tech for parents

For busy parents, our smartphones have become our lifelines, whether it's the calendar that helps keep families on track to the emails, social media, and various apps that keep us connected personally and professionally. That's why it's …

A few years back, Kate tried out the smart, touchscreen Skylight Calendar to see if it was a helpful way to organize multiple family calendars in ways that benefit the whole family. TLDR; yes, she found it wildly helpful, and worth the p…

It's always a good time to talk about how to best clean your phone and gadgets. But especially this time of year. With cold and flu season now meeting Covid-is-back season (again, sigh) it's important to know how to safely clean your pho…

We know that online mental health therapy access has exploded over the past two years, and increasingly so have other kinds of therapy. As a parent with a child in therapy (and a toddler who naps during the day), I know that just getting…

I'm grateful for any tech that makes bedtime easier, so I was excited to discover Netflix Jr.'s brand new Bedtime Stories podcast -- and I figured a whole lot of parents might be too. The podcast features some of my kids' favorite charac…

So let's talk about my absolute obsession with HappyLights, more technically known as light therapy lamps. I've always kind of dreaded the shorter daylight hours of the winter, knowing that Seasonal Affective Disorder tends to hit me har…

Even in pre-Covid days, I always hated sitting in a doctor's waiting room just thinking about the "bonus" rotovirus we were probably contracting on top of the ear infection we were there to treat. That's a big reason I am so excited abou…

I'm absolutely fascinated by the way my own kids and step kids use tech to make ongoing gift wish lists -- the iOS Notes app has become the method of choice for them and so far, that's working pretty well for us. Then I saw Jessica Bradl…

I'm always on a quest for the best digital planner for the school year, because I have developed a very bad habit: Every year I get tempted by the beautiful, fun, old-fashioned paper planners I discover on Etsy or in our local stationery…

There are so many things you can do with an Amazon Echo , something I quickly learned after getting an Amazon Echo Dot for Christmas a few years ago .(It's no Echo Studio , but still...) I admit I was a little skeptical at first. What's …

I've been on a search for the best waterproof iPad case, and after a long hunt I've found it! Or at least I hopeI have. So, of course, I had to share it here. Most parents want protective, waterproof iPad cases to protect against spills …

Like a lot of elder millennials, I resisted TikTok for a while. After all, why would I want to watch videos of toddlers spilling drinks when I can just look across my kitchen table? Sorry, Yeet Baby . But the more I delved into it, the m…

"Don't read the comments" isn't going to fly when your kids are old enough to watch YouTube videos without you around, let alone managing their own TikTok accounts. But learning how to be a responsible commenter is a skill that comes in …

It's ironic that I chose the word "connect" as my 2020 word, just to find myself practicing "social distancing" three months into the year. Suddenly, instead of looking forward to coffee shop meetups, long chummy walks, and dinners with …

If you've got a kid on an iPhone or an iPad, this week's iOS 13.3 update (as well as iPad OS 13.3 )has some serious parental controls that we think you'll be happy to know about. Introducing Communication Limits Starting his week, there'…

This weekend, inspired by the Cool Mom Picks book club video chat about How to Break Up with Your Phone , I decided to try one of author Catherine Price's tips to help me be more mindful about my screen time, and more aware of how much I…

We couldn't create an Ultimate Guide to Digital Parenting without including tips about how to keep your kids safe on social media. After all, for our tweens and teens, the Internet is social media, and they could sooner give up the games…

We're all for setting some smart parental controls on our kids' tech, and there are some great parenting controls built into the Xbox One that you might not know about it. From limiting screen time to blocking other users who might be in…

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 we continue our New Year's series on how to curb your screen addiction, I'm excited to share our next tip since it's been one that's been so helpful in managing my own tech habits. Plus, it's a change you can make in literally 5 minut…

Who else here is planning to curb your screen addiction in 2019? As parents, we often spend so much time worrying about our kids' screen time (and how to preserve my sanity during a 700th viewing of Cars 3), but everything I've heard and…

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…

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…

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.…