Holden has been obsessed with my iPhone pretty much since birth. For Christmas (when she was about six months old), I got her this Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Apptivity Case for my old iPod touch.
She was a big fan.
The only thing I found was that I prefer to put the iPhone/iPod in upside down to avoid the plastic cover for the home button. There’s a protector screen to keep your baby from getting out of apps, but that also means mom and dad can’t get out of the app either.
So what are Holdy’s favorite apps for the iPhone/iPod? These are Holdy’s choices:
Baby Silencer – Free
We started using the Baby Silencer app to calm Holdy in the car because she hattttttttttted car rides so much. It’s basically like those psychedelic screensavers from the nineties, set to music. The graphics on the screen respond to touch, so the baby can interact with the colors and sound.
Overall, the app totally lives up to its name. Holden loved it as an infant, and she still loves it today. Plus she can interact with it even more now that she’s a toddler.
Elmo Calls – $.99
The Elmo Calls app is so fun. It’s like FaceTiming with Elmo! There are audio calls, video calls and even voicemails. The Sunny Day Sampler Call pack comes with your $.99 purchase of the app and includes nine calls.
You can also download free “Special Visits” calls (like for car trips and visits to the library) and calls for holidays. You can also purchase special packs for bedtime, going potty, going to school, etc.
We started using Elmo Calls when Holden was about six months old. Seeing her face light up when she sees Elmo on the screen is priceless, so $.99 for this awesome app is totally worth it.
Peekaboo Barn – Lite/Free. Full/$1.99
The Peekaboo Barn app is Holden’s current favorite. In this adorable app, a bouncing barn houses various farm animals. Your baby opens the door to see who’s inside and learns the animals’ names and the sounds they make.
I started with Peekaboo Barn Lite, which is free and includes three animals (pig, rooster and cow). Now that Holden is a bit older, I bit the bullet and paid the $1.99 for the full version, which includes like 10 (?) animals, plus a cute final animation where all the animals are sleeping. The fact that the app will keep her occupied for like seven glorious, silent minutes pays for that $1.99 several times over.
Peekaboo Barn was designed by artists and educators. It has been a top 20 educational game on the iTunes store nearly every day since its launch and was named one of the top 50 iPhone apps for kids by Babble in 2010 and 2011. We love Peekaboo Barn!
So those are our old standbys when it comes to iPhone apps. What can I say? Holdy loves her some apps.