websites for parents

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…

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…

Jack Frost nipping at your nose? Perfect time to gather 'round the fire and get merry, toasty and bright. No need to load on the logs, though. These flames are coming from your computer. Oh, yes. Yule Log 2.0 is back for a second season,…

3D printing hasn't exactly taken off yet, but based on glimpses we've seen -- like food , makeup , and super cool small stuff -- we'd love to see it start to play a larger role in our lives. And with an incredible new site called the Kid…

Though I'm sure my kids' teachers, coaches, and other VIP's appreciate the effort that goes into collecting money for a group gift at the holidays, I just dread being the poor person in charge of that thankless job. Bugging people for mo…

There are quite a few virtual decorating online resources that allow you to place your virtual furniture in your virtual home to get a sense of what it will look like. We've liked SketchUp , NousDecor , and even the awesome augmented rea…

With all my kids very actively involved in sports (hello fellow swim moms!), I'm so glad to find a sports team management app like the RosterBot app and website , which I think is a great resource for coaches, managers, and team parents,…

I was once a struggling engineering student, so I have a special appreciation for the courage and creativity of kids who really want to know how stuff works and aren't afraid to jump in and figure it out. Now that one of my own kids is c…

We always love seeing what the cool dads of the world are up to, because not only are they pretty awesome at this whole child-rearing thing, they've got some great ideas about how to make the world a better place. In fact, that's the goa…

Bullying is an issue that's getting so much attention these days--and yet, it's still a big problem. While we're glad to see schools, parents, and kids tackling bullying head on, it can still be pretty scary for kids to report incidents,…

Have you ever been going somewhere specific, but you take an early turn and end up somewhere completely unknown and completely fantastic? You feel like you've discovered something private and special. How did I not know about this place?…

Recently, we were introduced to LiveHealth Online , a smart new Internet-based service and mobile app from WellPoint that allows you to choose from a list of board-certified doctors and get medical care and advice right from your home. S…

More and more classrooms are going digital with volunteer signups these days, which means room parents get to avoid the hassle of collecting rounds of paperwork from all the students in their class. Not to mention the environmental impac…

I have just discovered the new ingredients database, TellSpecopedia , and I warn you, click over and it will be hard to leave. This clean, easy to navigate site currently details more than 1,300 ingredients found in foods and cosmetics f…

Twitter isn't generally the best way to pitch us, but when we get a Tweet like this, well...how can we resist? @coolmompicks That's an awesome profile photo, and even better in #LEGO by https://t.co/LK9Hyuz4UG pic.twitter.com/cQoriCzIFn …

We've written here in the past how easy Mosaic custom photo books from Mixbook are to create. It truly takes just a few minutes, and you have the photo book in your hands within a couple of days. Pretty amazing. The only downside with th…

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that it took me about 9 months to print out pictures of my third baby and put them up around the house. When I think back to how diligent I was with baby #1 and (a little less diligent with) baby #2, I h…

I get you, foodies. You hop onto one of those mega restaurant review sites—you know, the ones where everyone and their grandmother can contribute to a a restaurant's rating—and immediately realize that you cannot trust the masses. I know…

Are you drowning in paperwork like me, and dying to start going paper free as part of your spring cleaning routine? Between the kids' forms, the manuals, the permission slips, the bills, the important documents, the health records, the r…

It's no secret we love cool educational apps for kids that blend fun and teaching and getting kids excited about learning new skills. And now with summer around the corner, it's even more important that we find ways to keep kids engaged …

I am utterly taken with this website that features drawings of scientists by kids before and after meeting them. The seventh graders visited a Fermilab site, and it's amazing to see some of the changes. While some of the kids had a good …

Last night I was thrilled to join founder Anna Fader in celebrating the anniversary of Mommy Poppins , her terrific regional website network for parents looking for the best stuff to do with their kids. They've now been saving families (…

We finally decided to give our sixth grader a smart phone. And while I think the good has outweighed the bad so far, I really wasn't prepared for how complicated things would get -- and how quickly it would happen. So I can see why imple…

If you hadn't noticed, we're addicted to Pinterest. Follow us ! Then check out all of our cool tech pins, including these 5 stand-outs from this week. 1. Such a gorgeous crossbody bag that's made for smartphone lovers. Isn't that all of …