Is my kid ready for a cell phone? 7 essential questions to ask yourself first
We love when parents ask us "how do I know if my kid is ready for a cell phone?" It means you're conscientious, caring, and involved -- and of course, want to make sure that you're raising a kid to make good choices, and not who isn't thrown into something they can't...
An inventive new soap dispenser that might just get our kids to wash their hands. Bring on the bubbles!
I get to review fun kids products all the time, but it's been a while since I saw one that made me think: I will immediately buy this for my children. The buru-buru bubble soap dispenser for kids has me pulling out my credit card already to support their new...
Google Kids Space: A new, exciting way to help kids discover, create, and grow.
This is a sponsored post on behalf of Google Raising digital natives who are curious about the world around them can be challenging for parents. From keeping up with their ever changing interests to encouraging their creativity, parenting kids who are constantly...
5 must-have apps for holiday planning. Dinner is back!
This holiday season, I've been researching apps for holiday planning as one of many ways to make big holiday meals easier. Whether you enjoyed last year's COVID-mandated reprieve from big get-togethers, or you're just raring to baste another 15-pound turkey for the...
A very smart AirPods trick I learned from a very smart tween.
We've said this many times here that some of our best iPhone tricks come from the digital natives in our lives, which is exactly where I got this simple, but very smart AirPods trick. You may be thinking "Are there really AirPods tricks?" and well, I didn't really...
The new Rebel Girls app puts kids’ favorite inspiring women right in their earbuds
I've been a huge Rebel Girls fan since their very first book came out, so naturally I'm so excited to hear about their brand new Rebel Girls app. The app features the stories of some of our favorite women -- Malala, Lady Gaga, Maya Angelou, and many more -- in...
If your kids are gamers, here are 8 tips for raising kids to have good gaming etiquette
My teenage son and his friends are avid online gamers, so I recently broached the topic of good gaming etiquette for kids and teens with them. “What?” they asked, “You mean like when people tell you to go kill yourself when you mess up?” Ouch. I knew this kind of...
3 spooky fun Nintendo Switch games to get kids + teens into the Halloween spirit
If you've been following Cool Mom Tech lately you know how much we loooove Halloween! So when we learned about a few games for our kids' beloved Nintendo Switches that feel perfect for the spooky season, we were excited to share them, Because we can't be the only ones...
Fun Halloween iPhone cases that we’d dress our phones in all year long.
Who says your iPhone can't get dressed up for Halloween too? These fun Halloween iPhone cases are the perfect way to get a little festive for the month of October -- and beyond. But especially now, with so many costumed trick or treaters hoping to (safely) return to...
How to get rid of that unread email count badge on iPhone. Because we have enough stress these days!
I know I'm not the only one who wants to get rid of the unread email count badge on my phone that taunts me loudly in BRIGHT. RED. NUMBERS. Every so often, a friend on social media gleefully (like a Mr. Burns kind of gleeful if you ask me) will prompt friends and...
The 3 best digital planners for parents, according to parents with very strong opinions about planners!
I'm always on a quest for the best digital planner for the school year, because I have developed a very bad habit: Every year I get tempted by the beautiful, fun, old-fashioned paper planners I discover on Etsy or in our local stationery stores. They're just brimming...
What does Indigenous mean? This video is the perfect explainer for kids.
On Indigenous People's Day, a lot of kids may be asking us to explain what Indigenous means. It's not the kind of word that's in a lot of kids' day-to-day vocabularies -- or at least not yet. And parents may have trouble explaining what it means, how it's different...
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
Standing up to book bans, The Brooklyn Public Library is letting all teens access their online catalogue, free
I'm among millions of parents all over the country concerned about widespread efforts to ban "controversial" books in our public libraries. Especially when the lists include some of our favorite books, and plenty of them are not "controversial" by any stretch of the...
Cell phone etiquette for kids: 10 things they need to know
After a little texting debacle between my 11-year old and her friends, I realized that maybe I wasn't the only parent dealing with cell phone etiquette issues. And, after asking our Out Tech Your Kids group about the annoying cell phone habits their kids have, my...
How to back up your computer data: 3 steps to make sure those photos, files and documents are safe!
I've been hearing more and more people asking how to back up computer data, as they express concerns about cyberattacks lately. Which has reminded me to make sure that my own data is properly backed up too. Even if cyberattack fears are unwarranted (oof, let's hope...
Even More Coolness. Enjoy!
Nintendo Switch! Get it?
If you've got a geeky gamer to shop for, allow me to share these Nintendo Switch switch plates that I just stumbled on. Because frankly, I know I need to laugh more these days and this is doing it for me. Made by a popular 3-D printer on Etsy based out of Oregon, it's...
Is the Skylight calendar worth the splurge for big, busy families? We tried it.
I'm mom to a busy family of six, so when I saw the Skylight Calendar in my Instagram feed my first thought was, "This could change my life." Here's the thing: I have a job. I homeschool my kids and teach class at a co-op. My oldest two kids have jobs. The oldest three...
5 fun YouTube Kids Halloween video playlists and channels to get your kids in the spirit!
Here are some fun Halloween-themed playlists that your kids may enjoy on YouTube. Yes, YouTube. Now that YouTube Kids has upped their parental controls game, I've been feeling more comfortable with them using the app, and hey, sometimes it's nice to just let them...
Is the new iOS 15 Focus Mode feature helpful for parents? I tried it to find out.
Lately I've heard some mixed opinions about the Focus feature on the latest iOS 15. If you haven't updated your iPhone yet, Focus mode is similar to the Sleep mode introduced with iOS 14 with even more detail and more ways to customize your notifications from apps,...
44 cool things you can do with the Amazon Echo: From productive time-savers to just plain fun.
There are so many things you can do with an Amazon Echo, something I quickly learned after getting an Amazon Echo Dot for Christmas a few years ago .(It's no Echo Studio, but still...) I admit I was a little skeptical at first. What's all the buzz about anyway and...
7 elegant cord management solutions to help tame tangles and tidy your workspace
Taming cords is one of my own top tech challenges, even as tech becomes increasingly cordless. So I'm always on the lookout for new ways to get my home office desk more organized and keep tangles at bay. Despite what design magazines tend to portray in their perfect...
Alexa, surround me in the glory of Billie Eilish
If you've ever said, "Alexa, play When the Party's Over" then you'll be thrilled that Amazon has just announced the launch of the Billie Eilish special edition Amazon Echo Studio and it's pretty darn cool if you're a super-fan. Remember back in the dark ages, when we...
There’s an official Among Us costume out for Halloween. Sus! Sus!
When your teen takes the time to text you the news about InnerSloth's official Among Us costume for Halloween this year, you know that the party game that got millions of kids through the worst of the pandemic last year is only growing in power. Kind of like a player...
What my teen daughter had to say about THAT article about Instagram and body image
We're all talking about "that" Wall Street Journal article about Instagram: Facebook Knows It's Toxic for Teen Girls. You're probably talking about it. Or your kids are. I know it's all we've been seeing in our social feeds this week around here, and easily 15 people...
I’m getting better sleep thanks to this app. Which you may not even think of as a sleep app.
It's been a while since we shared our favorite apps to help you get better sleep. So long, that our last post about favorite sleep apps seems to include apps all recently acquired by mattress companies. Hm. I did recently write about my favorite iOS tip for helping me...
The Dinner Party is an outstanding resource if you’re dealing with loss and grief
This week, a wonderfully human, poignant video from husband-wife team Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody went viral. Perhaps you've seen it? They used the platform to respond to a Princess Bride fan named Amanda Webb (@Alaska_Webb), a young woman who had recently lost...
10 of the best math apps for middle school that make learning fun.
As a former homeschooling parent, I am a huge fan of math apps for middle school -- and for tweens and teens whatever their grade level. I used to say that I was okay teaching math until around 3rd or 4th grade, and then I needed some help explaining certain topics to...