A Baby Blanket Just for Their Heads

I confess, I'm one of those "crazy" moms who's taken all three of my babies out and about right away. I refuse to be stuck with cabin fever, especially as the weather warms up. The only problem? How to protect that brand-new baby skin from the sun. ... [More]

Shrinkage. The Good Kind.

I realize that pregnancy does give you some type of justification for those wiggly bits that would ordinarily drive you nuts. But the third time around, I have no patience for the extra juicy thighs.

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So Maybe Sparkles Aren't The Best Ever Ingredient For Baby Lotions

It's difficult having to choose between Big Name Baby Products that are loaded with artificial ingredients and Natural Products that smell, uh, a little too natural if you catch my drift. ... [More]

Eau de Notbabyfood

If you're suffering from Postpartum Fragrance Rut (PPFR) but you're not ready to delve back into the world of $70 an ounce eau de parfums, I definitely recommend checking out Elizabeth Morrison's artisanal theme fragrance collection. ... [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.

Enter CleanWell's anti-bacterial foaming handwash ... [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]

The Perfect Gift for All Your Flaky Friends

Before kids, I used to custom select the perfect little whatever for every gal on my Christmas list. After kids? So not happening. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stick them all with impersonal gift cards and call it a day either. ... [More]

Hungarian Beauty: Beyond Zsa Zsa

As moms, we all know that personal hygiene isn't what it used to be in our pre-baby days. Needless to say, regular pedicures and bi-monthly facials are a thing of the past for me. ... [More]

Better Living Through No Chemicals

After my daughter’s first bath irritated her skin from head to toe, I have been on the lookout for great baby bath products that are made from ingredients I feel I can trust. And pronounce. You know, more honey and oatmeal, less DMDM Hydantoin. ... [More]

Gifts That Make You Wish You Had Cooler Friends

Each holiday season, I make sure to stock up on a box full of emergency hostess and holiday gifts. They're the kinds of things you can pretty much give to anyone when you get a last minute invite, or--horror of all horrors--someone hands you a gift and you haven't reciprocated. ... [More]

Because You Pushed it Real Good

Of all the unspeakables that go along with pregnancy, can we agree that hemorrhoids take the cake? Chances are if you pushed out a baby, you've got a few of your very own, um, badges of honor. ... [More]

Don't Drop The Soaptopia

When you're a parent, one of the first things to go, besides your figure, is personal grooming. It's hard enough to get a shower in at all some days, let alone one you can actually enjoy. ... [More]

I Like Smooth Butts and I Cannot Lie

Leave it to a company named Least Likely 2 Breed to come up with a natural and very catchy solution for diaper rash. Hilarious mom and founder Leigh Stevens' travel tin of Bad Ass Booty Balm has become a permanent fixture in my diaper bag. And not just because it's fun to pull it out in public and wave it around.

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Recommended by Doctor Mom. And Us.

When I met the delightful MD Moms behind the innovative MD Moms line of baby products, I instantly wanted to take them home with me so they could dispense calming pediatric advice even at wee hours of the morning. Okay, and free baby products too. ... [More]

Pregnant and Polished

Like there aren't enough things you have to give up when you're pregnant (sushi, Pinot Noir, catcalls from construction workers) now people are getting all waffle-y on nailpolish. Excuse me, but give up my weekend pedicures? Not happening. ... [More]

I'm in Luv With a Sunscreen

There's nothing like a beach day with two kids: The sun. The sand. The 30-minute suncreen battle. It's almost enough to make me forego the beach and just skip to the ice cream. But since discovering KINeSYS I have a newfound love. ... [More]

Monster Repellent

I've tried all sorts of tricks to convince my girls that monsters do not inhabit their rooms. I even resorted to logic at one point, to no avail. Silly me for even trying such a longshot. ... [More]

Forget Mr. Right, I found Mr. Klean

You can't swing a loofa without hitting a specialty beauty product shop. With so many options, I thought I'd keep mine open, play the field. No settling down with one brand for me. Then I hooked me up with my destined spa product soul mate and things all changed. ... [More]

The Thymes They Are A-Changin'

I've been a fan of The Thymes line of bath and beauty products ever since the sigOth and I first spotted them in a great boutique on vacation years ago. He wanted the fig leaf-cassis candle, I wanted the lavender lotion. We compromised - by buying forty different things. ... [More]

Oh, Those Pesky UV Rays

I have never understood why sunblock is scented like pina coladas, particularly for kids. Do you really want your child smelling like a drunken cruise ship tourist stumbling around Key West? ... [More]

Fantastic Baby Oil and Dog Aphrodisiac

Ever since developing the bionic nose of pregnancy (you all know what I'm taking about, mamas) I can't settle for any bath or baby product that smells less than amazing. Fortunately, there are plenty of options no matter what your own supernose demands. ... [More]

No C-Ems

Aside from the rare celebrity or overexposed heiress who schedules her delivery around her publicity schedule, most women don't exactly look forward to c-sections. ... [More]

Oooooh, Balmy

I've got enough in my diaper bag without having to worry about the hundred products I might want to add come spring--Calamine, lip balm, Neosporin, blah blah blah. But after trying a sample of Bye Bye Boo Boo from Zen Momma, I think I've just pared down my kit by about 16 pounds. ... [More]

The Joys of Boys

I never truly realized the value of baby powder until I had a boy -- need I say more? But with a baby with sensitive skin, I wasn't going to settle for just any powder. ... [More]

Brush With Greatness

Oh, the poor, lowly, neglected baby brush. As essential as this item is to the nursery--or at least to ours, with our messy-haired daughter--the options are limited to the free crappy one that comes along with some baby bath essential gift set, or an absurdly expensive sterling one that needs more polishing and attention than the baby herself. Where are all the cool brushes? ... [More]

Beautiful Inside and Out

I’m a sucker for great packaging when it comes to beauty products. I know, I know (for all of you with way more common sense)…it’s what is inside that counts, but I can't help being attracted to funky, fresh designs. So trust me when I tell you that Mama Mio has got both the inside and the outside covered. ... [More]

Honor Thy Belly

Yes, we'd all like to be the type to embrace and adore every crease and crevice, every jiggle and wiggle in our figures as we evolve from imperfect to imperfect and pregnant; but I'm afraid those types are limited to Dove ads and Dr. Phil segments. So I don't know about you, but I'm willing to try pretty much anything to stave off the dreaded stretch marks. ... [More]

Shouldn't the Baby Smell Better After the Bath?

I have learned over the past 18 months that fancy packaging is no indication of a great baby lotion. I started with the highest-end, la-di-da, imported line of products, only to find they reeked like a perfume counter saleswoman exploded all over the nursery. Now I'm doubly skeptical of anything until I try it myself. ... [More]

Skin So Soft

When I first had my baby, I spared no expense at procuring the fanciest, most expensive, la-di-da baby lotions and creams from Europe. And then, I promptly gave them away. The smell! Oh my goodness, the smell--so sweet, I felt my insulin levels soar as soon as the cap came off.
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What They Don't Tell You In Lamaze Class

Topping my list of things they really should teach you in your birthing class but don't (and it's a long list, believe me) is the variety of afflictions affecting your nether regions, post-baby. Who knew it would be like giving birth all over again! ... [More]

mi SPA, Take Me Away

I am one of those people for whom one medicine cabinet is not enough. I have all manners of lotions and potions spilling out from every available crevice and corner in the bathroom. So when I run naked from the shower shouting about the joys of some new product, you have to believe it's something special. ... [More]

Babies + Chemicals: Not The Best Combo

It seems that along with my bright wit and sparkling personality, my daughter has inherited my sensitive skin. And while I have found a few products that suffice, sufficing isn't good enough when it comes to my girl.That's why I'm... ... [More]

De-Bump the Bump

As all moms know, pregnancy is the source of far too many beauty woes. Then just when you're starting to feel that second trimester glow you've been promised--out pops the bellybutton.

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The Only Thing Missing is the Baby Nurse

While I was more than tickled to get the oodles of "welcome-baby" gifts, I have to say that I wouldn't have minded a little something for myself. Sure, a medal of honor would have been nice, but I would have taken one of You're Such a Baby's New Mom Kits in a heartbeat. ... [More]

Nothing Comes Between Me and My VedaBABY

Cool Mom Picks has yet to determine our version of five stars or two thumbs up but whatever it is, VedaBABY has earned it in spades. ... [More]

Happy Hair Days Are Here Again

I was reading some fashion mag or another last summer when I came across a reco for the T3 Tourmaline Professional Wet/Dry Iron. I'm generally skeptical of articles that promise beauty miracles, but pregnant and in desperate need of... ... [More]

The Thai Rock: The Mommy's Champion

I admit that I'm the girl that needs the very thick layer of deodorant applied at least two times a day. I lost all hope for ever having dry, baby soft pits that didn't shed all over my entire wardrobe... ... [More]

Wax On/Wax Off

The last time I tried an at-home hair removal system, I ended up waddling to the phone with 29 applicator strips hanging from my crotch so I could dial the emergency consumer hot line listed on the package. And yet... ... [More]