parenting

Even though our kids will be getting lots of STEM in school these days (at least, we hope so), we love the idea of encouraging their love of learning about science, math, and related subjects outside the classroom too. YouTube can actual…

Let's hear it for organizational apps this time of year! What would we ever do without them? After all, back to school also means getting back to routines, which can highlight some of our old systems for staying organized and keeping the…

Unless you are a parent who just doesn't use a cell phone yourself -- which, huh? -- we guarantee your kids will be begging pretty much by the time they get to kindergarten, and see one classmate who already has one. We don't entirely th…

Along with the diapers and burp clothes and countless other pieces of baby gear, perhaps the most valuable things that new (and newish) parents can receive are the BTDT words of wisdom from other parents who are boldly and actively doing…

It's been awhile since we first mentioned Common Sense Media on Cool Mom Picks back in 2009. Since I check it so often, like to remind myself whether there are any pikes through the head in Hunger Games , or whether The Bad News Bear s i…

Ever since becoming parents, it's the thing that so many of us crave, covet and perhaps miss the most about our pre-kid lives: sleep, glorious sleep. And on Cool Mom Tech, we're all about sharing helpful tips and tech for getting better …

Think about the last email you sent off in haste. Maybe it had a ridiculous typo. Or, worse, you spilled out all your anger or hurt feelings across the QWERTY instead of taking a breath -- or a night's sleep -- before hitting send. Ugh. …

When I finally broke down and got my daughter an email account ( all my friends have one! actually does work sometimes) we had the long, requisite discussions about safety, etiquette, and responsibility. But wow, it turns out there's so …

Wow, we've come a long way from the mercury thermometers we held under our tongues as kids (or uh elsewhere) haven't we? New innovations in digital thermometers are like a whole new world. They can send info to your smartphone, track you…

Watching our kids maneuver their way through all this new tech is a joy. It's just so cool to see how much they're doing and learning on these glowing gadgets. But the other side of that is trying to stay on top of what they're watching,…

When my friend Anna , who is my go-to source for everything related to time management mentioned Boomerang for Gmail , I figured it was worth a shot. And wow...consider my life changed. If you're a Gmail user who finds yourself sometimes…

The trend of online doctor visit apps is definitely reaching critical mass as people learn it's a great way to get professional advice and even subscriptions without the hassle of making appointments or schlepping out the door. And now w…

As someone who works on the computer all day, I've got my various methods for keeping distractions at bay, aka "How not to check Facebook every four minutes to see who liked the photo of my daughter's artwork." But if you're like me, the…

There are any number of baby books and memory journals out there for new parents, but none I couldn't put down, before it was even filled in. Until I saw The Geek Baby Book by Tim Mucci. Right from the first chapter, in which the author …

I'm not even kidding that when I heard the the word Meerkat being tossed around for the past couple of weeks, I thought to myself, Is that Meerkat Manor show back on TV again? But then, when the Periscope live streaming app for Twitter l…

This is a sponsored message for Webroot No matter how much you or your family is online, the last thing you want to worry about is malware, viruses, and data and identity theft. That's where the award-winning Webroot security software co…

I've often wondered if I've had a bit of a smartphone addiction, seeing as how my iPhone often functions as my third arm. Or second brain. As a busy work-at-home-mom who runs her own business, my smartphone allows me freedoms that I woul…

See below for a breaking update about the Burnbook app If you haven't yet heard of the Burnbook app , it's the latest anonymous social app that's causing a stir among teens and parents and even law enforcement around the country. Next in…

We are so excited about (and kind of in awe of) so many of the things that computers are doing for our kids, but the reality is, sometimes we need help managing their screen time. So many readers have written to us thanking us for tips l…

I'm mostly an Instagram purist. I really love following the kinds of accounts in which people share their own individual photography instead of loads of quotes, reshares, or images pulled from magazines. And while I can never resist a go…

As a full-time working mom, one of the toughest things for me about going back to work after having my babies was, well, going back to work. You're reacclimating to a work schedule on a paltry amount of sleep that would constitute tortur…

As much as I love my iPhone and how much it really helps me as a parent, it can also be a huge distraction. Don't get me wrong, as someone who runs a business and works on a computer all day long, I really do love how much freedom it giv…

As a diehard Google calendar user and an iPhone lover, I've tried out tons of iPhone calendar apps over the years, none of which were actually made by Google. Until now! Once you download the free Google Calendar app for iPhone , you'll …

As a Brooklyn resident who falls squarely within the lucky Brooklyn-Manhattan delivery area for the new Amazon Prime Now app ( iOS and Android ) I downloaded it stat. It is a genius premise, functioning essentially like a Fresh Direct ki…