Pilar, Author at Cool Mom Tech

Toca Hair Salon 2: behold the squeals of thousands of app-loving children

Once my preschooler discovered the joys of snipping every piece of paper in the house with safety scissors, it was really just a matter of time before she (gleefully) caught on to cutting her dolls’ hair. The day she cut her own was the day the scissors were...

Toca Tailor Fairy Tales: Like Grimm’s paper dolls meets Project Runway. Sort of.

by Pilar | Fun Apps for Kids

“Once upon a time” gets a modern reboot in the latest digital toy from our favorite Swedish app developer, Toca Boca. It’s one of those apps that our kids could hardly wait for, once they caught wind of the previews, and for good reason. Not to...

Toca Tailor: Like Project Runway for kids.

by Pilar | Fun Apps for Kids

Time to make it work! Toca Boca, our favorite Swedish app developer is at it again with Toca Tailor, their newest release that makes kids the head of their own design house. [don’t miss a limited time discount on this app!] In Toca Tailor, four...

HISTORY Here, there and everywhere.

by Pilar | Travel Apps

Wouldn’t it be cool if there was an app that could tell you about exciting historical places you might not even known were there? Like, right now? Right here, where you’re standing? Meet HISTORY Here. Developed by The History Channel, it’s packed...

A is for amazing adorable animal alphabet app from Wee Society

by Pilar | Educational Apps For Kids

Impalas deep sea diving, vultures with beehive hairdos, sneezing squirrels–they’re all part of a new crazy clever alphabet app with illustrations so quirky and modern that I want to hang them on my kiddo’s wall. But even better, this app isn’t...

I’m with the Toca band.

by Pilar | Fun Apps for Kids

I have no idea what the Swedish word for “awesome” is, but if I did, Toca Boca would be hearing it from my kids (ok, and me) about every five seconds while playing around with their new digital toy. Released today, the Toca Band app gives kids everything...

A beautiful app to teach shape sorting and (hooray!) patience

by Pilar | Educational Apps For Kids

Back in the day, kids used to keep themselves busy with old-fashioned things like wooden abacuses, blocks and felt boards. Now, they basically own our tablets (you know it’s true), and can do everything from smash pigs to trace the entire alphabet with just a...

Superfly. Not the cool song, the cool travel website.

by Pilar | Websites Worth a Bookmark

A new travel search engine that checks first to see if that trip could be free? Yes, please. Enter Superfly, a travel search engine that does what we’re entirely too busy to do; namely organizing frequent flier miles and hotel rewards in addition to advising the...

Reading Rainbow is back as an app. Is it worth your $9.99?

by Pilar | Educational Apps For Kids

When I was a kid, I loved Reading Rainbow. The show promoted reading, and was right up there on my list of faves with Mister Rogers and Sesame Street. If you’re not old enough to recognize two out of those three titles, please don’t tell me. However I...

Martha Stewart Crafts on your iPad. It’s a great thing.

by Pilar | DIY

The tech world is buzzing about the new Martha Stewart Crafts app for iPad, and I can see why. Long ago, I used to babysit for a family who had their attic converted into a professional scrapbooking room. Filled with stacks of patterned acid-free papers and matching...

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Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

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.