holiday apps Archives | Cool Mom Tech

5 of the best Santa tracker apps to prove he’s real. Because he is. So there.

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps, Holiday Picks

This year is definitely the year of the Santa tracker app. After, all, even the biggest Santa fans among us know that while he is vaccinated (so don’t worry kids) we want to keep him safe — and him, us. So we’re avoiding the mall and turning to some...

For last-minute online holiday invitations, Paperless Post Flyers are the best!

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps, Holiday Picks

If you’re a fan of Paperless Post like we are, don’t miss out on Paperless Flyers as a genius way to send out all your last-minute holiday invitations, school fundraisers, or to invite out-of-town family to the kids’ end-of-year-recitals over Zoom....

How to add a holiday aesthetic to your iPhone: 3 easy ways

by Caroline Siegrist | Uncategorized

Lately I’ve been looking for the best way to add a holiday aesthetic to my iPhone, uh…. like all the teenagers in my life do. Of course you can always customize your own iPhone icons yourself, I don’t have quite as much time to spend on crafting the...

All the ways kids are using tech to make their holiday gift wishlists: 11 ideas

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps, Kids, Tips and Tricks, Websites We Love

I’m absolutely fascinated by the way my own kids and step kids use tech to make ongoing gift wish lists — the iOS Notes app has become the method of choice for them and so far, that’s working pretty well for us. Then I saw Jessica Bradley...

The best apps for road trips with kids: Map apps, entertainment apps, even restroom finder apps!

by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps

I’m grateful for this list of the best apps for road trips with kids, because it turns out, I’m not allowed to put my kids in a hilarious sidecar by themselves during long drives. So I’ve been prepping my phone and the kids’ iPad for the long...

5 must-have apps for holiday planning. Dinner is back!

by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps, Holiday Picks

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...

Download Apple’s free Make Your Holiday booklet and give your kids 20+ fun, creative projects to keep them busy all month.

by Liz Gumbinner | DIY, Holiday Picks, Kids

I am not exaggerating when I say that I cried after watching a presentation about Apple’s new, totally free, Make Your Holiday at-home family program. Our kids have been through so much, and whenever I think of all the companies that have stepped up to offer...

15 fun Amazon Echo skills for the holidays, from fun and festive to really helpful

by Kate Etue | Best Apps

Just in time for the holidays, we’ve found 15 fun Amazon Echo skills that can help you stay organized, add a little more fun to your family time, and even put some magic into the holidays for your kids. If you and Alexa are in a rut, just remember: she can do a...

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

by Kate Etue | Best 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...

5 fun, not-too-scary Halloween apps for kids

by Kate Etue | Best Apps

Halloween is right around the corner, so we decided to round-up fun Halloween apps for kids that aren’t too scary, all of which happen to be free (yay!). What a fun way to get them excited about Halloween, though if your kids are anything like ours,...

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.)

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