3 affordable Apple Watch alternatives for kids
My sixth-grader has been asking me to splurge on an Apple Watch for her lately, but I don’t see that in her future at the moment. The thing is: she doesn’t have a phone yet. So I see little value in spending that kind of money on a watch, when she...
Does Gmail have parental controls? Well, here’s the deal.
In our Out Tech Your Kids group on Facebook, we’ve had several questions about parental controls for Gmail, with so many kids needing and using email accounts. We did some research to see what parents can and can’t do when it comes to monitoring their...
10 things you need to know before using a school-issued laptop
For lots of middle school kids, back to school means back to tech. Specifically: school-issued laptops. Of course, when we’re thinking about our kids and tech that they don’t own themselves, but they’re responsible for day-in and day-out, that comes...
How to set up a family account for your Kindle library. Yay for sharing books!
My daughter and I have the same taste in books, generally, so we love sharing anything good we’ve read lately. That’s typically been much easier to do with hardcopy books than digital ones, but now you can set up a Family Library for your Kindle library....
3 great podcasts to help you learn a foreign language
We get all sorts of awesome questions in our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group. You are a member, right? Recently, a parent asked for foreign language podcast recommendations for kids. So, we dug around and found these 3 great podcasts to help you learn a foreign...
3 free audiobook apps you need for back to school
School will be starting up soon, and that means my kids’ tech will be focused more on education than Fortnite in a few weeks. Sorry, kids. I’m going to start by downloading these free audiobook apps that let you borrow them (along with books, movies, and...
The new Minecraft x Pottery Barn Kids collection will make blockheads everywhere squeal!
Gamer alert: your kids can now play Minecraft all night longâin their dreamsâwith the new Minecraft x Pottery Barn Kids collection that just launched. This is your chance to be the coolest mom ever, and we think if you have a Minecraft-obsessed kid (hands raised) then...
Wear your emotions on your rear window with Mojipic
I’m not much of a bumper sticker person, although I do love a clever quip on someone else’s car in traffic. But when I saw the new Mojipic mount for a car’s rear windshield, I thought maybe they were on to something. This small LED screen displays...
LEGO’s new NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander building set is out of this world.
This summer, July 20, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Lunar Landing. Even though space travel has been a reality my kids’ entire lives — and mine, too — they’re still incredibly curious about the cosmos. And since they’re...NEW: The podcast that helps you be a savvier digital parent in under 15 minutes a week
Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz
We started Cool Mom Tech in 2010 to help make our increasingly digital lives easier, more organized, more meaningful, and more fun, however old your kids may be.
We love that it's grown to become the go-to source for millions of parents who want commonsense info about tech delivered with a smile.
We even have the privilege of sharing our tips + tricks with The TODAY Show, CNN, HLN, GMA, Nightline, newspapers and magazines around the country, and our favorite -- regular parents who stop us at PTA meetings and ask us how old kids need to be to get a smartphone, and whether they really need to panic about Snapchat.
(Answer: It's complicated.)
We're so glad you're here! And we hope we can help you too.
The Spawned Podcast. (It’s won awards and everything!)
At-Home Learning Help
* 14 very cool virtual summer camps for kids
* 8 of our favorite online educational resources
* 10 awesome online STEM camps for kids this summer
* Homeschooling 101: Tips for newbies
* 8 ideas for homeschool schedules that may work for you
* Creative ways to socialize online
* 5 audiobook apps keep us entertained and learning
* The best ways to clean and disinfect your phones and gadgets
* 15 awesome podcasts to keep kids engaged
“Are you guys okay with Facebook Messenger for your kids to stay in touch with friends?”
Parents have questions, we have answers
So they want to get a smartphone…
Work with us!
