Give a Mom a Table Saw and Look at What You Get
When both Liz and I were searching for a toy chest for our homes last year, we each ran immediately to Mod Mom Furniture.
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Tax Day Splurge: Modern Kids Furniture that Should Come In Big People Sizes Too
Not all of us looking for kid-sized table and chairs are looking for our playrooms. Because, um, ain't got no playroom.
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A High Chair That Grows With Your Kid: Magic? No, Mutsy.
I've definitely had several registry regrets. Take the high chair for example - that ugly, cumbersome, "good for only 2 years maybe" high chair. Not one of my finer decisions.
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Sleep Well, Baby. Very Very Verrrrry Well.
You know how when you open up the crib mattress it smells like a science lab? Well when we opened our Natural Mat crib mattress last week, my toddler said, "mommy it smells like lemons!"
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The Only Thing Missing is a Diaper Changer
I've seen grown women fight it out over the need for a changing table on those baby message boards. I understand the problems faced by parents with limited space, but trust me, a diaper change on the bed can go horribly, horribly wrong.
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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.
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.
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Editors' Best of 2007: Art & Decor
Kristen: My son's walls are decked out in Avalisa art and we both couldn't be happier. Her modern designs and custom color combos were a no-brainer. Liz: Ida Pearle's custom alphabet prints are so charming, they're fast becoming my go-to new baby gift ... [More]
Solid as a Clock
Thanks to frequent military moves and furnished rentals, my daughter's baby room decor was an eclectic mix of favorite items and gifts. Which is a nice way of saying that it had no style whatsoever.
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Clean Up Those Toys, Young Lady
If you live in a little-ish place like I do, toy space is a commodity. Of course that doesn't stop the trucks and books and dolls and crayons from accumulating (God bless the grandparents) so we always look for furniture that serves more than one purpose.
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Art You Can Walk On
I have been in love with Lisa Masterson's artwork for so long I could hang it on my walls, my ceiling, lean it against my furniture, and rub it all over my body. But walking on it? Something I hadn't considered.
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A Very Brady Tablesetting
I really dig that the Mod-1970s thing has made a comeback, if only so my son can grow up with groovy items, just like the ones his old mom had when Marsha Brady was trying out for cheerleader.
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Beans, Beans, They're Good for Your Decor
Children of the seventies: If you've ever crashed out in a bean bag chair in front of the Partridge Family, raise your hand. Yep, me too.
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Making Batter-Licking A Bit More Accessible
I am definitely no domestic goddess, so when I'm in the kitchen, I need both eyes on what I'm doing. Now stick my daughter in there with me, standing precariously on a kitchen chair so she can "help" and neither she nor my lasagna are entirely safe.
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Once Upon a Mattress
While I spent way too much time searching for the perfect baby bedding, when it came to the crib mattress, I pretty much just closed my eyes and pointed.
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Clutter-Free and Fab
I remember really hating to pick up my toys as a child, and I can tell you it doesn't get any better with age. I'm not a lover of the nightly toy excavation, inventory and restocking of blocks, trucks and primary-colored plastic items.
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Just the Boost You Need
When my daughter moved from high chair to booster seat I was incredibly disappointed at the selection. We went from ultra modern to cheap and unchic with a flash of the credit card.
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Future Jeff Gordons, Have a Seat
For some reason I'm always paralyzed when it comes to picking out kids' furniture. Every time I see something I'm sure I want, I find something else and thus never end up with anything at all.
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Putting the Toys Away Was Never So Appealing
The toys are accumulating--if not actually reproducing--just as everyone told us they would. And now the toys outnumber the square footage allotted to keep said toys out of eyesight and keep me from going insane.
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Zen and the Art of the Sleeping Baby
I often wondered, night after sleepless night, as my daughter lay snuggled in my bed, what it was about her crib she hated so much? Was it the color? The wood? The discount price?
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Beechwood is the New Plastic
Back when I had imaginary children, I was confident that my house would be filled exclusively with old-school wooden learning toys that were always put away by shiny, happy tykes who sat in their fancy wooden high chairs and ate every bit of their nutritious meals.
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Reinventing the Highchair
I'm pretty low-maintenance in the "carrying baby gear around" category. Okay, I'm pathetic. We rarely remember to bring bibs when we go out to dinner, let alone a portable high chair But as I've learned, it does make feeding her a little tricky in a hotel room or at the home of a friend with no young kids.
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Art You Can Climb All Over
A rocking horse is one of the essential staples of the traditional American nursery. But what if you don't have the traditional American nursery? If you've taken the time to pick out the perfect Oeuf dresser and Svan table and chairs, those little ponies with the synthetic manes just may not cut it in the junior bedroom.
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La-Z-Baby
I've been scouring the web for the perfect chairs for my daughter's tiny heiny, but I always run into the same problems. Either the chairs look like they were grown at the awful plastic farm, or they cost more than... ... [More]
Gettin' Jiggy With It
There seem to be two schools of thought when it comes to decorating for kids: You can go super kid-like, or you can find adult looking stuff in miniature sizes. Basically, Playskool or Eames. Leapfrog or Oeuf.
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Bagging Bears and Bunnies
If your kids are anything like mine, they have an obscene amount of stuffed animals and while I can't prove it, I'm almost positive that they multiply just like real rabbits because the pile never stops growing.
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The One Purple Dinosaur Allowed in My Home
My 2-year-old daughter thinks that everything must follow a specific theme and lately, it's dinosaurs. Pink or purple, only. However, have you tried finding pink or purple dinosaur anything these days--that's not the bloated guy in the suit?
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Moses Should Have Been So Lucky
With child #1, I was obsessed with that baby mega-store's registry list. And while I got all the practical items that I may or may not have needed, this time I'm hoping for a few splurges that I've been coveting. Take for example the extraordinary moses baskets from Baby Starlet.
Reach for the Stars (or at Least the Kitchen Sink)
We've reached the "I can do it" stage in our household. Holding her for handwashing is no longer an option and considering we've had a few accidents around the house, she needs a better way to reach things on her own.
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Mamas, Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowgirls
When I was young I wanted to be an indian princess. I didn't know from PC terms or that this wasn't an actual career that one could pursue; I just knew that Tiger Lily was the prettiest thing I had ever seen in my whole seven years of existence.
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Who Needs Paper?
My daughter has recently discovered the wonderful world of coloring. You name it - she is drawing on it, and sadly, it's rarely on actual paper. So instead of squashing her inner artiste, I'm thinking a Chalkboard Table from Sparkability might be just the way to go.
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I've Taken Back My Coffee Table
I finally put my foot down, and cleared all the puzzles, Play-doh, and crayons off my coffee table. Call me crazy - I like to be able to put my feet up at the end of a long day and not get glitter and glue all over them.
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Cooshie, Cooshie, Cool
Restaurant booster seats? Hate 'em. They're always covered with the slimy remnants of another toddler's meal -- or we hope that sticky mess is from leftover food and not something worse.
Svanity Fair
As a Svan superfan I was all but throwing a party when I heard the news that Scandinavian Child was introducing its newest Svan product, a chic-as-chit bouncy seat! I know, I know. Exciting stuff, right?
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Higher Standards
Here at Cool Mom Picks, we feel you get what you pay for. That is why we recommend the Swiss-made Svan highchair for the practical parent who'd rather coordinate with her dinner table than with her baby's bouncy seat.
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cmp book club
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Ask Cool Mom Picks
I have been searching for a photo album or scrapbook that is NOT in the classic style you see everywhere that's either pink and fluffy or traditional leather. Any ideas? -Sarah
Googling "photo albums" can definitely lead to very bad things. We always find cool stuff at Zanisa and we like the Molly West books at Chittypulga.
But lately we really dig the handmade wooden albums from Tree by Kerri Lee [pictured] with metal hinges and the funky wooden ring and strap. And the prices are terrific.
Got a gift dilemma? A shopping conundrum? Write to CMP at info@coolmompicks.com.
CMP Flickr Group
CMP reader Sarah's daughter Alli looks cozy and snug in her Baby Bisou Carrier.
Have a picture of your little one (or yourself) in a Cool Mom Picks find or prize you've won? Join our Flickr group so we can show off your good taste to the world.
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