Techie Toddler Stuff: My Favorite Apps

I have worked nights as a waitress for as long as I can remember.  Since college, I always found my way into a restaurant to make extra cash.  Now that I have my own young family, I found that working nights gave me the freedom to be able to stay at home with them during the day.

Being a waitress, I have witnessed many families with children and their methods of getting them to sit still to enjoy a decent meal... quietly.  As parents, we all know how much fun it can be to take our children into a restaurant to have a nice family meal out.  We imagine a sweet dinner with please and thank-yous and best of all, no dishes to be done at the end of it all.

I have my own methods of managing the restaurant meltdowns:  Crayons, coloring books and stickers.  Inevitably, I will have to dump out the contents of my purse for a lip gloss for Rosie to entertain herself with.  Bribes of ice cream.  Fifteen trips to the potty.  A few walks around the restaurant.  But when it gets ugly, I break out the big guns.  The iPad.

Now... don't judge.  Before I had rug rats of my own, I used to shake my head at parents that would break out their portable DVD players or tablets to distract their little ones.  But truth be told, it is quite possibly the best invention I've come across.  Hey!  A Mama has got to enjoy her dinner out once in a while.  Even gulp down a glass of wine.  The iPad is mostly used for long car rides and the prevention of public meltdowns.  I have to say it is a miracle worker in these situations.  I am pretty picky about what applications I download.   A great resource that I have discovered is Ipad Kids.  It is a website that recommends new and educational games.

Here are a few of my favorites!

Peek-A-Zoo by Duck Duck Moose

 This is a really fantastic application.  It teaches kids to identify different kinds of animals and recognize sounds, emotions and actions.

Itsy Bitsy Spider by Duck Duck Moose

 

Another awesome app.  Great interaction with the itsy bitsy spider.  It educates kids on the environment, weather and different animals.

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood:  Play at Home with Daniel by PBS Kids

In this house we love everything Daniel Tiger.  This is such a great children's show on PBS.  It teaches many everyday lessons with songs to help remember them.  This app is a lot of fun.  It gives kids the chance to interact with Daniel and all of his friends.  Music, stickers, coloring, the works!

Watch Disney Junior 

This application allows you to watch all of your favorite Disney Junior shows.  A little Sofia the First or Jake and the Neverland Pirates always saves the day!

Disney Digital Books

A catalog of really awesome digital books of Disney classics.  Rosie loves to read the stories on her own.  A lot of them feature jigsaw puzzles and coloring pages as well.

Happy Ipad'ing!  And most of all... Bon Appetit!