The Top 5 iPhone Apps for Kids

Ok, we’ve all been there. A lovely and lively dinner out with the fam, and you’re nearing the bottom of your bag of tricks. Coloring, cars, actually eating. The kids are ready to go but you would really like a few more minutes to linger over your dinner. Enter the iPhone. Here are my kids, ages 2 and 4, top picks for iPhone Apps.

#5 Bubblewrap (Free)

bubble-wrap
Yes. Bubblewrap. Why are the simplest ideas always the most obvious? This is one app that never gets old, and has them saying, “Again! Again!”

#4 PhonyPhone ($0.99)

phonyphone
A clever invention, give them an app that looks like a phone. (We all know that’s what they really want to play with.) This is a great app, don’t get me wrong, but even my 2-year old knows that the button at the bottom of the iPhone takes him back to the main screen. So as he grows bored with the numbers and dialing, he’s right back re-organizing my home screen.

#3 Preschool Adventure ($0.99)

preschool
This app has 6 different sections to pick from: colors, numbers, shapes, body, matching and sounds. Although it’s geared more towards my pre-schooler, it’s my 2-year old that really enjoys it. It has a simple interface of tapping pictures to hear their name and a little bit of motion.

#2 Dora and the Crystal Kingdom ($1.99)

dora
With two boys, I was really looking for a Diego app when I came across this one. What can I say, branded material works. The kids love this one. Not only does Dora tell you a bit of a story, there is a coloring book feature and a fun motion game.

#1 Ballonimals ($1.99)

This app is so cool that I’ve shown it to a lot of adults. What else would you expect from Ideo. The video shows it all. You actually blow into the phone to inflate the balloon, shake it to make the animal, tap to interact with your creature AND pop it! With many different animals to make, this one never gets old.

I JUST WANNA CRY IT OUT!

Alt title: SEVEN STEPS TO SLEEP TRAINING FOR WORKING MOMS

I don’t think there is a bigger struggle for a mom returning to work than SLEEP. You want it. You can’t have it. You are a baby-cereal-covered zombie dialing in for a conference call on your stapler, and it’s time for something to change.

You’ve heard about letting the baby ‘cry it out.’ I couldn’t do it. Here are the seven steps I followed, with great success.

1. Know why the baby wakes up

When a baby wakes in the middle of the night to nurse, he is most likely not searching for food but instead closeness and bonding. The baby sees the momma and wants that closeness, even if he isn’t hungry.

2. Break the habit in stages – Start on a Thursday

This process begins on a Thursday night because it will be a tough night, and it is important to have at least three consecutive nights to get a good start.

3. First, Dad puts the baby to bed

Mom leaves the house an hour before the baby goes to sleep. The baby gets the message from dad, ‘It’s just you and me, kid!’ This happens for a couple nights.

4. Second, No nursing from Mom

After the baby is asleep, dad is the only one to go in and see the baby when he awakes. He can hug, cuddle and even offer a bottle a few times. The only thing off limits is mom, until morning. Step 3 and 4 happen simultaneously.

5. Now, only one bottle in the middle of the night

So, you hopefully have had some success where the baby is decreasing night wakings, finding them unsuccessful (i.e. no mom).  We allowed one bottle for a couple nights, typically around 4 am.

6. Push back the night waking time, one hour at a time

Now you gotta get rid of the 4 am feeding. Here is where a little crying comes in but it is very ‘kind’ and doesn’t break your heart like true CRYING IT OUT.

Here’s how this stage works: For example, he wakes at 2 am, Dad goes in and pats him but doesn’t pick him up. He’ll probably get furious when dad  leaves the room. Dad waits 5 minutes, goes back in and pats him and leaves the room again. The KEY is every time it was the same thing: Dad comes in, pats three times, says “time for bed” and then walks out.
This way it doesn’t become a form of entertainment for the baby. It is predictable and boring. DO NOT PICK THE BABY UP! If the baby is standing in the crib, go ahead and lay the baby back down, pat three times and say “time for bed.”

This can continue for an hour… You can also increase the time from 5 minutes to 7 minutes between pats. At the end of an hour, that’s enough crying. Dad would usually feed the baby a bottle, pick the baby up and then rock a little bit then put back into bed.

7. Welcome to 6 am, MOM!

Now the baby is awake at 6 am. MOM feeds the baby to signal, “YES, this is the time that we can get up.” Then MOM has to stay awake with the baby. Resist the urge to just put the baby back to sleep. This is the training to the baby so they understand what you view as the correct waking hours. Yes, it’s early and tough, but it’s better than night wakings.

Aside: Honestly I got to the point where I enjoyed the bleary-eyed 6 am wake up call… before the rest of the world woke up, before I had to become my work self…. as a pure and simple time. It was just me and baby. Still dark outside with just a whisper of pink sunrise coming through the blinds, and only her gurgles to break the silence. We’d be sitting on the floor of her room – she’d be exploring board books while I watched her, thinking, Yep, kiddo, we’ll figure this thing out together.

Special thanks to Nancy Birkenmeier of the St. Luke’s Sleep Clinic, the sleep angel!

SUCKERED IN

Little Angel #1 has been at her new preschool for under 3 months, but yet I have already been hit by Tshirt sales, wrapping paper sales, two different book sales drives and a couple various pay-to-play activities. I am not complaining, I love the potential for involvement and general buzz around the school.

The most recent drive has been a put-a-piece-of-your-kid’s-artwork-on-something sale. Seriously, you can put it on anything. It goes way beyond a tote bag or mouse pad to include yard flags for $25 and ceramic soap dispensers for $44 (!?)

So, I am basically thinking no way. Overpriced scam!

…Until I open the packet and see what she’s drawn. It’s pretty good! And I ask her, “Tell me about your picture.”

Here’s what she said, “They said to draw something, and I thought mmmmm, I think I will draw my mommy and my baby because I love them.”
momjosie-art1
HEART MELT! I immediately begin calculating how much it would cost to get the ceramic trivet, tote bag, notebook and coasters.

Then I said, “Well, honey, this is so pretty! Is that me in the middle?”
“Yes, and that’s Ellie.”
“Well, that is so sweet. And who is this?”
“That’s just somebody.” Pauses… “I guess it’s daddy.”

So basically she was in on the scam the whole time. Daddy wouldn’t have bought the stuff anyway.

Collaboration

Next week the team and I are headed to LA to shoot with an amazing photographer named Giuliano Bekor. I am excited to work with such a passionate and driven artist. It is truly inspiring to collaborate with talented people. Watch this video that captures his process. I see nothing but good things and stunning work to come. Cheers!