One visit to this website can change the entire school year for a U.S. kid in need
When we first discovered Daymaker, we fell instantly in love with the organization's use of tech to easily allow good samaritans -- as in, you and your kids -- to anonymously fulfill the holiday gift wish lists of kids in need. Now they're doing the same thing for...
Geek game strong for back to school with these glow-in-the-dark DNA TOMS
Calling all science nerds, chemistry teachers, and biology lovers. We have found your new shoes -- these glow-in-the-dark DNA TOMS -- and they are awesome. Related: Let's all drool over the new spring and summer TOMS, shall we? Not only do they scream "geek" with the...
5 free parental controls for cable TV that you may not know about
One of parents' biggest concerns about kids today, is the access they have to inappropriate content. Parents are often asking us for parental control devices, services and apps to help them moderate what kids' can see and keep them safe. And there are plenty! But what...
3 high-tech gadgets to help keep you cool without the A/C
We've been experiencing record temps this summer, even for us down in already-toasty Nashville. So anything to make us more comfortable is welcome these days! Sound familiar to you too? So when we spotted these 3 smart, high-tech solutions to help keep us cool when...
What parents need to know about the new Amazon Teen shopping program
Perhaps you've heard about the Amazon Teen shopping program, in which parents can set up an Amazon login for your teens to shop on their own. It includes lots of safeguards to make sure kids don't spend more than you want them to, but is it a good idea? Or a financial...
Back to School Tech: The best apps to help kids with reading
Every year on Cool Mom Tech, we review and recommend the best reading apps for kids of all ages. This year, we're putting all of our guides in one handy place, so you can bookmark them and reference them more easily. Whether you've got pre-readers or voracious...
Back to School Tech: The best apps and YouTube channels to help kids with math
Every year, we put together a pretty comprehensive guide to the best math apps for kids, whether you've got preschoolers or preteens. This year, we're compiling them all in one helpful spot, so you can bookmark this page and reference all of them if and when you need...
Blue light filtering glasses: The one back-to-school item you probably haven’t thought to buy. Yet.
If you're like us, you're deep into back-to-school shopping, but there's probably one purchase you might not have thought of yet: children's blue-light filtering glasses. Blue light from our computers, iPads, and every other device we have -- especially at night --...
3 volume-limiting headphones for kids, all under $20
If your school supply list looks like ours, a pair of headphones is always required for your kids. Yay computer lab! But before you grab a pair off the shelf at your local office supply store, take a look at these 3 safer, volume-limiting options for kids, all of...
This fun, safe new app from KinToons lets your kid play DJ….with nursery rhymes!
This is a sponsored message from KinToons Music! Singing! A flying turtle with a jet pack! An ice cream-eating duck! It all comes together in the wonderful new KinToons Nursery Rhyme DJ app, a fun, colorful, and totally safe environment for nursery rhyme-loving kids....
2 awesome free reading resources that kids will love
A little over two years ago, we featured Amazon Rapids, a reading app full of stories for kids that read like text messages. Talk about meeting kids where they are, right? Well, just yesterday, Amazon Rapids went from a free app + monthly subscription, to totally 100%...
AirSnap: A swanky case for your swanky AirPods
Are you tired hearing about how much I love my AirPods? Well, if you're a recent convert or a seasoned user, I have found the perfect case, from our friends at TwelveSouth. We've featured their clever, practical Apple products over the years, and the AirSnap is no...
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
Our top 10 most popular Cool Mom Tech posts of 2018. Happy New Year!
From questionable Snapchat stories to gadgets that make our lives easier, we rounded up our top 10 most popular Cool Mom Tech posts of 2018. Happy New Year! Related: Our 10 most popular posts of 2017 10. How to figure out which categories Facebook has assigned to...
Snap and edit photos like a pro, no fancy camera equipment required
We've been longtime friends with Jill Krause, founder of the popular BabyRabies.com parenting website, and recently Happy Loud Life, where she chronicles her RV-living adventures with her family of 6, and longtime admirers of her amazing photos, which it turns out are...
This viral iPhone keyboard trick really works
tThis morning I was scrolling through Facebook and found several friends had shared this iPhone keyboard trick that I had never seen before. And well, of course I had to give it a try. Guess what? It totally works, and it's a gamechanger. Related: A smart trick for...
Even More Coolness. Enjoy!
Burst mode is the iPhone camera feature every parent should be using.
With some of us still in summer vacation mode, and others of us heading back to school, the one thing we all have in common is that we're taking a crapload of photos of our kids. I realize we do this every day out of the year, but vacation and school time seem to be...
3 of the best apps for free international texting
With my daughter in Japan for the entire month of July, we needed to come up with a communication plan, most of which involved texting apps because they're free. Whether you've got a teen or college student heading overseas, or you're traveling there yourself, here...
Audio backpacks for back to school: Because headphones are so 2017.
These audio backpacks I spotted at Spencer's definitely have the cool factor, with everything you need in a back-to-school backpack and something extra: a speaker! Related: The coolest backpacks for preschoolers and little kids I admit that whether they're awesome or...
The Super Mario Moleskine collection takes notebooks a level up.
In news that is sure to score a serious "wahoo!" from the Super Mario fan in your life — and just in time for back-to-school, too — Moleskine has released a limited edition notebook collection that features the game-changing gaming character. Related: Super Mario...
This new Harry Potter coding kit from Kano will turn every kid into a wizard
What Potterhead among us hasn't wanted to accio our own working wand and perform a little magic? Like, I don't know...make some Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans get bigger, disappear a few Mandrakes, or summon some chocolate frogs? Well, there's good news in the...
Are the video games your kids love safe for them? We can help.
If you thought your kids tech-savvy as toddlers, it's amazing to see how quickly they pick up video games when they get a little older. They know what's hot and what's not faster than Mario with a super star power-up. Turns out there are tons of games your kids know...
This cool artwork helps support Girls Who Code. Score!
We're big fans of Girls Who Code, so when we heard about this awesome artwork over on Dormify.com that gives a portion of the sales to support them, we were all over it. Related: Here's how to get girls excited about STEM This 9-piece collection of artwork from 3...
Our favorite crossbody iPhone bag, now on sale!
It's the Nordstrom Anniversary sale (whoo!), and we spotted a sale on the Bandolier crossbody iPhone bag, which is one of our favorites. If you're in the market for a smart hands-free way to carry your iPhone that's stylish too, you'll definitely want to take a look....
We have found Porg cases for your phone, and they are the best thing ever.
We discovered the adorable Porg pins at UtinniBikini Etsy shop earlier this year, and now she's back with Porg smartphone cases that we need in our life right now. Aren't they awesome? Related: 16 of the coolest Star Wars gifts for kids These clear smartphone cases...
Our favorite stylish tech accessories just got even more stylish.
We've featured plenty of Native Union tech accessories here on Cool Mom Tech, as well as in our gift guides, because they're the perfect combination of style and function. So, no surprise we had to tell you about their new rose cable collection that you just need to...
Get your Amazon Prime Day tech deals right here: The best of the best, with updates!
It's Amazon Prime Day, a shopping extravaganza for Prime members that starts today at 3 p.m. EST/12 p.m. PST and runs a full 36 hours this year. So we're updating all day (and night and day) with our favorite of the Amazon Prime Day tech deals as we find them. Just...
Enjoy the fun of an escape room, right on your phone or tablet
Over the weekend, my husband and son became completely engrossed in these escape room apps (or puzzle room, to some people), and after taking a look myself, I can totally see why. Warning: they are pretty freaking awesome, so much so that you might have a hard time...