Cool Mom Picks: A chip off the old block

A chip off the old block

These wooden building blocks are anything but plain. Check out this classic toy. . .with a twist.

Curated by Christina on January 22, 2013 6:15 AM

What if LEGO pieces were made of wood?

It's hard to imagine a world without little plastic bricks, especially if you have a kid who's obsessed. But what if LEGO were made of wood?

Humble wooden blocks get a beautiful makeover

Whether you are looking for a stunning first-birthday gift for a special child in your life, or your preschooler just loves to build, this beautifully designed set of colorful blocks is one toy they'll treasure.

New blocks on the block: awesome LEGO alternatives to get kids building

We're not saying you need to leggo your LEGO (like your kids would ever let that happen). We're huge LEGO fans! But this holiday season, we just want you to know about some really cool alternative building systems out there that'll get little hands playing and little minds working.

Block party: printables that let you create your own mix-and-match stackables

It's nothing new to us mamas that kids love blocks. But it's double the awesome when kids get to build their own. And that's where Olliblocks by Ollibird come in.

The animal blocks that might lead to Tetris greatness

First, the bad news: when you get all these block animals lined up just right, there will be no fireworks over the Kremlin.

Steampunk building blocks for the junior mad scientist

Finding that Higgs Boson particle is pretty cool, I guess. But maybe it's time to go back to the roots of invention and adventure that make America so great.

Play with blocks, learn Korean. It's child's play!

We admit it: we're blockheads. We love blocks.

Hail to the chiefs

Today is a great day to spend a few moments talking to the kids about our U.S. presidents and their important contributions to society. But with these cool presidential blocks, you can have that conversation all the way to Election Day and beyond.

Blocks with substance

Here at CMP, we're total blockheads. We've brought you classic blocks, magnetic blocks, and amusingly subversive blocks. But this is the first time we're taking it old school, all the way back to the periodic table.

Personalized alphabet blocks help you spell BEST BABY GIFT EVER

We've long been fans of the beautiful handmade wooden baby toys from family-run Little Sapling, and now there's one more item that can make you the most awesome gift-giver ever.

GoodWood Blocks are, well, good wood

We've got no shortage of toys in our house, but of all the ones my kids consistently play with, their simple set of building blocks win over anything else they own every single time. So I knew they would flip when they saw these wooden blocks by GoodWood. Because I did.

Paper dolls meet building blocks

My go-to standard baby shower gift was, for a long time, either a baby bathtub, or infant footie sleepers. These days, I want to give something unusual, beautiful and creative

Fred's XYZ Blocks FTW!

CMP loves to turn ABC into ROFL, and we are totally digging on these XYZ Blocks by Fred & Friends. They stack, tumble, and teach letters just as well as more traditional blocks, but they're beautiful, unusual, and entertaining, too.

Blockhead! And I mean that totally in the best possible way

I'm not very good at math, so I can't tell you precisely how many different forms and figures your child can create out of 25 wooden blocks, but I'm going to say it's approximately a gazillionthousand.

It's hip to be rectangular

With all the building toys in my three-kid household, I find it amusing that their new favorite is a box of same-sized, non-painted, rectangular pieces of wood from CitiBlocs.

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood

It sort of pains me that my kids will probably not grow up to the zipping of the sweater and the tossing of the shoes that made Mr. Rogers so endearing. But thanks to reruns, CD compilations, and toys, like these awesome wooden blocks from Holgate Toys, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood can live on.

Zoo animals happy in the wilds of your toychest

This holiday, one of the home run gifts my kids received from their always excellent gift-giving aunt was a set of the Haba wooden blocks caled Eene, Meene, Zoo.

You won't mind bringing these ants into your house

Wooden blocks are a staple in any kid's toy chest, but wait until they get a look at the New Antics Ant Blocks. No matter which way your kids stack or place these wooden cubes they'll create an endless combination of ant trails.

Yo. My Blocks are Cooler Than Yours.

So blocks are blocks, right? They're wooden, you build with them, you knock them down. Blocks. Yeah, well, not the Graffiti Blocks from Rockin' Blocks.

How Do You Say "Awesome" in Italian?

As a lover of all things multi-cultural, I am on the hunt for quality baby gear that is both inclusive and multilingual. I mean, I get the charm of diapers embroidered with ‘Oui Oui!’ but I’ve been looking for something a little more…classic.

Build Your Own Blocks

We come across quite a few personalized products at CMP. Apparently if you put someone's kid's name on something no matter how useless or inane (monogrammed bottle sterilizer, anyone?) it's a surefire hit.