apps for parents Archives

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

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...

Message your kids the way they message their friends: Google Docs

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

If it looks like your kids are hard at work on their laptop or Chromebook, they might actually be messaging with their friends. Turns out, tweens and teens are using Google Docs to chat with each other, and it’s honestly pretty brilliant. All you have to do is...

What are the best services and tools to monitor my kids screen time? 5 top picks | Guide to Digital Parenting

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

As part of our Ultimate Guide to Digital Parenting, answering parents’ top questions about family technology, we’re sharing the best services and tools to help you monitor your kids on their gadgets. While most routers, phones, tablets and computers have...

What are the best screen time management strategies that work for parents? 5 that work. | Guide to Digital Parenting

by Cool Mom Staff | Best Apps, Guide to Digital Parenting, Tips and Tricks

Next up in our Ultimate Guide to Digital Parenting, we tackle one of the biggest challenges parents face each day: screen time management. We know full well how hard it can be to decide how much is the right amount of time for our kids, especially as they get older....

Our Alexa organization series: The best Alexa calendar skills

by Kate Etue | Productivity Apps

Next up in our Alexa Organization Series, we’re sharing some of our favorite Alexa calendar skills to help you keep your family organized. Whether you want to add events to a joint calendar, keep up with a shared to-do list, or just make sure you do not miss the next...

5 apps I started using that changed my life this year

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps

Yes, we’re all still getting a lot of mileage out of “there’s an app for that” because…well, it’s true. Especially on iOS, though Android is doing a little better keeping up these days. Over the past year, there are a few apps that...

Our top 10 most popular Cool Mom Tech posts of 2018. Happy New Year!

by Cool Mom Staff | Tips and Tricks

From questionable Snapchat stories to gadgets that make our lives easier, we rounded up our top 10 most popular Cool Mom Tech posts of 2018. Happy New Year! Related: Our 10 most popular posts of 2017 10. How to figure out which categories Facebook has assigned to...

The best new iOS 12 features for parents – parental controls, time trackers, new apps and more

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps, Tips and Tricks

We always get kind of excited for each new iOS update (yeah, we’re geeky that way) and the new iOS 12 update is no exception. We’ve been looking forward to it since we heard about all the new iOS parental controls in particular that Apple was promising...

The Flo period app: Because yes, you really need one.

by Kristen Chase | Best Apps

After experiencing all sorts of fun post-40 period symptoms, our friend Sarah James, from the Selfie Podcast, recommended the Flo app. Ironically, I’m a slow adopter to new apps; while I’m happy to try them and recommend them here, it takes a lot for me to...

iPhone trick: How to lock and password-protect notes in your Notes app.

by Liz Gumbinner | Productivity Apps, Tips and Tricks

Raise your hand if you know how to lock your notes on the Notes app on your iPhone. And now…here’s me not raising my hands.Honestly, I never even realized you could do it at all! So leave it to my 11-year-old daughter to show me a cool iPhone tip I...

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.