Cool Mom Picks - the coolest gifts and gear for parents

Wednesday 16 May

Comic Cons

Let's face the facts: you might be Supermom to your kids, but you can't drive a Batmobile. Most of us don't want to be seen in Catwoman's black leather suit. And, much to my personal dismay, Christan Bale has yet to show up at my door, caped or otherwise.

Fortunately, you can now own your own, customized chunk of the Batman legacy. And you can wear it, too.

Comments: 0 | Find More: Cool Clothes for Boys, For the Menfolk, Kids Shoes, Mama Wear

Tuesday 15 May

Spare me a tote?

I've really grown to love those compact totes that are so common these days, but one thing I don't like is just how common some of them are. If you want a spare bag to tote around that still has the look of one that's not a spare at all, here's a few beautiful options.

[don't miss an exclusive offer after the jump!]

Comments: 0 | Find More: Baubles & Bags, Organics

Tuesday 15 May

Hot Dog! Caspar Babypants is back

When Caspar Babypants burst onto the kindie music scene, I remember thinking it was cool that this Presidents of the United States of America lead singer had dipped his toe into the kindie pool with this little side project. Now, four years and five CD's later, it's pretty clear that he's going to swim in this pool for a while. Lucky us!

{read on to see how you can get an autographed copy of his latest CD}

Comments: 2 | Find More: Tunes

Tuesday 15 May

I Never Promised You a Goodie Bag - bring tissues and optimism

I've known Jennifer Gilbert a long time. Long before she was an author. Long before she was a high-powered party planner to the stars. Long before she was a mom. And long before she was a Real Housewife of NYC--the "nice" one who wasn't trainwreck-y enough to make it past one season. Even so, I never knew that all these years, she's harbored a huge, horrible secret.

[Don't miss more about the book after the jump - plus the chance to win one of two really amazing giveaways. REALLY amazing.]

Comments: 1 | Find More: Books for Adults

Monday 14 May

It's a lovey. Or a rug. Or a stuffed animal. Or wait...

Confession: I've never totally understood the stuffed-animals-that-turn-into-blankets thing. Pulling a blankie out of a stuffed animal's middle always seemed kind of... weird.

Of course, it's not up to me--kids seem to love them. And luckier still, I just found a handmade version that's way cuter (and more sense-making... to me, at least) than some of those seen-on-TV versions.

Comments: 0 | Find More: Art+Decor (Sounds Fancy), Bedding and Blankets, Burps and Bibs, Toys and Other Playthings

Monday 14 May

Belated Mother's Day Gift - Up to 70% off nursing and maternity wear. The cute stuff.

Polarn O. Pyret maternity clearance sale

The sad news is that CMP favorite Polarn O. Pyret is discontinuing the maternity and nursing items from their MAMA Collection. The good news? The entire stock has just gone on crazy sale.

Comments: 0 | Find More: Mama Wear, Maternitywear That Doesn't Suck, Sales, Whoo!

Monday 14 May

Which stroller to buy? How about the one that makes you happy to push every day

One of the questions we're most often asked: which stroller to buy? We often recommend travel systems, which let you couple a great stroller with that baby seat you're going to need. But a great travel system is one thing; great travel system in colors that make your heart race is another thing altogether.

Comments: 0 | Find More: Gear Essentials, Strollers and Stroller-y Things

Monday 14 May

A bento box you will fight your child for

My kids and I are suckers for cool lunch boxes and bento boxes. We are constantly stealing each others--they take my "sophisticated" boxes and sometimes I borrow Hello Kitty.

And now here's another amazing bento box that anyone of any age will love.

Comments: 1 | Find More: Backpacks, Lunchboxes + Bags for Kids

Sunday 13 May

Happy Mother's Day cool moms!

We wish a truly heartfelt, very happy Mother's Day to all you cool moms, stepmoms, grandmoms and great-grandmoms of the world.

We sincerely hope you get to spend the day surrounded by people you love, doing whatever makes you happy. Whether it's breakfast in bed, a nice long pedicure, or just surfing the web (hello!) without having to break for diaper changes or sippy cup refills. Unless you want to. Because that's how it works today in our world.

Enjoy the day, mamas. You've earned it. But then, you earn it every day.

-Liz, Kristen, and Team Cool Mom Picks

[mom tattoo brooch: deadmeatdesigns]

Comments: 0 | Find More: Baubles & Bags, Holiday Picks

Saturday 12 May

5 Tech Picks You May Have Missed - Mother's Day weekend edition

Hard working moms, we salute you! We've also got you covered with some of our tech top picks of the week, just in case you've been too busy dropping gift hints all week.

1. If the traditional Mother's Day cards don't seem to reflect your family, check out this free and beautiful collection of inclusive Mother's Day e-cards.

2. If you've got photos stored on Kodak Gallery, you don't want to miss this post on what to do with your photos on Kodakgallery.com, which was bought out by Shutterfly last week.

3. We're wild about this handy, organization app that could completely revolutionize to-do list apps.

4. Here's a free, fun app for kids to get your preschooler doodling. We'd love it even if it weren't free.

5. Pretty iPad case / is made of soft drink bottles / still has lots of pop. (Click over and see why we're writing in haiku.)

Comments: 0 | Find More: Link Roundups, Tech, CMP-Style