parenting

With lots of snow falling around the country this week and temperatures at a ridiculous record-breaking low (and a bunch of snow days in our future), many of us will be finding ourselves outside shoveling and freezing our butts off in th…

According to an article in the New York Times that just came out today, Mark Zuckerberg is planning to integrate WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. That's right, over the course of 2019 and into 2020, these apps will be reconfigured in …

We've been talking a lot about screen addiction and overuse here over the last few weeks (and well, years), including our Curb Your Screen Addiction series . Well, we recently chatted with author Jake Knapp on our Spawned podcast, who ha…

Next up in our Curb Your Screen Addiction series, we're featuring our easiest tip yet. This one comes from Kristen and Liz's interview with The Art of Screen Time author and NPR commentator Anya Kamenetz, who offers some excellent, non-a…

As a mom of four kids, I get all sorts of questions asked of me by friends and strangers alike. You can probably guess what they are. "How do you do it?" "Do you ever sleep?" and then a question about whether my kids get along, which is …

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 I'…

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 categorie…

If your kids are anything like ours, they've got a phone up high on their holiday wish list. And as much as you want Santa to make them squeal, you also know that a smartphone is a huge responsibility that they might not be ready for jus…

With the holidays right around the corner, we're always looking for ways to make this busy season easier and more enjoyable. For us, a little extra time and sanity goes a long way. And well, there is actually a gadget for that. We're thr…

If you're fans of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited , you'll be thrilled to hear they just added over 1,000 Audible books for kids into the mix, with tons of popular titles ready for listening. Related: Here's what you need to know about the Ama…

My daughter came home from a sleepover this past weekend asking if she could download Musical.ly (now known as TikTok). I've been hesitant about this app after hearing friends' kids with various issues, not to mention the stories we've s…

I've tried many different approaches to organizing my iPhone apps , but the same thing always happens: I can't find the ones I need when I need them. Logic says you leave your most-used apps on the main page, then put the others in files…

We've been longtime fans of the Tile Bluetooth trackers since we first discovered them years ago. They're pretty much a staple tech gadget in our home, allowing us to keep track of our keys, our phone, and pretty much every important thi…

A few weeks ago, my youngest was angry with me about losing her iPad privileges, and in her fit of rage yelled "I bet you couldn't be without your phone for 12 hours." We all know that the truth hurts, but to hear it out of the mouth of …

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 Appl…

We often get asked the best way for parents to manage their kid's screen time, and while we have our own opinions about screen time management, we never miss an opportunity to get another expert's opinion. That's exactly what Kristen did…

Our friends over at Common Sense Media recently conducted a survey study of teens 13-17 years old, and we have to admit that the results are fascinating, and well, reassuring. If you have a tween or teen, it's worth taking the few minute…

Have you ever typed up a message to a friend, asking them to send some good vibes your way because you're really struggling at the moment, only to delete it before sending? (Hand raised!) I don't know if it's the fear of vulnerability th…

As I was prepping for our family vacation to Iceland, I found myself searching for information about cellular signals -- not so I can check my email while I'm gone, but so I can use Google Maps . While I found several posts that assured …

Every year, we put together a list of the best organizational apps for parents. Well this year, we've rounded up all our posts into one handy guide so you can access all of them at once. Bookmark this page, or start downloading these han…

One of parents' biggest concerns about kids today, is the access they have to inappropriate content. Parents are often asking us for parental control devices, services and apps to help them moderate what kids' can see and keep them safe.…

Perhaps you've heard about the Amazon Teen shopping program , in which parents can set up an Amazon login for your teens to shop on their own. It includes lots of safeguards to make sure kids don't spend more than you want them to, but i…

If your school supply list looks like ours, a pair of headphones is always required for your kids. Yay computer lab! But before you grab a pair off the shelf at your local office supply store, take a look at these 3 safer, volume-limitin…

A little over two years ago, we featured Amazon Rapids , a reading app full of stories for kids that read like text messages. Talk about meeting kids where they are, right? Well, just yesterday, Amazon Rapids went from a free app + month…