast (and feisty) tribute to all that's great about kids music. ... [More]

Our Kind of Princess

With a princess-obsessed three year-old, I'm always on the lookout for pretty much any book that has absolutely nothing to do with them. And yes, I know it's cruel to cut her off entirely from the little crowned ladies just... ... [More]

Mommy = 1, Wiggly Baby = 0

I used to think baby clothes with snaps were the best solution for a wiry, wiggly baby. And then my brute of a son came along, and it was like to wrestle a greased squealing pig into pajamas. ... [More]

If Mama Can't Go to the Sippy Cups, Bring the Sippy Cups to Mama

The one downside to The Sippy Cups' new concert DVD release, Electric Storyland Live at the Great American Music Hall is it just may bum your kids out -if only in that they'll wish they were there instead of at home. ... [More]

A Face Cream A Mother Could Love

Lately my skin is starting to look...well, like it's winter. Like the air is cold, the heat is dry, and more than a wee bit of holiday cheer has taken its toll. A detox is in order, inside and out. ... [More]

Virtual Showers, Real Presents (Yeah!)

While we would hope that all of our bestest friends and relatives could fly/drive/hitchhike on over just to shower our babies-to-be with the requisite 84 receiving blankets, it doesn't always work that way. For a better alternative than some virtual internetty-thing, you have to check J. Marie Events. ... [More]

What's Better Than the Mercedes of Baby Carriers? The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 of Baby Carriers?

I fully admit that after writing up the PortaMEe hip carrier here last year, I wanted one. I sooooo wanted one. Not because it was expensive (seriously) but because it was awesome. ... [More]

Take-Me-To-Your-Nursery

While I love having two daughters to shop for in the wardrobe department, I absolutely love picking out nursery art for little guys. I suppose my tastes run a bit darker than the average girl's ... [More]

Details, Details

Much to some people's surprise, I'm a fairly crafty person. That's not to say you'll see me making my son a commemorative first birthday quilt or anything, but I do what I can to add personalized touches for parties and special occasions. ... [More]

Heads Turning Heads

I love that we've still got a good few months of hat-wearing weather in my neck of the woods. Only partly because my bald baby sports the chapeaux rather nicely without all those fussy locks to get in the way. Our latest happening haberdashery find: The awesome one-of-a-kind creations from Cozy Knits (Literally). ... [More]

Ballsy

Thanks to the toy recalls, I am much more concerned about where and how the toys I'm purchasing for my kids are made. But it's not always as easy to get the backstory on your playthings as Fair Trade Sports makes it. ... [More]

Decorating With Florals

New Year's not being what I had hoped for (i.e. We both passed out well before midnight) we've got a bit of a leftover stash of bubbly in the fridge. ... [More]

Slinging in the New Year

After trying on a massive number of slings, they are not all created equal. Sometimes that's a good thing - the sling I used for my summer daughter just didn't cut it when my January baby boy came along two years later. ... [More]

Humpty Dunce

I know I'm not the only new mom who spent sweet quiet moments alone with my newborn singing the Happy Days theme song. What can I say, I could never quite recall an appropriate tune when I needed to. ... [More]

Gift Baskets Without That One Sucky Item In Them

The problem with most gift baskets is you don't always like everything inside. Red Wagon Presents, on the other hand, puts together fun, themed book baskets that are great from top to bottom. ... [More]

Tickle-Me Phyto

As a child of the eighties, I was privy to the debut of many fads that should never have been, including parachute pants, bolo ties, and those cheesy Chia pets. If only the last one had died out along with the first two. ... [More]

Permission to Get Rowdy

After checking out a plethora of fantastic diaper bags over the last few years, I have to say that I'd love to be able to take the best features from each of them and combine them into one bag. ... [More]

New Year's Resolution: Give Up the Ecards

This year is going to be the year that I get way better about sending cards for my friends' kids instead of the cheesy free ecards.
... [More]

New Year, New Beginnings

I have a friend who spends every New Year's day plants a new tree with her family. ... [More]