4 ways to use tech to keep your family mosquito free this summer.
Summer is here, and that means a whole lot of bugs, and ways to try to prevent my kids from getting bitten by bugs. Thankfully, there are smart ways to use tech to keep mosquitos at bay around your home, or when you're on the road or camping out. This post has been...
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Now with AI. And a sense of humor.
We're big fans of Sphero, as you might guess considering we've featured lots of their cool tech toys here on Cool Mom Tech (BB-8 anyone?), so it's no surprise we're intrigued by their newest launch, Spider-Man. But unlike their other toys that move around, Spider-Man...
Instagram’s new Archive feature lets you hide photos, rather than delete them. Brilliant!
We've probably all had photos we've shared on social media that we would very happily forget, like say my lovely "before" shot I took when I was starting a workout regimen a few months after having a baby that now pops up every single time I Google my name. Well,...
Cool last-minute Father’s Day gifts you can make online.
We realize that you still have a few days to score a Father's Day gift for the cool dad in your life, and we have lots of cool ideas, from DIY gifts from the kids to tasty food gifts, that you have plenty of time to get (or make). But we also have a bunch of Father's...
9 creative kid portrait ideas that make genius Father’s Day gifts. Just add a frame!
If you missed the boat on photo gifts for Father's Day or Mother's Day...no, wait! You didn't! We all live in the land of the smartphone cam, after all, and if you've got a camera -- especially that dandy iPhone 7S -- and a place to print a photo, you've got what it...
A computer mouse that will make you smile, every time you use it.
Even though the second we saw the new Doodle Collection computer mouses from Logitech and instantly thought they'd be a fun graduation gift for a soon to be high-school or college freshman. I really want one for myself. Aren't they fun? Related: Fun, manga laptop...
Wear your Apple Watch on your sleeve.
So many people are using their Apple Watch as a fitness tracker (and music player), but not everyone wants to wear it on their wrist. If that sounds like you, or perhaps the dad in your life, the ActionSleeve from TwelveSouth is what you've been looking for. And right...
New study about kids’ online behavior might surprise you, parents. And not in a good way.
A recent survey of more than 1600 U.K. kids revealed some fascinating results when it comes to kids' online behavior, leading the UK’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) to make some pretty strong recommendations for parents. Remember...
Kids Listen makes it super easy to find the best podcasts for kids
I'm not the only one in my house who loves listening to podcasts. My kids, especially my son, are big fans too, which is why I was so excited to discover Kids Listen, a web app that creates curated playlists of the best podcasts for kids. And from what I can tell,...
Gadget guy, photographer, music lover or podcast buff, we’ve got Father’s Day tech gifts for every kind of dad
We love excuses to shop for cool new tech, and we love excuses to shop for the cool dads in our lives. Put them together...and we've got some really creative, fun ideas for cool tech gifts for Father's Day. Whether he's a traveler, an adventurer, a music lover, a...
Here’s what you need to know about the Apple HomePod aka Alexa by Apple.
Okay, okay so the new HomePod is not technically the Amazon Echo (aka Alexa), but well, it pretty much is, just shaped more like a marshmallow in Apple's signature black and white. That's not to say we're all not going to want it when it hits shelves in December, but...
Here’s what happened when this teen deleted all his social media accounts.
When it comes to smart phone addiction, we've done our own experiments with putting away our phones around our kids here at Cool Mom Tech. We've even used various techniques to manage screen time for our own kids and tweens. That's why we were so fascinated by this...
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
Harvard rescinds 10 offers to students posting offensive Facebook memes.
For those of you with teens applying to college, if you're wondering whether college admissions officers check student social media accounts, the definitive answer is "yes." This is clearly evidenced by this week's incident in which Harvard rescinded offers made to...
How tech can help keep kids safer with crowds and separation
When we saw the reports coming out of Manchester last night, we were completely devastated. And, we found ourselves thinking about what we would have done if our children (some of whom are tweens, and Ariana Grandé fans, by the way) had been separated from us like so...
Worried about your tween or teen’s mental wellbeing? Avoid this popular app.
In a recent survey of 1500 young people aged 14-24, researchers discovered that Instagram was cited as the most damaging to a young person, followed closely by Snapchat, and then Facebook. In fact, YouTube was the only of the 5 networks (which included Twitter, as...
Even More Coolness. Enjoy!
Harvard rescinds 10 offers to students posting offensive Facebook memes.
For those of you with teens applying to college, if you're wondering whether college admissions officers check student social media accounts, the definitive answer is "yes." This is clearly evidenced by this week's incident in which Harvard rescinded offers made to...
Our smart tech tip for finding designer shoes at a great price
As a mom of four kids, my budget for designer shoes is...not as robust as some. But, I recently discovered a new site called Purcado, which is like Kayak for shoes, that might change that. You can enter the designer or brand you're looking for, and it will search...
Parents, your screen time could be affecting your kid’s behavior.
Just when you thought you needed to worry about your kid's screen time, it turns out that the amount of time you spend on your phone could be affecting your child's behavior. According to a new study conducted at the University of Michigan with 170 two-parent homes,...
Teach your girls (and boys) how to code with Wonder Woman.
If you've got budding coders and STEM lovers in your home, they can now practice their skills on a few scenes from Wonder Woman thanks to a new collaboration with DC Legends, Google Play, and Made With Code. Related: A cool STEM coding toy we had our kids put to the...
9 of the best educational YouTube channels for teens and tweens to help keep brains sharp this summer
There are so many cool educational channels on YouTube for tweens and teens, but I don't think that a lot of parents think to open our YouTube app when we look for educational resources for our kids. But we should. Let's put it this way: when I ask my kids if they...
A cool new pregnancy tracker you might already have in your home.
We've been fans of Withings ever since we spotted their fitness tracker at CES a couple of years ago. Since then, they've added a ton of very cool new products, like their scale for one, which now allows expectant moms to track their pregnancy every time they step on...
The 13 best food podcasts for anyone who loves food.
With summer unofficially here and lots of road trips on the horizon, we're always looking for new podcasts. In our experience, personal recommendations go a very long way, especially from fellow podcasters (that's us!). Related: How to download podcasts and listen to...
Hot home tech design: 7 devices you never knew could be gorgeous
It's amazing how far home tech design has come, even since we started this site six years ago. What once may have looked sleek and amazing -- a baby monitor, a humidifier, even a lawnmower -- now looks clunky and dated compared to what's available to us now. Prepare...
5 of our favorite Spawned with Kristen and Liz podcasts for your Memorial Day road trip
Wait, what? You're not listening to our Spawned podcast? Well, we're just going to have to help you change that! We think it's a wonderful way to spend 30 minutes in your week, and we hope after listening that you think so too. If you're not familiar with podcasts or...
Learn how to code your own app for free, thanks to Apple.
In this fast-paced age of technology, coding skills are pretty valuable, whether you're looking to change careers yourself, or you've got a teen looking ahead to college and beyond. Well, a new option just came available to you thanks to Apple, and even better, it's...
Facebook Fundraisers: Ask for donations to your cause, right in your News Feed
There's a new option in the online fundraising world that's going to make giving so convenient because it's right in your Facebook feed. Yes, it's true! Facebook has added the capability for any user to start a personal fundraiser on Facebook for themselves, a friend,...
Hey kids, Viola Davis is reading your bedtime story tonight!
When Guy Raz, of NPR's TED Radio Hour and Wow in the World podcast fame, recommends a website for kids, you go, because, obvy. And no surprise, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Storyline Online is a fantastic resource for parents that you might not know about. You'll find...