Minecraft Archives | Cool Mom Tech

The new Minecraft x Pottery Barn Kids collection will make blockheads everywhere squeal!

Gamer alert: your kids can now play Minecraft all night long—in their dreams—with the new Minecraft x Pottery Barn Kids collection that just launched. This is your chance to be the coolest mom ever, and we think if you have a Minecraft-obsessed kid (hands raised) then...

Are the video games your kids love safe for them? We can help.

by Cool Mom Staff | Games + Gaming, Internet Safety

If you thought your kids tech-savvy as toddlers, it’s amazing to see how quickly they pick up video games when they get a little older. They know what’s hot and what’s not faster than Mario with a super star power-up. Turns out there are tons of...

What parents need to know about the Roblox app, a Minecraft alternative that makes it easy for kids to chat with strangers. Eep.

by Kristen Chase | Games + Gaming

You might have heard about the app Roblox, a multi-player Minecraft alternative that’s making the news because kids are unknowingly chatting with adult strangers. And getting propositioned. Just read what sort of chats this dad discovered his son was getting....

24 of the coolest geeky gifts for kids and teens to keep the holidays nerdy and bright | Holiday Tech Guide

by Delilah S. Dawson | Holiday Tech Gifts

Next up in our Cool Mom Tech Holiday Tech Gift Guide, we’ve got two dozen ideas for great geeky gifts for a kid in your life. From little babies just cutting their teeth on Nintendo (literally — you’ll see) to big kids and kids at heart who like...

Nearly 100 of the coolest free geeky pumpkin carving templates for Halloween

by Liz Gumbinner | DIY, Games + Gaming

With Halloween right around the corner (nope, we can’t believe it either), we thought it would be fun to round-up a bunch of the coolest free geeky pumpkin carving templates. As in, a whole lot of them! Whether you’ve got Pokémon fans, emoji lovers, Star...

Cool gifts designed by your kids’ favorite gamers and YouTubers at Maker Shop.

by Liz Gumbinner | Fashion + Accessories, Games + Gaming

My kids are obsessed with Aphmau, the hugely popular YouTuber, Vlogger, designer — and mom, by the way — who creates the Minecraft roleplay videos they devour like I used to watch, oh, Captain Caveman. I happened to click on the Aphmau Maker Shop link...

How to get started on Minecraft PE: One newbie parent’s intro into the square world

by Nicole Blades | Games + Gaming

Of course I’ve heard about Minecraft. How could I not? The crazy best-selling, square-loving video game is practically everywhere and has been for years now. I also knew the super skinny basics on Minecraft: It’s all about virtual, 3-D worlds engineered by...

The new Toca Blocks turns your kids into their own masters of the universe. Mainly because they’re building it from scratch.

by Jeana | Best Apps

My entire household is pretty thrilled that Toca Blocks, the 30th(!) app from favorite app developer, Toca Boca, just launched today. I got an early peek at it, and I’m happy to report, it’s just as fabulous as the others. And while Toca Hair Salon and...

Code Master teaches online coding skills through a fun offline board game

by Christina Refford | Tech Toys

There seems to be no shortage of websites or online games that will help teach our kids coding so they can be ready to head out into this increasingly technical world. And as much as I love that there are so many online options, sometimes I just don’t want to...

Minecraft cases protect your gadgets with all the strength of obsidian blocks. Well, maybe.

by Kristen Chase | Uncategorized

With a bunch of Minecraft fans in my house, and a couple of them with gadgets of their own, I’m pretty sure these new Minecraft cases from Think Geek would be a huge hit. You won’t find these Minecraft cases anywhere other than Think Geek (oooh,...

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.