Best Apps for Toddlers & Dads!

I haven't done an app review in a long time so I figured why not tell you Sierra's top 3 apps and my favorite 3 as well. These may not be the best apps out there but they are the top 3 we have been using as of late. Enjoy and feel free to tell us your favorite apps in the comments section below! -Craig

Sierra has recently been playing "Nighty Night" on our pals iPad so I gave in and bought it for the iPhone as well. It's a hybrid between a goodnight book / and an interactive game that allows you to put all the animals at the farm to bed one by one by shutting their lights off. There are a few other fun little interactions that you get to do by tapping the animals; some bark, moo, do a little dance, etc. It's beautifully illustrated and well worth the $1 for the iPhone or $3 on the iPad.

NightyNight - $2.99 (iPad) or 99 cents (iPhone) - Download Here

 

Next up is one of Sierra's all-time favorite apps: Tozzle. It's a puzzle game that allows the player to drag the objects from the corner and put them in the corresponding holes where they should go mimicking the wooden shape puzzles that are awesome but not so great when you're on the go. There are fun sound effects and it also reads the names of the letters, fruit and various other objects you create. They add new puzzles all the time and for $2 bucks it's WELL worth it. Tozzle has saved us from meltdowns in many of restaurant. Thanks Tozzle.

Tozzle - $1.99 (and theres also a free version!) - Download Here

 

I personally am not a fan of this game as it's basically the same couple of tasks over and over… and over. Wake the animal up, wash it, feed it - thats it. But the game wasn't made for me, it was made for toddlers - and my toddler LOVES it. It's 99 cents and for that you get 5 or 6 animals. You can pay more and unlock other animals as well. In addition to the wake/wash/feed/repeat portion of the game it also has a couple of other neat features; educational videos of the animals, a sticker book and a few little mini-games. It's pretty neat and Sierra loves it.

Curious George at the Zoo - 99 Cents - Download Here

 

OK so now onto the apps that I love. I'm a big fan of taking panoramic shots because I feel they just capture the moment and location a lot better than just a standard photograph. I used to use "360 panorama" which is good and all but just can't compare to the $2 "DMD Panorama", it works flawlessly and is very easy to use. The images it outputs are amazing and I highly suggest you pick this one up. Check out some of the panoramas here.

DMD Panorama - $1.99 - Download Here

 

I hate to say it because EVERYONE (and their mother) is on Instagram but yes Instagram is an app I have various accounts for and that I use everyday. I won't go into detail about why it's awesome because I assume you're already on it but if you're not what are you waiting for!?! Get on it and then follow us! Our username is: TheHipsterDad :-)

Instagram - FREE - Download Here

 

Last but not least is Cinemagram. Think Instagram but it allows you to animate certain portions of the photo. It's fun, creepy and you can make some AMAZING looking images!

Cinemagram - FREE - Download Here

 

Here are some cool examples of the type of images you can create:

My child is a cookieholic.

Let me set the scene for you. We're all sleeping in the same bed (yes just like a butcher knife) and Sierra begins to cry, aka be an alarm clock, at around 7AM. I rub my eyes and look at her and she says, in a whimper, "I need a cookie...". This is the very first thing she said to me that morning. Just like an alcoholic who wakes up and the first thing they think of is "I need a drink...".

How did this happen?! How did I let my child become a cookieholic! She's vegan, she eats and loves veggies and sees blueberries, strawberries and frozen bananas as dessert treats. Somehow, somewhere she had her first cookie (cough Grammas house cough) and that was it - she was hooked. I have no scientific evidence to back it up but i swear theres something in toddler DNA that says: "You must love cookies, jelly beans and anything else that may give you a cavity just by smelling it". Is anyone else's kid a cookieholic? Perhaps we can start a support group?

Disclaimer: My kid is actually extremely healthy, especially for her age. Cookies, candy, etc are all very limited and are treats not daily parts of her diet. The post was more of a joke than anything else don't want all you internet peeps thinking my kid is a walking cookie dumpster. Although the part about "i need a cookie..." being her first words one morning is 100% true.

INTERVIEW with Honest Toddler (@HonestToddler)

So unless you live under a rock you've probably heard of "Honest Toddler" by now. If not Honest Toddler is a twitter account that is apparently run by a child with a big attitude and comedic wit to match. His profile reads "Not potty trained. Not trying." which is what my own kid's twitter account would read if she had one.

With just under 400 tweets since May this toddler has already gained a following of 13,000+ and was nice enough to answer some questions for us over the weekend. So enjoy the interview and if you don't already follow him to do here. Also follow his blog here.

THD: So when did you start Honest Toddler and was there any specific catalyst for doing so? 

HT: On May 1stish. My catalyst was not having an outlet to express myself. Mommy & me art classes are apparently too much to ask.  

THD: You now have over 13,000+ followers! Did you expect it to get so popular so quickly?

HT: No I didn't. But most everything I do is met with thunderous applause from my parents so I'm not surprised. 

THD: With so many followers I assume you get a lot of feedback. Have you ever received anything that was especially rememberable, good or bad? (hate mail, fan mail, etc.)

HT: Someone asked my mom to stop drinking. She laughed and took another (big) sip. 

THD: So I have to ask... Who are you when you aren't portraying the sassiest / funniest toddler on the Internet?

HT: Running, fighting invisible ninjas, unwrapping sanitary napkins, not eating, relieving myself, sleeping-ish, crying, laughing uncontrollably, and hurting myself. 

THD: Tell us a bit about your family.

HT: I have two parents, their ages are unknown. Most people don't know that I actually do have a sibling who I prefer not to talk about. This child is older and quite rude/selfish. 

THD: Honest Toddler's tweets are told from the perspective of a toddler w/ a Stay at Home Mom – is this from experience? 

HT: I don't understand the question so I'm going to say yes. 

THD: What does Honest Toddler want to be when he grows up?

HT: Trucks. 

THD: What are Honest Toddler's top 3 favorite childrens books?

HT: Bluberries for Sal (with no pages skipped), anything Eric Carle, and Strega Nona (that witch is crazy!)

Do you make up all of the tweets or do your followers sometimes email you ideas?

HT: I make them up. 

THD: I noticed you started blogging in addition to the tweets over at http://honesttoddler.wordpress.com which is awesome. Do you have any other plans for the project in the future?

HT: This afternoon I plan to open the fridge 7 or 8 times. 

What are your top 3 favorite twitter accounts (or blogs) to follow?

Weird Horse, Bad Luck Brian, Condescending Wonka :) 

The Toddler Tip of the Day : "Never Tell Toddlers Plans in Advance"

Sierra is napping right now and when she wakes up we are meeting up with Michael, Adriana and Hendrix for a day at the Zoo... and she has no idea. This is a strategic move from Team Parents because although she is insanely smart she can not comprehend a change of plans. For example, if Michael & Adriana's car breaks down, a freak snow storm in June or if the Zoo has to close on account of all of the animals have escaped. If plans change we are in MELTDOWN mode for the rest of the afternoon and I try to avoid those type of afternoons at all costs. I have learned this the hard way so heed my warning friends. I don't tell her plans unless I am 1000% sure they are happening, meaning I will tell her when we are on the way there and I am certain the animals have not escaped.

Call it silly but this has saved us from many of toddler tantrums because friends suddenly had to head back home or something was closed unexpectedly. So thats my toddler tip of the day. Trust me on this one! If you have any toddler tips let me know! -Craig

What happened to my baby?

Children grow up so fast is the famous cliché that you hear time and time again as a new parent. Whenever someone told me this (which was a lot) I laughed and rolled my eyes. Sierra will be turning two in August and I find myself saying things like "Where did the time go?" and "What happened to my BABY?!". To everyone I rolled my eyes at, I am sorry - you were right.

Sierra, 2 Weeks Old @ Gillette Stadium taking a nap on the field (We're big soccer fans)

Over the past few weeks I've realized I have a full blown toddler and almost any trace of baby has disappeared entirely. She can talk, walk and run. She is looking more and more like a little girl and less and less like a baby. Last night we started shopping for a toddler bed. It was fun thinking about redoing and reorganizing her room but it was a bitter sweet moment for me. I will miss my little baby with her wobbly legs and two naps a day (I REALLY miss two naps a day!). I will miss my little infant who just wanted to sleep on my chest all day. Although I will miss my baby, my toddler is perfect and I love her more and more each day. I get excited when she says a new word and can do something new and exciting, she's getting pretty damn good at blowing bubbles and wielding a fork! I love watching her grow, learn and discover the world in her own special way. I am excited to see her personality shining through in new ways from taste in music and food to the colors she likes to use when we draw or paint together. When i sat down to write this post I had planned to write about toddler beds and ask opinions on which one to buy but somehow I turned into a mushy ball of sap, sorry about that. Anyway, here is the bed we're thinking of buying this week, what do you think? 

The IKEA Minnen Toddler Bed, $149.00

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TV vs. YOUR TODDLER'S BRAIN

Ever meet one of those weird parents who doesn't allow their child to watch TV? Thats me. Yes I am one of those weirdo's who hates Elmo and Dora and avoids television at all costs. Family, friends and just about everyone thinks it's weird even though a team of doctors and experts on the subject agree with me.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children under 2 years old not watch any TV and that those older than 2 watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming.

Sierra has never watched television - ever. She might have accidentally stolen glances from time to time but we've never sat down to watch TV. Even I, as a full grown adult only watches about 2 hours of television a week (I watch  Premier League Football Saturday mornings, sue me). This is for a variety of reasons; the first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. TV and other electronic media can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development. TV Interferes with the development of intelligence, thinking skills and imagination. If that doesn't sound bad enough children under 3 who have been exposed to television are at a much higher risk for developing ADHD. Most children's programs last about 7 minutes before a commercial and your child's young moldable brain actually becomes wired for 7 minutes of attention! (Read the Study Here). I'm sure not every kid who watches TV at a young age becomes an overweight, unimaginative little nit-wit but why take the risk? Is The Backyardigans really worth it? I won't even get into the disgusting marketing that the networks, programs and commercials push onto your child, thats a whole different blog post.

Now, I am not saying people who allow their toddlers to tune in are bad parents, it's a personal decision my family has made based on careful research and proven information from experts we trust. We do own a television, but we have been discussing getting rid of it entirely, thoughts? If anyone disagrees and thinks TV has helped their child please chime in. I am not claiming to be an expert - only claiming that I trust experts. -Craig

Informative Links:

How TV Affects Your Child

Your Child's Brain Wasn't Built for All That TV 

Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All

Children, Television, and Screen Time