Tips and Tricks Archives

13 creative ways for teens to connect with friends virtually right now

Let’s take a minute to applaud our teens who’ve been willing to quarantine this year. It’s been brutal to lose so many activities they love, and they’ve handled it with flexibility and (mostly) good attitudes! While we’d hoped we’d...

Inbox Zero trick: How to clean out your inbox on Gmail and start the year fresh. (Updated for 2021)

by Liz Gumbinner | Tips and Tricks

As someone with anywhere upwards of 10,000 emails in my inbox — many of them unread, to the dismay of my OCD friends — I am always looking for tips and tricks to help me manage my email. One of those is to start each new year with an absolutely clean...

44 cool things you can do with the Amazon Echo: From productive time-savers to just plain fun.

by Kate Etue | Smart Appliances, Tips and Tricks

I received an Amazon Echo for Christmas a few years ago, and I have to admit at first I was a little skeptical. What is all the buzz about anyway and what can I actually do with an Amazon Echo? I wasn’t sure it could really do more for me than Siri or my phone,...

Clever ways to use Alexa to make your life easier | Out-Tech Your Kids Episode 22

by Kristen Chase | Out-Tech Your Kids podcast, Tips and Tricks

We can all use ways to make our lives a little easier, which is why we’re talking about Alexa, which we know has helped our own staff, and maybe you too. That includes this episode’s sponsor Bamboo Learning, which offers fun ways for elementary-aged kids to learn and...

The top 10 most popular Cool Mom Tech posts of 2020

by Cool Mom Staff | Link Roundups, Tips and Tricks

Every year, we share our top 10 most popular posts on Cool Mom Tech. From the best podcasts for kids to customizing your iPhone 14 home screen, here are the posts we wrote this year that resonated the most with our readers in 2020. Also check out: The top 10 Cool Mom...

The best tutorials to help you customize your iOS 14 home screen

by Caroline Siegrist | Fun Apps, Tips and Tricks

If you haven’t heard by now, the customization features on the new iOS home screen are alllll kinds of extra (i.e. you can turn your home screen into a Harry Potter tribute, Microsoft Paint throw-back, or neon color study). It’s pretty insane. And intense....

Our favorite tutorials to help you use G-suite tools for online learning

by Caroline Siegrist | Tips and Tricks

Since my son started remote learning, I’ve been looking for great G-suite tutorials to help me hone my skills, and I know I’m not alone. We’re hearing from a lot of parents whose kids are using G-suite tools for their own online learning programs....

Here’s what you need to know about Twitch Watch Parties (Think Netflix Party, but… on Twitch)

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

Just last week, Twitch launched Watch Parties, a feature that allows Twitch creators to watch Prime Video TV shows and movies with their communities. Whether you’ve got a kid on Twitch, or maybe you’re looking for a way to watch your Amazon faves with...

How to stop fighting with the kids about screen time: Tips that work | Out-Tech Your Kids Ep 6

by Cool Mom Staff | Out-Tech Your Kids podcast, Tips and Tricks

Okay, so plenty of us gave up on the same screen time limits we had pre-Covid. But that’s not to say we don’t still have screen time fights with the kids. Or uh…arguments? Debates? Gentle disagreements? If you’re looking to cut back on the...

5 ways smart kids circumvent parental controls | Out-Tech Your Kids Ep 5

by Cool Mom Staff | Out-Tech Your Kids podcast, Tips and Tricks

Kids are pretty darn smart, but we can be smarter, parents! On this week’s Out-Tech Your Kids podcast, we’re talking about the ways kids can circumvent parental controls so you can be prepared, thanks to the members of our Out-Tech Your Kids Facebook group...

5 benefits of kids and social media. Yes, benefits! | Out-Tech Your Kids Ep 4

by Liz Gumbinner | Out-Tech Your Kids podcast, Social Media, Tips and Tricks

We’ve always said that all screen time is not created equal! And on this week’s Out-Tech Your Kids podcast, we’re talking about the benefits of social media for kids. Social media tends to get a bad rap — let alone specific channels like TikTok...

NEW: The podcast that helps you be a savvier digital parent in under 15 minutes a week

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.