Blog Moved!

Hi, my family moved to Charleston, South Carolina....

...and my blog moved to WordPress: http://www.apps4moms.net/wordpress

Work in progress, but still check it out!

Tozzle App - Toddler Puzzles

I love it when my  2.5  year old daughter sits down and does a puzzle. I can see the satisfaction it brings her when she successfully inserts each piece to its proper place, and her "oh yeah, I did it," dance when she completes the entire thing. Maybe that's why I'm so gaga over the Tozzle Puzzle App by nodeflexion.com, oh yeah, and most importantly my daughter is gaga over it too.


The Tozzle App (iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch) comes in a Free Lite version, but the $1.99 you spend on the full version is definitely more than worth the price. The app is great in the fact that not only is it fun and challenging, but there are 39 puzzles in all, with increasing difficulty as your child completes a puzzle and slides over to the next one. Also, new puzzles are added with app updates, so the app never gets boring, although my daughter will do the same puzzle over and over again anyway.
The puzzles work like this; the puzzle piece shown in-color in the upper-right hand corner needs to be inserted in one of the empty slots or shadows. If your child struggles with placing the piece in its correct place after 3 failed attempts, the app displays a green arrow that directs your child where to go, with a circle target that helps snap it into place.

The app is colorful, fun, has great sound effects, and cheerful music (my daughter loves to dance and celebrate with the music when she completes a puzzle). Get this app for your toddler. Seriously, get it.

Get the app now.

Apps That Take the Stress Out of Family Vacations

Summer is almost here, and it's time to make the memories of the "What I did on Summer Vacation" essays your kids will make come Fall.

Here are some apps that I've used on our recent trip traveling with our 2 1/2 year old, and will help you avoid having a vacation like National Lampoon's ;)

Expedia App (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Free)

I like using the Expedia App to book flights right from your phone, and you can also use it to book hotel, car rentals, or find an activity (amusement parks, museums, etc.). Once it's booked, print your boarding pass at home, or simply print it out at the kiosks at the airport. Get the app now. Such a breeze for what you can control, security on the other hand...I have an app for that too....

 

Transportation Security Administration App (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Free)

This app is such a great tool when traveling with a child, especially when you are packing a "things to do" bag for the child to keep them busy on the plane. It has a tab that reads "Can I Bring?" and it is amazing. Just type in a questionable item you would like to bring on board the plane, and it explains if you can or not. It also displays any delays at your airport, and the waiting times at the security checkpoint. Though the TSA may get a bad rap, this app definitely helps make up for it. Get the app now.

My Suitcase App (iPhone and iPod Touch, $.99)

Your little one too young to pack for themselves, or maybe doesn't even understand why Mommy is putting their things in a bag? The My Suitcase App is great app for toddlers/preschoolers to play. The game allows them to pack items in a suitcase for a vacation at 4 different destinations. Once they pack their luggage, they arrive and play at their location. Real cute and my 2 1/2 year old plays it often. Get the app now.

 

Yelp App (iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Free)

Once you arrive on vacation, find the perfect restaurant or entertainment with the help of the Yelp App, an app (and website) dedicated to reviews submitted by real people about local businesses in the area. Find out which restaurants are great to bring kids too, but also has food that doesn't come out of a bag or box.You can also "check-in" to places.
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Great App to Filter the Crap from YouTube - tinyTube

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Don't you hate it when your child is watching his/her favorite video via YouTube on your iPhone or iPad, and you accidentally select a video that some loser has decided to edit themselves by inserting curse words or adding snippets of their own immature animation? Since when did Dora get such a potty mouth? Then you frantically snatch your phone from your child (usually resulting in a cry of frustration), and shut off the video. I've been there a few times, but thankfully, here is a great app to keep this from happening again - the tinyTube app.

The tinyTube app works like this: first use your existing YouTube account or create a new one to be used just for your kids' videos. Then, on your account, save the kid-friendly videos to your favorites. Next, select the tinyTube app on your device, and press refresh at the top. The app automatically takes the videos from your favorites list, and displays them in the app. Now all your child needs to do is learn to select the tinyTube app icon instead of YouTube (I moved this app icon right next to the YouTube app to help). Voila, no stressing about Calliou suddenly becoming violent or your child's favorite character coming upon an unfortunate death.

The app is only $.99 and I feel well worth it.

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Build a Bug Workshop?... Create Cute Bugs With Your Toddler

Bug Builder App
$1.99




If you're like me, bugs make you a little squeamish...but with this cute app for your iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad,  bugs are adorable and...creative.

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The Bug Builder app by Tickle Tap Apps is full of bright colors, charming music, and fun sound effects. It is a very simple concept; in fact when I purchased the app, I was thinking that you could choose what kind of eyes the bug would have, antenna, legs, etc., and was a little disappointed at just how simple it really was.

I later showed the app to my two year old daughter however, and realized that this simplicity is perfect for toddlers (which we all know have shorter attention spans). Toddlers love creating things, but don't want to be patient and go through a lot of steps and details to get to their final product. Duh mom! The app developers recommend this app for children ages 3-5, though I'd say some two year olds can grasp this app also.

Let me explain this simple concept: first you choose from 4 different designs for the body of your bug. Then you choose from several different colors to draw on your bug. Next you tap the smiley bug face in the top right-hand corner, and your design is placed in an "egg". Now it is your job to hatch it! You tap on the egg six times, and voila, your bug creation is hatched with a face, wings, antenna, legs, and whatever else they may have. Then you can click on the camera image in the top right-hand corner, and take a picture of your bug, which is saved in your photos section on your device. Goodness, I probably have at least 20 bugs in my phone! What can I say, my daughter loves this app! She laughs so hard when her bug hatches and she sees what crazy creation she's made.

What's also great is that there are many different bug features the app adds onto your  bug, so you're sure to have a different-looking bug each time!

The app is $1.99.

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Send Your Toddler/Preschooler to Fish School - Learning App

Welcome to Fish School

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Do you remember the scene from Finding Nemo,  when Nemo's father and his companion Dori are asking questions to a school of fish trying to find Nemo? All of these fish take shape to illustrate what they are talking about, like an arrow, or take the shape of Nemo's father, mocking him with a sad face. Well, this app takes that funny idea, and turns it into a fun, bright, and musical learning experience for your toddler or preschooler.

Let your child explore numbers, letters, shapes, colors, and thinking exercises with the help of schools of fish as their teachers. This very cute app created by Duck Duck Moose for the iPhone and iPad is clever with presenting the fundamentals in a fun way. The app also challenges toddlers and preschoolers with critical thinking exercises, just right for them. For example, your child is posed with a question of selecting which fish doesn't belong in the school of fish, or your child will be challenged with a memory game, where they have to match up the same fish.

Classical music is played throughout the app, which always lets me know that when my 2 year old grabs my iPhone, she's gone to fish school. In fact, it's now the first app she goes to when she has her sticky fingers on my phone.

The app is $1.99.

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Best App to Have in Emergencies

The iFirstAid app (and lite version) for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, is a great resource to access a wealth of life-saving information in an instant.

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I'll be reviewing the lite version, which is FREE.

The iFirstAid Lite app has information on what to do in an emergency situation involving the use of CPR, Bleeding, Burns, Chocking, and Poisons, for babies, children, and adults. Under each of these categories, you are given step-by-step information on what you should do to help the victim suffering.

For example, if a baby is not breathing on its own, enter the app and tap on CPR, Baby, and then follow the steps to resuscitate the baby. You can also instantly call emergency services like 911, or Poison Control Information, by selecting the telephone symbol in the bottom right of the toolbar.

The app also has a great feature in which an audible voice speaks aloud the directions, so you can simultaneously follow the steps as you hear them. Just select the symbol that looks like sound waves from a person's face, in the right top-hand corner (see image to right or below). There are also illustrations to further assist you.

This app is fully integrated, and is designed to help you find information quickly. For example, if someone is choking and becomes unable to breathe, the app takes you right from the Choking steps to  how to perform CPR.



 This app is great for any mom, or any person, that wants to be prepared in a life-threatening situation.

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Learning Letters: Toddler's First Spelling App

FirstWords: Animals App

Your toddler always grabbing for you phone? Why not keep their fingers occupied while engaging him/her with a great app teaching them letters and forming words?

I love the FirstWords: Animals app for iPhone, iPod, and iPad. My two year old daughter absolutely loves it. She loves the animals, and I love that she is learning letters and how letters make up words.

The app basically works like this; there is an image of an animal, and the animal word is spoken. A jumble of the letters that make up the word are below it. Your child touches one of the letters in the jumble and drags it  up to the boxes to match it up to the same letter. The app also has a "magnetic" feature about it, so when your child drags the letter close to it's place, it automatically snatches the letter in correct position in the word. Your child can also touch the letter in the box, which triggers a hint by "shaking" the letter in the jumble below as another method of playing the game. This feature can also be turned off for older kids needing more of a challenge, and you can also change the settings to how long you want the words to be, and adjust difficulty levels. Once the word is completely spelled, the speaker audibly spells out the word for further reinforcement, followed by a little animation of the animal.

Only after a few demonstrations on my part, did my daughter pick up on the concept of dragging the letter to it's match. It's really an easy app to introduce to your toddler to get their mind thinking about spelling. Right now we are working on selecting the letters from left to right in order. 

There are several different kinds of FirstWords apps, like a Spanish version, the Deluxe, etc., so go with the one that you think your child will enjoy the best. There is also a free sampler of this app, if you want to try it out before purchasing it. The app is $1.99, and it comes with 39 animals/words.

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Great app for Parents of Newborns- Grow With Me

For iPhone and iPod Touch

I wish I knew about the Grow With Me app when I gave birth to my daughter!

This app is a great tool in helping you record all the information your brain is too fried to remember after giving birth and living in the hospital for a few days. It keeps track of the times of feedings (left and right breast feedings too), how many wet and dirty diapers, hours sleeping, immunizations received, medications given, growth, and an appointment feature with alerts.

You go to the doctor often when you have a newborn baby, and I know it was always challenging for me to remember how many diapers she went through a day, figuring out how many ounces she gets on average, etc. This is great to pull out on doctor visits and look back to see if your baby is developing healthy patterns. Heck, you can even be specific with recording what kind of bowl movement your baby had. You also are able to compare your child's growth stats to the national average on this app.

If you are reading this and thinking, that sounds great but my kids aren't newborns anymore, well this app can be helpful to you too. The Grow With Me app "grows" with your child in keeping track of medical records and immunizations, growth, illness, etc.

Check it out for yourself. Get the app here. Oh, did I mention, IT'S FREE.

HeyTell App - Send an Instant Voice Message

HeyTell App for iPhone, iPad, and Android

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Ever get frustrated when you have a lot to say in a text message, and then you get it all down, and then you have to read it over and make corrections, and then....well I think everyone has been in that instance, and we usually resort to just picking up the phone and trying to call a person, or settle for leaving a voicemail. 


With the HeyTell app, you just select the app, push the record button, and speak your message into the phone to a contact you've selected (who also has the app installed on their phone). Your message goes instantly to the person, who receives a notification that they have a message (much like a text message was received). They can then listen to your message instantly, and respond with a message of their own, much quicker than accessing their voicemail. You can use this app like a walkie-talkie even, or as an intercom. 


I know this doesn't replace text messaging because you typically use it when one person can't talk, but if one parent or babysitter is watching a little one who can't type a text message, it's the perfect app for that child to talk to Dad at work for example. My 2 year old daughter loves it, and learned very quickly how to send messages of her own. 


What's also great about this app is that it is FREE! It also uses very little data, about the same as sending an email, and you can use it on 3G, EDGE, or WiFi connections. Conversations can also be saved and replayed offline; a great tool if a parent has to be away for a few days, and the little one can listen to a comforting message of the missed parent's voice....for as many times as they need to...


Get the app now