Lifestyle Apps Archives | Cool Mom Tech

Is the new Spotify Kids app worth the extra money?

When I first heard about the new Spotify Kids app, I was pretty excited. Would this be the app that would wean my son from the Moana soundtrack and expand his musical horizons? Is this the app for kids who are ready for their own music, but not everything that the...

7 meditation apps to help you calm quarantine anxiety. Deep breaths, everyone.

by Caroline Siegrist | Lifestyle Apps

These days anxiety feels like a constant a companion as my house, and some of my usual coping mechanisms aren’t accessible. I miss you, YMCA treadmill! So right now I’m making do with these helpful meditation apps. And I’m happy to say that when I...

Forget your readers? Try the magnifier on your iPhone instead.

by Kristen Chase | Lifestyle Apps

For those of us ladies who are now of reading glasses age, I have a pleasant surprise if you happen to be an iPhone owner. You might not know that the iPhone actually has a magnifier feature that can help you in case of a reading glasses emergency. And it’s even...

3 great sleep tracking apps for parents. Because we need it.

by Kate Etue | Lifestyle Apps

We know it can be really hard for parents to get a good night’s sleep, but tech is here to help. We’ve found 3 great sleep tracking apps that can track your sleep, and help you build better habits to improve it. From waking up at your body’s natural...

Obé gives you studio fitness classes, right on your phone

by Kristen Chase | Lifestyle Apps

I recently fell off the Orange Theory Fitness wagon, and have been looking for something to get me moving again. So, after watching our friend Lauren Jimeson’s Obé workouts daily on her Instagram stories (Hi Lauren!), I figured it was worth a try. And well,...

17 of the riskiest social apps for kids right now that parents should know about | Guide to Digital Parenting

by Cool Mom Staff | Guide to Digital Parenting, Internet Safety, Lifestyle Apps, Tips and Tricks

While parents are still freaking out about Snapchat and the Momo challenge, the truth is there are some risky apps for kids that can fly right under our radar. Some of them seem completely innocuous — while some are clearly bad news waiting to happen. To be...

Got snow? The Snohub app can help you get rid of it.

by Kristen Chase | Lifestyle Apps

With lots of snow falling around the country this week and temperatures at a ridiculous record-breaking low (and a bunch of snow days in our future), many of us will be finding ourselves outside shoveling and freezing our butts off in the process. That’s why I...

Our Alexa organization series: The best Alexa fitness skills

by Kate Etue | Lifestyle Apps

We’re getting organized in the new year, and I’ve found that using my Amazon Echo — which is strategically placed in our kitchen, the hub of our house — can be a huge help, including fitness. Yes, we’re not kidding. In this post, some of...

How to use the Siri Shortcuts app to make your life a whole lot easier

by Caroline Siegrist | Lifestyle Apps

I’m always discovering new tricks on my iPhone, but figuring out the Siri Shortcuts app has been a total game changer. This feature lets you set up voice commands to automate the tasks you perform over and over again, like navigating to your kid’s school...

Hey, Alexa! Where’s Santa? And other festive Echo skills for the holiday.

by Kate Etue | Lifestyle Apps

Just in time for Christmas, we’ve found 7 festive Echo skills that make the holidays just a little more fun, for your kids and for you too. And hey, if you don’t have an Amazon Echo just yet, this might be reason to ask Santa for one. Hey, maybe...

How huge changes to Spotify Free just made it even more amazing | Sponsored Message

by Cool Mom Staff | Lifestyle Apps

This is a sponsored message from Spotify Spotify remains the world’s largest global music streaming subscription service and for good reason. It’s transformed the way we can all find and enjoy music for free. And now, thanks to some amazing updates ...

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.